Skip to Main Content

Zotero: Install Zotero

This guide will help you use the free online citation and research management tool Zotero to organize citations from Library catalogs and databases.

Additional help

Additional documentation, along with more instructional videos, is available at Zotero's web site.

The Library sometimes offers workshops on Zotero and other citation management tools. We will do so "on demand" if a minimum of 5 students will be in attendance. You can also email questions to Jennifer Dorner or Sarah Rosenkrantz at the Social Research Library, or Lisa Ngo at the Engineering Library.

What is Zotero and why would I use it?

Zotero is a tool that collects, manages, and cites the sources you find during your research. In addition to saving a citation, you can add notes and images in your Zotero library and in many cases automatically download PDFs.

You can use Zotero to...

  • Create and organize a personal database of references
  • Import references automatically from many websites and library E-resources
  • Format bibliographies in your papers

Why choose Zotero over another tool, like RefWorks or Endnote?

  • Your Zotero library is saved locally and though it is possible for you to create a cloud space and sync your citations, it requires you to adjust your settings on every computer you use Zotero with. If you do your research and writing mostly on one or two computers, Zotero is a great option.
  • Zotero can be used offline -- an internet connection is not necessary to work with your Zotero library.
  • Learning to use Zotero is easy

Where do I find Zotero?

Download Zotero from https://www.zotero.org/download/

1. Download the Zotero application for your operating system. If you plan to use Zotero with a word processor, close all word processing applications before running the installer.

2. When installing the Zotero connector, the option you are given depends on which browser you are using to access the page. In the example above, I used Chrome to access the Zotero site, so it prompted me to install the Chrome connector.  Connectors are also available for Firefox and Edge. Use those browsers to access the Zotero page if you want to install their connectors. You can add as many connectors as you want -- they will all connect to your Zotero application. 

Note: The Zotero Connector for Safari is bundled with Zotero 7.0. After opening Zotero 7.0 for the first time, you can enable the connector from the Extensions pane of the Safari preferences. The Zotero Connector for Safari requires macOS 11 Big Sur or later. If you experience issues with the Safari connector, check out the documentation on the Zotero website.

 

Getting Started with Zotero

Zotero provides the ability to save references from many library catalogs and article databses with one click. Your Zotero library allows you to organize and edit the entries.

the three panes of the zotero app

Collections: The left column shows My Library, which contains all the items. Clicking the button above the left column creates a new collection, a folder into which items relating to a specific project or topic can be placed.

Below that is the tag selector, where tags assigned to items can be added or removed.

Items: The items pane displays a list of all the items in each collection with icons that indicate the type of item (book, article, thesis, screenshot, etc.).

Item Details: This pane displays the bibliographic information that was imported by Zotero for each item. Each field can be edited. There are also options to add additional notes, attachments, links to the original sources, tags, and subject headings.