Zotero User Guide PDF
Zotero User Guide PDF
Zotero User Guide PDF
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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I. WHAT’S ZOTERO ?
Zotero [Zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources.
It lives right where you do your work—in the web browser itself.
Zotero is a US project of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. It is funded by the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
In addition to item metadata, notes, and tags, Zotero can also be used for managing files. Files can be added to your
Zotero library as either copies or links. With copies, a copy of the original file is stored in the Zotero data directory.
Zotero allows you to store files up to 100 Mb for free. HEC library and IT service then provide an online secure
server for you to store more files. The library may help you to set your preferences.
There are two versions of Zotero : Zotero for Firefox and Zotero Standalone.
We advise you to use Zotero for Firefox as it enables you to use an institutional proxy to access the library’s
electronic resources: The first time you are using an institutional proxy to access a particular site, Zotero will detect
it and ask if you want to remember it in the future. If you agree, Zotero will automatically use the proxy for matching
URLs in the future. You should be routed through the proxy login site if you're not already logged in, then you can
access the database as you normally would.
* To use Zotero Standalone with Firefox, install Zotero 3.0 for Firefox. It will automatically switch into connector
mode when Zotero Standalone is opened.
Zotero for Firefox and Zotero Standalone work the same. You can install both versions on the same computer.
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III. PRESENTATION
Zotero is divided into three columns : Items (bibliographic references) appear in the center column. The metadata
for that item is in the right column. This includes titles, authors , publishers, dates, and any other data needed to cite
the item. The left column includes “My Library”, which contains all items. This column allows you to organize your
references, by creating collections, sub-collections, etc.
The icon changes, depending on the type of source Zotero detects (article , book , thesis , etc.)
• Go to Amazon.com
• Type you keywords
• Click any book
• Click the book icon to save its bibliographic information
This process is the same for a library catalog, an academic database, a newspaper or blog… You may save
information about all kinds of documents (books, articles, videos, thesis…)
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Zotero will save all of the bibliographic information about that article into your library.
You can set your preferences so that Zotero will automatically save article PDFs: simply check “Automatically
attach associated PDFs and other files when saving items” in your preferences.
Article PDFs saved from databases often have cryptic filenames: right-click it and select “rename file from
parent metadata”. You will then be able to recognize your attachments easily.
If you sync your library, these PDFs will take up storage space in your server quota. You can disable
attachment syncing in your preferences, in the sync tab.
Right-clicking any stored attachment in the library allows you to view it or to open the folder on your hard
drive that contains the attachment.
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Some fields have special features.
Example :
a) Names
Each item can have zero or more creators, of different types, such as authors, editors, etc. Zotero automatically
import those metadata from the catalog or database. You can make some changes, though.
• To change the creator type, click the creator field label (e.g., “Author:”).
• A creator can be deleted by clicking the minus button at the end of the creator field, and additional
creator fields can be added by clicking the plus button at the end of the last creator field.
• Creators can be reordered by clicking a creator field label and selecting “Move Up” or “Move
Down”.
• Each name field can be toggled between single and two field mode by clicking the “Switch to single
field” / “Switch to two fields” buttons at the end of the creator field. Single field mode should be
used for institutions (e.g., when the author is “Company A”), while two field mode (last name, first
name) should be used for personal names.
b) Journal Abbreviations
Journal articles are often cited with the abbreviated journal title. Zotero stores the journal title and journal title
abbreviation in separate fields (“Publication” and “Journal Abbr”, respectively). We recommend that you store title
abbreviations in your Zotero library with full stops. Zotero can then reliably strip out the full stops in rendered
bibliographies when the chosen citation style calls for it.
c) Titles
In English, titles are typically either Title Cased or Sentence cased. We recommend that you store titles in your
Zotero library in sentence case. Zotero can then reliably convert titles to Title Case in rendered bibliographies when
the chosen citation style calls for it.
To help with changing the case of titles, the title fields (e.g., “Title”, “Publication”, “Series Title”, “Short Title” for the
“Journal Article” item type) can be right-clicked. This shows the “Transform Text” menu, with options to convert the
title to either “Title Case” or “Sentence case”. Zotero does not recognize proper nouns, and transformed titles
should always be checked for capitalization errors.
d) Links
Clicking the label of the URL (“URL:”) and DOI (“DOI:”) fields will open up the (DOI-resolved) URL in your web
browser.
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• Paste the ISBN
• Edit fields and add the abstract (copy/paste)
b) Or right-click the web page and select “Create new item from current page” in the “Zotero” menu. (in
Zotero Standalone, right-click the page and select “Save Zotero snapshot from Current Page”.
Further options :
A snapshot is a copy of the page saved to your computer. It includes the page's text and images, so if the page is
removed later, or if you're offline, you'll still be able to view your copy.
• When you view a snapshot, there’s a specific toolbar on the left corner of the page. You can annonate the
snapshot, or highlight text.
An empty item of the selected item type will now appear in the center column. You can then manually enter the
item’s bibliographic information via the right column.
