Information Literacy and Research Skills: Zotero

Zotero is free, easy to use software that helps you save, manage, and cite research sources.

Go to Zotero's website to download and install the program or the plug-in: https://www.zotero.org/

Important tips:

• Make sure you create an account and sync your libraries to access your saved items from different locations.
• Any work saved on the Library computers that you do not sync will be lost.
• Zotero Standalone and the plug-in will NOT be saved on the Library computers.
• The Library's catalog (OPAC) doesn't support Zotero, so you cannot pull the citation information directly from there. You can, however, put the title in Amazon and pull it from there - just look for the icon in your search bar.
• Sometimes Zotero wants to save your item as a webpage. Make sure that you are saving the correct information (book, article, etc) to generate the correct citation.

NOTE: this tutorial is done on a Mac, please be aware of the slight differences if you are using a Windows OS.

If you're working on a public computer, there's another easy option for taking your Zotero library with you.

In your local Zotero library, click the Zotero gear menu, choose Export Library, and save the file to your USB drive. On the public computer, click the gear menu, choose Import, and find your Zotero file to import it.

When you're done, make sure to export any changes and import the new file onto your computer. The Library computers will erase your data when you log off.

If you're regularly using more than one computer in your research, Zotero's sync feature can keep your library up to date on all of them. Zotero can store a copy of your library on the Zotero.org server and check it for updates whenever you open your library on a different computer. All your computers must be running the same version of Zotero.

First, set up a free Zotero.org user account.

Then:

• Open Zotero preferences (via the gear menu) and select the Sync tab. 
• Enter your Zotero user name and password. 
• Check the "sync automatically" box.
• Check both boxes under File Syncing and choose Zotero storage for My Library. This will sync your PDF attachments as well as citations (more info).
• Click the green circular arrow button at the top right corner of the Zotero window.
• Zotero will upload your library to the server.