Use Zotero Effectively: a Self-Paced Tutorial

Zotero:

• collects and organizes citations and PDFs
• interfaces with word processors to insert footnotes/in-text citations into a document and create a bibliography of the sources used in a variety of citation styles

Get Started with Zotero (1:44) from McGill University Library

What to know about Zotero:

• Freemium
• Not-for-profit
• Open source with many volunteer-built plugins
• Does not mine personal research data
• Web-based version is accessible for visually impaired
• Created at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University with initial funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the United States Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Install Zotero & Browser Connectors:

• Before you begin the installation, close Microsoft Word or Open Office, if they are open. Download and install the standlone desktop program Zotero 6 on your laptop or desktop.
• Install the Zotero web browser connector(s), for all the browsers you use. In other words, if you use Firefox and Chrome then open each and install the appropriate Zotero connector(s). If you do not have Firefox or Chrome, you’ll need to download and install one of them. Safari is sometimes problematic with Zotero.
• Register for an account with Zotero in order to sync to web-based Zotero

In Zotero’s Preferences, change three settings:

1. Uncheck “Automatically take snapshots” (which fills up your Zotero account with unnecessary copies of web pages)
2. Cite -->Word Processors –check the box for “Use classic Add Citation dialog” (which makes it easier to navigate large Zotero accounts)
3. Sign in (link the account that you created at Zotero.org) and leave all the boxes checked to use Zotero for cloud storage of attachments.

Watch the video (Coming Soon)