For PDFs that you have added as independent items, you can try to automatically download bibliographic data from
the internet by right-clicking them and selecting “Retrieve Metadata for PDF”.
If the document is indexed in Google Scholar, its bibliographic information is added automatically. If not, you’ll need
to add information manually.
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V. ORGANIZING YOUR REFERENCES
Zotero allows you to organize your items in collections, to add notes, tags, to attach files…
1. Collections / Sub-collections
Collections are more like iTunes playlists than physical folders in a filing cabinet. Items can be assigned to multiple
collections. To see all the collections an item is in, select the item and then the Option (OS X), Control (Windows), or
Alt key (Linux). This highlights all the collections that contain the item. Items that are not in any collection can be
found in the “Unfiled Items” folder.
To create a collection:
2. Notes
You can store notes in your Zotero library: child notes, which belong to a specific item, and standalone notes that are
not directly related to any item in your library, but will appear alongside any other items. To add a note:
1) Select an item.
2) Click the « Add Note » button and select the type of note you wish to add.
3) Type your note (ex: reread 2nd paragraph). It will be attached to your item. When you search in your zotero
library, zotero will also search within your notes.
3. Tags
The Tag selector zone shows all the tags that have been attached to the items shown in the center column:
• Select one or multiple tags: only those items carrying the selected tags are shown in the center column.
• Clicking a selected tag again will deselect it.
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• To assign a tag to multiple items at once, drag a selection of items from the center column onto a tag in the
tag selector.
• Click an item in the center column: the list of tags assigned are visible on the right column.
• You can manually add or delete tags:
- click “tags”
- click “add”
- start typing a tag (ex : political aspects”) and select the desired tag; click “add” or “enter”
- Or create a tag : type the new tag; click “add”
- Click “minus” to remove it.
When items are saved to a Zotero library via a web translator, tags are sometimes automatically attached. You can
change your preferences to prevent Zotero from adding automatic tags.
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VI. SEARCHING INTO YOUR LIBRARY
1. Quick search
As you type, only those items in the center column that match the search terms will remain.
3 different modes :
2. Advanced search
Click on the magnifying glass icon.
It opens the Advanced Search window in which you can filter items by the content of specific fields or by other
properties, like item type or the collection an item belongs to. Multiple filters can be set up by clicking the plus
button.
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4) Check the "sync automatically" box. Zotero will upload your library to the server.
5) Show the “sync” icon on the right column
VIII. BACKING UP
It is strongly recommended that you regularly back up your Zotero library. Syncing is not a good substitute for
backing up: the Zotero server only stores the most recent version of your library, and it takes just a single
(automatic) sync to change the server copy.
Warning : Before you copy, delete or move any of these files, be sure that Firefox and/or Zotero Standalone are
closed. Failure to do so before moving these files can damage your data.
Warning : Zotero allows you to export your Zotero library as a Zotero RDF file. However, exporting and importing
your library via RDF won’t result in an exact copy of your library, and it isn’t recommended as a backup strategy.
For step-by-step, illustrated backup instructions, see this guide provided by the Northwestern University library.
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2) To create a shared library, click the Create Groups button near the top left of your Zotero window. You will
be directed to Zotero website, on “Groups” page.
• To join an existing Zotero library, search for it at zotero.org/groups or be invited by the group’s owner.
• To create a group, choose your group’s name and type. Groups may be public (searchable, and anyone can
join) or private (users can only join if invited).
You now have two sections in your Zotero collections pane: My Library and Group Libraries.
Personal and group libraries are entirely separate, and changes made to items in one library do not affect the other.
You can drag items back and forth libraries to copy items.
X. CREATING BIBLIOGRAPHIES
1. Quick copy
- Select an item
- Drag and drop it into your word document
a) To insert a citation :
1. Place your cursor in your Word file exactly where you want the citation to appear.
NB : When you click this button for the first time in a new document, the « Document Preferences » window opens
first. It lets you set the document-specific preferences.
3. Start typing part of a title, the last names of one or more authors, and/or a year in the dialog box. Matching items
will instantly appear below the dialog box:
4. Select the reference you want to cite and click OK. Zotero will add the citation at your cursor.
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5. If you want to customize a citation, i.e. you want to cite a certain part of your item, or you want to add a prefix,
etc., click the “Edit citation” button .
By default, the bibliography is filled with all the items you have cited in the document.
Clicking the “Zotero Edit Bibliography” button ( ) to add additional items to the bibliography that you haven't
cited, or remove cited items from the bibliography. You can revert these edits using the “Revert All” button.
Change bibliographic styles with the last button on the toolbar ("Set Doc Prefs").
If you can't find the style you're looking for in the Zotero Style Repository, feel free to request a style. You can also
try to create the style yourself.
a) With Zotero for Firefox, installing a style from the Zotero Style Repository is as easy as clicking on the style title:
1) Open Zotero preferences (via the gear menu) and select the “Cite” tab.
