This document provides an overview and introduction to using the citation management software Zotero. It discusses how Zotero can help organize research sources, create citations and bibliographies, and share citations with others. The document also provides step-by-step instructions for installing Zotero, adding citations to a Zotero library from various sources, and formatting papers and bibliographies using the Zotero plugin.

1. Citation Management for
Social Welfare
Collect
Organize
Share
Store
Cite
Questions? Contact your librarian, Susan Edwards (seedwards@berkeley.edu)
Many thanks to David Eifler (deifler@berkeley.edu) for this PowerPoint!

2. Why
Cite? You are part of a scholarly
conversation.
Citation Software? Spend your
time researching, thinking and
writing - not managing citations.

3. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Citation Management Simplified
• Citation management
software eases task of
creating footnotes and
bibliographies – in a variety of
citation styles.
• Citation software can help you
organize your research
sources.
• Zotero covers new media
(blogs, emails, YouTube, etc.)
• As with all citation managers,
you must check the quality of
imported citations…
GIGO = garbage in, garbage out

4. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Which Citation Management Software?
http://refworks.com/
(online only)
http://www.mendeley.com/
(local and online)
www.zotero.org/
(chrome, firefox, safari)
•Available to UC Berkeley users “free
post graduation” (if UCB pays)
•Entirely web-based, so it can be
used on all operating systems, at any
computer
•Format bibliographies in Word
•Allows for citation sharing for
collaborative projects
•Data entry “cludgy”
•Does not synch to local computer
•Owned by ISI Reuters Thompsen
•Free to users; for-profit with
indeterminate funding model
•Allows for mass import of PDFs
•Can highlight and annotate PDFs from
within the program
•Makes recommendations based on
cloud-sourcing
•Good collaborative citation sharing
•Poor with new media (video, interviews,
email, etc) formats
•Data entry easy
•Owned by Elsevier
•Free and open source to all
•Syncs with online server to allow
collaboration and backup
•Easy data entry
•Designed for new media (email,
websites, blog posts, maps, etc.)
•Easy to add notes, attach .pdf’s,
and take “snapshots” of web
pages for posterity
•Drag and drop citations.
•Easy collaboration
•Open source, supported by IMLS

5. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu

6. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Zotero – Two Flavors

7. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
More Help: Berkeley and Harvard User Guides
http://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/subject-guide/188-Zotero?p=15929
http://guides.library.harvard.edu/zotero/advanced/

8. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Installing Zotero http://www.zotero.org/download/
• Standalone for Safari,
Chrome or Firefox with
connector OR Embedded in
Firefox browser
• Do NOT install multiple
editions (e.g. standalone
AND embedded Firefox
editions)
• Open standalone before
downloading citations.
(Firefox embedded is always
“open” in browser window.)

9. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Opening Zotero
• Select your browser
(Firefox, Chrome,
Safari)
• If using standalone
version, make sure
“connectors” have
downloaded as well
• Open in Firefox
browser or Standalone
version

10. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Adding Items: Books from OskiCat, Melvyl or Amazon
• Folder icon in URL bar
allows downloading of
multiple citations to books.
• Book icon automatically
downloads single
monographic citation
• Cap and gown icon
downloads a dissertation
citation.

11. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Adding Articles and More From Databases or Google
Scholar: (ex. PsycInfo)
• Folder icon in URL bar
allows downloading of
multiple citations.
• Article icon automatically
downloads single citation
• Cap and gown icon
downloads a dissertation
citation.
• Book icon will appear for
book citations.

12. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Using Notes
and Tags
“Standalone” stays in folder
“Child” stays with article
-- Quotes, note to self, etc.
“Tags” are added by databases,
but you can create your own
Can search all Tags and Notes

13. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
What do all those other icons mean?
Add new collection (folder)
Actions (Preferences)
Add new item (33 types)
Item by identifier (ISBN, DOI)
Add note (standalone or child)
Add attachment (snapshot, link, copy)
Advanced search
Synch with Zotero server
Full screen mode
Close Zotero (window only)
Create a new group (sharing)
Lookup (Uce-Links, Google Scholar)

14. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Adding Attachments
• Attach Snapshot of Current
Page allows capturing .html of
existing web page.
• Link to Current Page captures
url, but not .html.
• Link to URI (url or uniform
resource name)
• Attach Stored Copy of file for
reading when offline; can delete
the original stored copy.
• Link to File saves Zotero server
space but requires access to hard
drive where file exists.
• In some databases (e.g. Google
Scholar) you can drag and drop
link to .pdf which will attach a
stored copy.

15. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Sorting and Searching for Items
• Sort items in center panel
• Searching basic and
advanced
• Searches notes, tags,
attached documents, etc.
• Save search for future use

16. How to Format APA Citations
APA 6th
Cheat Sheets:
Purdue
Wake Forest
Harvard
Basics of APA Style --
tutorial from APA
APA Style Blog -- is
searchable by topic and
contains weekly posts
by APA experts .

17. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Bibliography: Create from Zotero Library
• Highlight desired folder or citations
• Right click (pc) or two fingers on
trackpad (mac) and select “Create
Bibliography from Collection or
Items”
• Select citation style and output
mode and method (e.g. “copy
bibliography to clipboard”)
• Paste into any document

18. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Create in-text citations and bibliography:
Word or Open Office Plug-in
• Get word processor plug-in for
Microsoft Word or Open Office.
• Use icons in word processor’s
Add-Ins toolbar to insert citation
after selecting citation style (Word
on Mac – View – Toolbar)
• You can change the style later via
the “set document preferences”
icon

19. Issues/concerns
As with any citation manager, you need to review citations for accuracy. It’s
easy to edit citations in Zotero once you know the APA format.
Note: Zotero:Zotero: doesn’tdoesn’t capitalize the first word after the colon in a title!capitalize the first word after the colon in a title!
Romero, A. J. (Ed.). (2013). Preventing adolescent depression and
suicide among Latinas: resilience research and theory. New York, NY:
Springer. R should be capitalized!
Zotero Forums help with questions https://forums.zotero.org/categories/

20. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
APA requires sentence format for books – select title and Transform Text

21. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Adding Items Manually: 33 formats

22. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Synching with Server and Home
• Synching and sharing requires you
register with Zotero for an account
• Actions  Preferences  Sync 
User name  Password
• Reset tab: avoid using this
• Note: fulltext articles do not synch,
only the bibliographic information.

23. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Additional Storage
• Unlimited citation information
• First 300 Mb of attachments
Free
• Can sync and store in your free
and unlimited (while a student)
Box space – including articles!
• Or can pay Zotero for storage.
• No cost for collaborators

24. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Collaborate with Group Libraries
• Must log-in to Zotero.org with name
and password
• Add members, determine privacy,
transfer ownership, determine
editing rights, etc.

25. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
De-duplication at bottom of collections, or right-click and “Merge Items”

26. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Search UC-eLinks for full text
• Click on the Action
(gear) icon
• Choose Preferences
• Under the
“Advanced Tab” in
the OpenURL
section, copy the
following into the
"Resolver" box:
http://ucelinks.cdlib.o
rg:8888/sfx_local

27. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
View Online will take you to the fulltext, with UC e-links.

28. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Creating Communities of Practice

29. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
Transferring Citations into Zotero
• Export using RIS preferred
• From RefWorks/Endnote
export as either “Bibliographic
software” or “BibteX”
• Best to import folder-by-folder
and drag each group of
imported items into a new
folder in Zotero.
• Check to make sure essential
data came over.
• Princeton guide to importing
and exporting at:
http://libguides.princeton.edu/content.php?pid=30227&sid=230429

30. Introduction to Zotero – 2015 deifler@berkeley.edu
7800 Citation Styles
• Click on “gear” action icon
• Select preferences
• Select “Cite” tab; “Styles”
• Click on “Get additional styles”
• “Install” style you want.