ZOTERO QUICK GUIDE

Introduction to RefWorks, EndNote and Zotero
RefWorks Quick Guide  |  EndNote Quick Guide

• Make sure you have the latest version of Firefox (download Firefox from Mozilla.com)
• Download Zotero from zotero.org
• Once Zotero is installed, you will see the word "zotero" in the bottom right-hand corner of your Firefox window. Click on this to open the Zotero panel.

• Zotero recognizes bibliographic items, like books or articles, after a search is carried out in a library catalog or database and the list of results appears on the screen.  When Zotero recognizes a list of results, a "folder" icon appears at the right-hand end of the Firefox address bar.
• Click on the folder icon in the address bar, and a pop-up window appears listing the items that are on the page, accompanied by check boxes.
• Check the boxes of the items you wish to download to Zotero, and click on OK.  They will be put into whichever Zotero folder is currently selected, and also into your main Zotero folder called "My Library."
• Zotero also recognizes an individual bibliographic item when it appears on the screen, and the appropriate icon (a book, a lined page for an article, an open book for a book chapter, etc.) will appear in the Firefox address bar.  You can click on this to download the item to Zotero. 
• However, Zotero does not recognize bibliographic information on every web page.  It works with most scholarly databases and catalogs, and there is a list of sites on which Zotero can recognize bibliographic information at www.zotero.org/translators, but this list isn't always up to date.  The only way to find out if Zotero will work with a database is to test it out. 
• You can add an item manually using the "New Item" button (the green circle with a plus sign), and choose the type of resource that you want to add.

• To use Zotero with Word (or OpenOffice), first download the plugin: http://www.zotero.org/support/microsoft_word_integration
• You should now see a row of Zotero icons () in your Word or OpenOffice toolbar, which allow you to manage references in your paper.
• If you do not see the Zotero icons, go to the Word Options, click on "Add-ins" and make sure that Zotero.dot is checked (in Word 2003, select the Tools menu, click on  "Templates and Add-ins," and make sure that the box for Zotero.dot is checked).
• When you would like to cite something from your collection, click the first button, "Zotero Insert Citation."  If this is the first citation you have added to your paper, the Document Preferences window will open. Chose the bibliographic format you would like to use from the list and click OK.  You can also set preferences by clicking the last button, "Zotero Doc Prefs."
• Once you have chosen a format, the "Add Citation" window will pop up. Select the item you would like to cite. You can add the specific page number in the text box at the bottom of the window.
• When you click OK, you should now see a properly formatted citation in your document.
• To generate a bibliography from all the items you have cited, click the third button, "Zotero Insert Bibliography."
• The "Zotero Edit Citation" and "Zotero Edit Bibliography" buttons allow you to edit citations and bibliographies you have already inserted into your documents. Click inside a citation or bibliography and click the button to edit.
• The fifth button, "Zotero Refresh" updates the citations in your paper after any changes in your Zotero collection. This will open the Document Preferences window again, allowing you to change your bibliographic style on the fly.

USING ZOTERO ON MULTIPLE COMPUTERS

• Zotero lives within your browser software, and the references are saved on your hard drive.  If you want to use your Zotero library on another computer, you need to export the library and save the file to a flash drive, or e-mail it to yourself.  To export your Zotero library, click on the gear icon and select "export library."
• Leave the format selection on MODS, check the "export notes" box if you have notes included in your library, and click OK.
• Select a place to save your library. A file called "My Library.xml" will be created at the location you specify.
• Once you have exported your library and saved it, you can import it into Zotero when you are on another computer.
• It would be a good idea to always export your library whenever you make changes to it, so that you can then download it later if you happen to be on another computer.
• To import a Zotero library to a new computer, first make sure that Zotero is installed. Then click on the gear icon and select "import."