Zotero Basics
Matt Upson - Research and Learning Engagement Librarian
Dr. Frances Alvarado-Albertorio - Graduate Initiatives & Engagement Librarian
Please see https://info.library.okstate.edu/zotero for more detailed information
Adapted from slides by Kyle Denlinger, Wake Forest University
Last updated July 2025
CC BY 4.0 Feel free to copy, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute.
Quick note:
During this tutorial, you will be asked to restart your browser. Please open these instructions in a different browser or download them to your computer to prevent losing your place.
You’ll need this stuff first:
Contents
Installing Zotero
Get Started!
Saving Sources
Get Started!
Organizing your Library
Get Started!
Syncing your Library
Get Started!
Citations & Bibliographies
Get Started!
Groups
Get Started!
Installing Zotero
In this segment, you will install Zotero and the Zotero connector for your browser.
Step 1:
Save any unsaved work and completely shut down your word processor (e.g., Microsoft Word), if it is running.
Step 3:
If prompted, close and restart your browser to finalize any updates.
Step 4:
In your updated browser, go to zotero.org and click on Download.
Step 5:
Download Zotero (versions will change)
This one!
Step 6:
Open the installation file that you just downloaded. PC users should follow the installation wizard; Mac users should drag the Zotero icon into their Applications folder.
Error message? Next slide!
Common Error Messages*
If asked if you want to import settings from Zotero for Firefox, select YES.
If this is your first time using Zotero and you get the error The Zotero data directory could not be found, then select Use Default Location.
If you know that you have an existing Zotero library on your computer, select Locate and find your existing directory.
Big problems?
Contact a librarian or visit the Zotero forums
These error messages were common before the release of Zotero 5.0 in July 2017. Users installing Zotero 4.0 may still see them.
Step 7: Install the Zotero Connector for your browser. (zotero.org/download)
Right here!
Step 8:
Close and restart your browser, then launch Zotero from your Applications menu (Mac) or search for Zotero in your taskbar or All Programs menu (Windows).
Saving Sources
In this segment, you will add sources to your Zotero library both manually and through the Zotero browser connector.
Four ways to save sources:
(like an .ris or .bib)
* There are more ways, but these are the most important to know.
Add Items from the Browser
Let’s add some items from the browser connector. You’ll use this method most frequently, as it works on most library databases, journal websites, and research repositories.
Go to Google Scholar
First, make sure Zotero is open, then go to scholar.google.com in your browser.
Search for Sources
In Google Scholar, search for any topic. You should get a list of articles and books. Stay on the search results page.
Google Scholar is used here for simplicity’s sake. Zotero will work on most library databases, journal websites, and article repositories, as well as many other sites that contain sources.
See a little folder icon?
Chrome
Firefox
Safari
Don’t see it? Next slide!
Don’t see the folder icon?
Is your browser connector installed correctly? Are you using that browser?
Make sure you’re looking at a list of search results in Google Scholar. Zotero displays a custom save icon only when it can “see” a source on the page, such as a journal article or a book, or when it sees a list of search results containing sources like these. Many regular websites and lists of search results in basic Google Web Search will not display a custom save icon.
Big problems?
Contact a librarian!
Does closing and restarting your browser fix the problem?
Select Items
Click the folder icon, then select some items to add to your library. Click OK. Check if they were added to your library.
1
2
Trouble? Next slide!
Items not added to Zotero?
Make sure that Zotero and the browser extension have been installed correctly, and that both are running.
Big problems?
Contact a librarian!
Does closing and restarting your browser fix the problem?
If you’re using Firefox, you might already have an old version of Zotero for Firefox installed. Click the Z icon and see if the items have been added there.
Does closing and restarting Zotero fix the problem?
Add Items by Identifier
Now let’s add an item by its unique identifier number. This is the most reliable way to save information for most books.
Find an ISBN or DOI
Most books have a serial number (ISBN) that identifies that particular edition. Find any ISBN, or just copy 9780870334337.
Find an ISBN or DOI
DOIs, or Digital Object Identifiers, are machine readable, unique and persistent identifiers. Often used with articles, but can be used with books, chapters, posters, datasets, anything.
