Zotero Quick Start Guide
What’s Zotero?
Zotero (Zoh-TAIR-o) is a FREE, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage and cite your
research sources. It lives right where you do your work: in your web browser.
Firefox is now available on PCs and Macs at the University of Sussex, and there is a wealth of material
available to get your started with using this powerful research tool.
If you’re busy, then the simple steps outlined below will get you up and running in around 20 minutes.
Installing Zotero
1. Download the plugin – go to zotero.org and click the big red “Download” button. Click the “Allow”
button in the top right, then “Install Now” and restart Firefox when prompted. If you’re using your own
computer and don’t yet have Firefox installed, just go to getfirefox.com.
2. Add Zotero to Word – go to www.zotero.org/support/microsoft_word_integration and follow the
instructions to install the Mac or Windows plugin. This will add a Zotero toolbar to MS Word under the
Add-Ins tab.
3. Register for a user account at www.zotero.org/user/register
Your login details should then be added under the “Sync” tab in Zotero preferences.
Using Zotero
In the bottom right corner of your Firefox window you’ll see a Zotero icon. Click it to
view or hide your library. Alternatively, you can also use Ctrl + Alt + Z on Windows and
Cmd + Shift + Z on the Mac. You can view it in full screen mode by clicking Ctrl + Alt +
F (Cmd + Alt + F on the Mac).
Saving citations
Zotero scans the web pages you view to see if they contain citations to books and articles. If it
recognises an item, a book or page icon will appear in your browser’s address bar. Just click the
icon and Zotero will automatically save the citation.
Please note: Zotero is unable to interpret all websites. It works particularly well with COPAC
(www.copac.ac.uk), WorldCat (www.worldcat.org), and Amazon (www.amazon.co.uk), where you should be
able to find almost any book. For journal articles, JStor (jstor.org) and Google Scholar (scholar.google.com)
are among the best sources.
If you are viewing a page with multiple citations, eg a results page in Google Scholar or Web of
Knowledge, a folder icon will appear in your address bar. Clicking the folder will display a list
of items with check boxes. Choose the items you want to save and they will be added to your
Zotero library.
Manual entry
To enter an item manually click on the green plus icon in the middle of the Zotero pane. Select
the item type and then complete the empty fields.
Organising your data
‘My Library’ holds all your references, files and notes. They can be organised into different collections, each with their own sub-collections. To add a new collection, click the icon in the top-left of
the Zotero pane.
Items can be dragged and dropped into your new collection. They will still exist in your main library and can appear in multiple collections – think of it like playlists in iTunes.
Tagging is an easy method of categorising items by adding descriptive keywords. To add a
tag, highlight your item in the middle column, then click the tags tab on the right-hand
side, and click ADD. Type the name of your tag and click ADD again. You can then use
the tag selector area in the bottom left-hand corner to filter your library.
Creating Citations
Before you begin, it is important to configure your style preferences.
Click on the cog wheel icon and then choose ‘Preferences’. Click on ‘Export’ and then choose the appropriate
style from the drop-down list. You can also choose whether you want to include HTML tags (useful if your
bibliography is destined for a webpage).
In Word, you should see a row of icons in your toolbar under “Add-Ins”. When you want to
cite a item in your Zotero library, click the “Zotero Insert Citation” button. If this is the first
citation you have added to the document the ‘Document Preferences’ window will open. Select
your preferred format from the list and click OK.
The ‘Add Citation’ window will then pop up. Sort through your collections in this window and select the item(s)
you want to cite. You can add a specific page number in the text box at the bottom of the window, or include a
prefix or suffix.
Click OK, and you should then see your formatted citation in the document.
To generate a bibliography from all the items you have cited in your document, click “Zotero
Insert Bibliography” at the point at which you want it to appear.
Zotero includes most major bibliographic styles by default. If you need to add others, visit:
www.zotero.org/styles
Next Steps
To find out about the latest Zotero developments, you can subscribe to their blog or newsletter at zotero.org.
This guide provides only a brief overview of Zotero functionality. If you would like more guidance, please
sign up for a workshop at www.sussex.ac.uk/researcherdev/events/ or try the Zotero Study Direct module at
https://studydirect.sussex.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=13333
More information will also be added to the Library’s Electronic Library pages:
www.sussex.ac.uk/library/zotero