Overview
This lecture provides a concise guide to Zotero, a free reference manager, outlining its installation, organization, collection, citation, and collaboration features for research management.
Getting Started with Zotero
- Zotero must be installed before use and opened like any other program on your computer.
- Zotero is a reference manager designed to store, manage, and cite research sources (items).
- Items can be books, articles, web pages, and various other source types.
- Each item stores metadata like titles, creators, publishers, and more.
Organizing Your Library
- Items are organized in collections, which act like folders or playlists containing links to items.
- Items can have user-defined tags, with up to six tags highlighted in color for quick access.
- Use quick searches and advanced (saved) searches to easily find and filter items in your library.
Collecting Sources and Data
- Attach notes, files, and links to any item for supplemental information or full-text access.
- Notes can be rich-text and attached to items or exist standalone in your library.
- Files (e.g., PDFs) can be attached via toolbar, right-click, or drag-and-drop, and can be added independently.
- Links and snapshots of web pages can be saved for offline access.
- The Zotero Connector browser add-on lets you quickly add sources from the web, including PDFs and metadata.
- Single or multiple items from a web page can be added depending on the save icon.
- Zotero uses "translators" to pull information from supported sites; you can request more as needed.
- If a page is unsupported, save it as a web page item and manually enter metadata.
- Add items directly using ISBN, DOI, or PubMed ID from the toolbar.
- Subscribe to RSS feeds to automatically add new research articles.
- Items can also be manually added if not available online.
Citation and Bibliography Features
- Zotero supports thousands of citation styles using Citation Style Language (CSL), including MLA, APA, and Chicago.
- Plug-ins for Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs allow direct citation insertion from Zotero.
- Automatically generate and update bibliographies in documents with the word processor plugins.
- Manual citation or bibliography creation is possible via drag-and-drop, Quick Copy, or file export.
Collaboration and Syncing
- Zotero syncs your library and notes between multiple computers via Zotero servers (unlimited for items/notes).
- Attachments can be synced using Zotero servers or WebDAV.
- Access your synced library online via your Zotero.org account; share libraries or create a public researcher profile.
- Collaborative/group libraries allow multiple users to manage sources and notes together.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Item — An individual reference or source (e.g., book, article) stored in Zotero.
- Collection — A custom folder grouping items by project or topic.
- Tag — User-defined label for categorizing and filtering items.
- Metadata — Information about an item, like title, author, and publication details.
- Attachment — File, note, or link associated with an item.
- Translator — Zotero's code that extracts citation data from web pages.
- Snapshot — A local copy of a web page as saved in Zotero.
- Citation Style Language (CSL) — The standard Zotero uses to format citations and bibliographies.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Install Zotero and the Zotero Connector for your browser.
- Explore organizing your references using collections and tags.
- Practice adding items using different methods (connector, identifiers, manual).
- Try citing sources and generating a bibliography in your word processor.