4) Choose the desired style title. It will be automatically added to your Zotero.
b) With Zotero Standalone, you first have to download the style to your computer.
1. Right-click the style title and select “Save Link as…” to download the style.
2. Double-click the downloaded file while Zotero Standalone is running to install it, or use one of the alternative
installation methods described here.
NB: The repository allows you to search by style name, and filter by style type and academic field of study.
1. Search the list at endnote.com/support/enstyles.asp and save the.ENS (EndNote Style) file.
2. Open Zotero’s preferences. Click the Cite tab, then the Styles tab.
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3. Click the plus (+) button below the list of installed styles.
4. Set the file type to “EndNote Styles” and browse to where you saved the.ENSfile.
a) Choose a style
If you want to improve an existing CSL style, make sure that you start from the most recent version (the repository
shows the date and time each style was last updated).
If you want to create a new style, find the style that most closely matches what you need using the previews in the
style repository (check “Show only unique styles” to avoid seeing duplicates).
See the documentation page of the CSL project website for information on making CSL changes (in particular,
make sure to take a look at the CSL specification. Click here to see a few common and simple style edits to get
you started.
d) Before installing your edited style, change the title and ID of your style if you don't want your modified style
to overwrite the original style.
The style title and ID are stored within the <title/> and <id/> elements near the top of the style.
Example:
e) Before installing a modified style, always make sure it is valid XML and CSL by validating against the CSL
schema.
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c) Install your edited style
- Save the style with a ”.csl” file extension (you can generally do this by simply typing ”.csl” after the name of
your file)
- Drag-and-drop the CSL style file onto an open Firefox browser window
- Click the “Install” button (you can ignore the grey bar at the top of the window (“This XML style does not
appear…”)).
Zotero Standalone
- Save the style with a ”.csl” file extension (you can generally do this by simply typing ”.csl” after the name of
your file).
- Go to the "Cite" tab in the Zotero preferences.
- Click on the + sign below the list of installed styles.
- In the file selection dialogue that opens, navigate to the .csl file you just created and open it. This will install
your new style.
1. In your Style drop down list, select “RefMan RIS”. If you don’t see it listed, choose “Select Another Style”, then find
“RefMan RIS” in the list.
4. Choose a name and location for your exported file. Make sure the type of file is “Text Only”.
5. Click Save.
1. Open Zotero.
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2. In the “Actions” menu, under the “gear” icon, choose “Import”.
4. Click Open.
a. Check that all your information appears, and make any modifications you need to make, such as re‐inserting
paragraphs into long notes.
b. Refer to your list of unique fields and check that those transferred appropriately.
c. If you find systematic problems, you may need to make modifications to your RIS file, or to the EndNote® library,
and try the export/import process again. For further details, see this guide provided by George Mason University
Library, or see Zotero documentation.
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SOURCES
1. In english
CENTER FOR HISTORY AND NEW MEDIA. Zotero. [online]. Updated: November 2012. Available at
http://www.zotero.org (accessed on November 20th 2012)
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES. Zotero in the social sciences [online]. Updated: 2009. Available at
http://infoguides.gmu.edu/loader.php?type=d&id=49022 (accessed on November 20th 2012)
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES. Zotero 3.0 [online]. Updated: 2012. Available at
http://infoguides.gmu.edu/loader.php?type=d&id=407168 (accessed on November 20th 2012)
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES. Moving to Zotero [online]. Updated: 2008. Available at http://lgdata.s3-
website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/docs/112/47416/MovingToZotero.pdf (accessed on November 20th 2012)
PUCKETT, Jason. Georgia State University Library. Zotero workshop handhout [online]. Updated: 2011. Available at
http://research.library.gsu.edu/loader.php?type=d&id=50500 (accessed on November 20th 2012)
PUCKETT, Jason. Georgia State University Library. Zotero: online features [online]. Updated: 2011. Available at
http://research.library.gsu.edu/loader.php?type=d&id=50656 (accessed on November 20th 2012)
PUCKETT, Jason. Zotero: a guide for librarians, researchers and educators. Chicago: Association of College & Research
Libraries, 2011. 158 p.
2. In french
HEIMBURGER, Franziska; RUIZ, Emilien. La boîte à outils des historiens [online]. Updated: 2012. Available at
http://www.boiteaoutils.info/2012/05/zotero-version-firefox-ou-stand-alone.html (accessed on November 20th
2012)
HOSPICES CIVILS DE LYON - DOCUMENTATION CENTRALE. Manuel d’utilisation de Zotero: outil de gestion
bibliographique OpenSource [online]. Updated: January 13th 2010. Available at http://portaildoc.chu-
th
lyon.fr/hcldoc/uploads/media/manuel_Zotero.pdf (accessed on November 20 )
UNIVERSITÉ DE GENÈVE. Guide d’utilisation de Zotero [online]. Updated: December 2010. Available at
http://www.unige.ch/lettres/infos/InformatiqueEtudiants/AllFaqs/Manuel_Zotero_0.2.6a.pdf (accessed on
th
November 20 2012)
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