Elements of this guide were adapted from the Georgia State University Zotero guide developed by Jason Puckett. This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Zotero is free reference management software with desktop and online components. It was designed to run on any computer that runs on Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
♦ Download and install Zotero. The Zotero application stores and organizes your personal database of references.
♦ Zotero has a great, quick reference guide on their website.
♦ Install the Zotero Connectors, which allow your web browsers to easily save citations to your Zotero library. The Zotero Connectors will automatically detect what browser you're using and add a link in your browser toolbar. Each browser has its own version of the Zotero connector, so if you use Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, you'll need to install the connector on all three.
NB: The Zotero Connector for Chrome cannot be downloaded and installed via the Chrome Web Store when logged in using a student Redeemer University account. This does not impact Firefox, Edge, and Safari.
♦ Installing the application will also install the citation toolbar into Word, Google Docs, and/or LibreOffice. This allows you to easily insert citations into your document as well as create a bibliography. For more information, see the Zotero website.
♦ You can access and edit your Zotero library on your tablet or mobile phone. See the Zotero website for details.
Create a Bibliography from your Zotero library.
♦ Select the references or collections you want to include.
♦ Hold the control key to select multiple items.
♦ Right-click one of the selected items and select Create Bibliography.
♦ Choose the bibliographic style you want, select Copy to Clipboard, then OK, and paste into your word processor.
Install Zotero's plugin for Microsoft Word or LibreOffice.
♦ The plugin adds a Zotero toolbar to your word processor, allowing you to add citations to your document while you write.
♦ To add a citation, select the Add/Edit Citation button on the toolbar. Search for the reference you want to cite and press Enter. Zotero will add the citation at your cursor.
♦ At the end of your paper, select the Add/Edit Bibliography button. Your bibliography will appear, and new citations will be added automatically.
♦ Change bibliographic styles with the Document Preferences button.
♦ The toolbar looks different on different operating systems and versions of Word. Mousing over the toolbar will pop up each button's function if they're not clearly labeled.
Information on Zotero and Google Docs
Zotero has a Groups component which allows you to connect and collaborate with other Zotero users. You are able to join and create groups. For private groups, the page offers a way for group members to interact with the group’s collections from anywhere. You may also create public groups that anyone can search and join. To join an existing Zotero library, search for it at zotero.org/groups or be invited by the group’s owner.
You can create your groups in two ways:
1. Select New Library > New Group icon in the top left corner of your Zotero library screen.
2. Login into your online Zotero account and select Groups from your Zotero toolbar
Interact With Groups Through Your Zotero Client
If you have enabled data syncing, and are a member of a group with an enabled library, the group library will appear in Zotero's left column. Items can be dragged into it from My Library and viewed or edited by other group members, if their permissions allow it.
If you would like to learn more about how to use Zotero, below are four, short, Zotero tutorial videos that we prepared.
NB: These videos were prepared for Zotero 6. To get the most out of these videos, we recommend that you install Zotero 6 rather than the current, default download version of Zotero (v. 7). To download Zotero 6, go to https://www.zotero.
For instructions on how to import libraries/bibliographies into Zotero from other reference managers, please see the links below to Zotero's online help:
Peter Turkstra Library, Redeemer University , 777 Garner Road East, Ancaster, ON, L9K 1J4, Canada Circulation Desk Telephone: 905.648.2139 ext. 4266, Email: library@redeemer.ca
