Zotero (pronounced "zoh-TAIR-oh") is a free open-source tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research. Not only can Zotero simplify your citations, it can also help you organize your reading notes.

Periodically, we offer workshops to orient students to using Zotero. This guide summarizes the content of our generic Introduction to Zotero workshop. While this guide was written for participants to use during and after the workshop, you can also follow it at your own pace for a self-guided experience.

To learn even more about Zotero, read the Library's Zotero Guide

For questions or feedback about this Zotero workshop, please contact the Engineering Library.

Workshop Objectives

This workshop will help you:

• Save full-text references in Zotero from many different sources (e.g. directly from Zotero, from Firefox or Chrome)
• Generate citations and bibliographies in Google Docs or MS Word
• Organize and sync your Zotero library
• Use the groups feature to share your research and collaborate with colleagues

Workshop Schedule

1. Workshop Preparation
2. Live Zotero Demonstration
3. Install Zotero
4. Saving Citations
5. Creating Bibliographies
6. Syncing and Group Libraries
7. Workshop Wrap-up

1. Workshop Preparation

Before you attend the workshop, please complete the following:

1. Watch the video below. This video provides a quick introduction to Zotero and shows you how to download Zotero.

2. Download Zotero (zotero.org). Doing so will allow you to complete hands-on activities during the workshop.

2. Live Zotero Demonstration

The workshop begins with a 5-minute demonstration to show you what Zotero can do, and why it might be helpful to you. There will be a live demo during the workshop, but you can also watch this recorded live demonstration (YouTube video) by Jason Puckett, of Georgia State University Library.

3. Install Zotero

For the best results, you should install both Zotero (the desktop program) and a Zotero Connector (a browser plug-in). Both are available on the Zotero download (zotero.org) page. The Zotero Connector allows you to save references to your Zotero library directly from your internet browser.

For detailed instructions, see Install Zotero (U of T library guide) for instructions.

►Try it yourself

Install and open Zotero at least once before the workshop, so that you will be able to participate in the next activities yourself, alongside the instructor.

4. Saving Citations

Zotero is able to save any reference you require for your work, including journal articles, web pages, audio recordings, and many more. The list below presents 4 methods that we will demonstrate during the workshop, presented here so that you can follow along.

1. Via your internet browser, using the Save to Zotero button
   ►Try it yourself: Save a journal article from the library catalogue (we have made a sample library search for you). Now, select the Save to Zotero button, which should appear as a folder icon in the top right hand corner of your browser. Select which items you would like to save, and select ok.
    
2. Add item(s) by identifier in Zotero, using the magic wand icon
   ►Try it yourself: In Zotero, select the magic wand icon. In the search box, enter a unique identifier for the item you are trying to add (e.g. an ISBN for a book or a DOI for a journal article).
   Try adding these references to Zotero:
      • 9781571313355, ISBN for Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
      • https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-019-00073-7, DOI for Equity as Rebar: Bridging the Micro/Macro Divide in Engineering Ethics Education by Cindy Rottman and Douglas Reeve
    
3. Drag and drop a PDF. Zotero will try to find information about the item and create a reference automatically.
   ►Try it yourself: Download this open access article written by University of Toronto Professor Greg Evan: Windmills of Your Mind: Metacognition and Lifelong Learning. Then, drag and drop the file from your computer file system into Zotero.
    
4. Add an item manually in Zotero.
   ►Try it yourself: Select the green + icon in Zotero to reveal a drop-down menu of item types. Select journal article and fill in the appropriate information. Try manually adding this open access article written by University of Toronto Professor Greg Evan: Windmills of Your Mind: Metacognition and Lifelong Learning.

TIP: Zotero is not a perfect system and can make errors in the bibliographic information. Be sure to check the record in your Library for errors or missing information.

For more, watch the video below or read about Saving Citations (U of T library guide).

5. Creating Bibliographies

Once you have added references into Zotero, it becomes simple to insert citations and create a bibliography as you write. Zotero can be accessed directly from word processors like Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. If you use another text editor, chances are that someone has created a Plugin for Zotero (Zotero Documentation). Read more about creating bibliographies (U of T Library Guide).

►Try it yourself: For this activity, you will need to open a new document in either Word, LibreOffice, or Google Docs. We will demonstrate 2 different methods of creating bibliographies and citations in a word processor.

1. 'Copy-Paste' - Quick bibliographies. This method requires you to copy/paste citations and bibliography entries manually (this is the process we followed in the live demo). To create a quick bibliography, highlight items you would like to cite, right click and select the "Create Bibliography from item...". Select the preferred citation style, select the bibliography option and then Copy to Clipboard. Paste in your word document and you have created a bibliography.
2. 'Cite-while-you-write' - Using Zotero's word processor plugins. With this method, Zotero keeps track of which items you have cited in your writing and automatically generates an up-to-date bibliography. For this activity, we will be using Microsoft Word, but the process is similar for the other word processors.
   • Instructions for how to use each word processor plugin from Zotero Documentation:
     • Using the Zotero Word Plugin
     • Using the Zotero LibreOffice Plugin
     • Using Zotero with Google Docs

6. Syncing and Groups

If time permits, we will look Zotero's cloud storage features as well as groups. Both these features require users to register for a free user account. The account incudes 300 mb of cloud storage. We feel comfortable recommending that you sign up for a Zotero account, but we encourage you to first review Zotero's privacy and data security policies.

Syncing

Do you often work on different computers? Zotero can store a copy of your library online so that you can access it anywhere. Once you sync your library it can be accessed online through Zotero.org or on any desktop computer that has Zotero (all library computers do!).

Groups

If you're collaborating on research or coursework together, Zotero Groups allows you to share collections, PDFs and notes with shared groups.

7. Workshop Wrap-up

This workshop provided a brief overview of the basic features of Zotero. Beyond creating bibliographies, Zotero can help you in your research process. As we finish this workshop, please take a moment to consider what your next steps are for working with Zotero. Not sure? Here are some ideas:

• This workshop has provided enough information, I don't need anything else.
• I have tons of articles on a bunch of different topics and can't remember which I have and haven't read! I need to talk about how to organize them so that my research is more manageable. Can we talk about some organization features in Zotero?
• I'm a Zotero convert and I want to see how I can integrate Zotero with my daily workflows. Can the library help?