Could be a link or just the number. Typically, you just need the number
Link: https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226766256.001.0001
Number: 10.7208/chicago/9780226766256.001.0001
Click the Add Item by Identifier button. (It looks like a magic wand.) Type or paste in your ISBN or DOI, then hit enter. Your item should be automatically added!
Add Items Manually
Sometimes you’ll need to add sources that aren’t online (like manuscripts), sources that are non-standard (like reports), or ephemera or primary sources (like emails, artwork, or podcasts). For these, it’s best to add them manually.
Click the New Item button (it looks like a sheet of paper and a plus sign). Select the type that matches your item.
Add Metadata
Now you can manually add all of the item’s information in the form that appears.
Be Careful!
Zotero is super powerful, but it isn’t “smart.” Zotero does not know when an item’s data is incomplete or incorrect. It is up to you to correct any errors; otherwise, your citations will be incorrect!
Things to Check:
Organizing your Library
In this segment, you will explore the Zotero interface, edit source metadata, organize a “collection,” and add notes and attachments.
The Zotero Interface (Windows)
Preferences/Options (under Edit in Windows, under Zotero on macOS)
Add new collection
Collection
Group Libraries
Tags and Tag Filter
Libraries and Collections Pane
Filter Collections
Add item by identifier
New Item
Add note
Selected item
Search collection
Collection Contents Pane
Add attachment
Attachments
Sort by…
Jump to item section…
Item Metadata Pane
Sync to server
Locate/view online options
Collections
Zotero makes it easy to organize your library into folders, or what it calls Collections. You might treat these like music playlists: just as any song can live in any number of playlists, any source can live in any number of collections.
Create a Collection
To create a new collection, click the New Collection icon, right above My Library, or right click on My Library and select New Collection.
Add Item(s) to a Collection
When you create or save a new item, it is automatically added to the currently selected collection. To add an existing item to a collection, select it from the center column and drag it to the collection. To select multiple items, hold Ctrl/Command while you click.
Syncing your Library
In this segment, you will create a Zotero account and sync your library to zotero.org.
Email Confirmation
You should soon receive a confirmation email from Zotero. Follow the instructions in that email to verify your new Zotero account.
Zotero Settings (previously Preferences)
Windows: Edit → Settings; MacOS: Zotero → Settings)
Edit > Settings
Enter your Credentials
Enter Zotero credentials into the Sync settings. Click Set Up Syncing.
Sync Menu
A Note on Storage:
Zotero provides users with a small amount of free storage space for their library and files.The default sync settings will sync your entire library along with any attachments (like PDFs). These attachment files can quickly fill your free space. To avoid this, you can purchase additional storage space from Zotero or simply turn off the file syncing options. In any case, it’s usually best to ensure that Sync Automatically remains selected under Data Syncing. The free space Zotero provides will almost always be enough for your source data. See the following slides with options for managing storage effectively.
Option One:
Local PDF Storage and Cloud Citation Sync
This approach keeps PDFs on one primary device while maintaining cloud-synced citation data
Benefits:
Option Two:
Citation-Only Storage
This approach focuses solely on managing citations, accessing PDFs through URLs or DOIs
Go to Edit → Settings → General
Under "File Handling," uncheck "Automatically attach associated PDFs and other files when saving items". You could also uncheck “automatically take snapshots when creating items from webpages” but we do not recommend this if you need to have documentation of the content or format of the webpage for purposes of verification or reproducibility.
Benefits:
If you need to free up some additional space, remove existing PDFs:
Initiate a Sync
Click the Sync to Zotero Server icon to initiate a manual sync of your library.
Sync to server
Log in at zotero.org
Go to zotero.org and log in. If everything synced correctly, you should now see the sources in your library on zotero.org.
Citations & Bibliographies
In this segment, you will generate citations and bibliographies using Zotero’s Quick Copy feature and the word processor plugin.
Quick Copy
Sometimes you just need a quick citation. Zotero’s Quick Copy feature makes it easy to grab a single citation or an entire bibliography directly from your Zotero library. Here’s how.
Quick Copy
To generate a quick bibliographic citation, simply click on a source from your Zotero library and drag it into an email, Google Doc, etc. If you hold shift before dragging, it will insert an in-text citation.
Quick Copy
The Quick Copy method will use whatever citation style is set as your default. You may change the default in your Export Preferences: Edit > Settings > Export
Right Click Menu
Another way to get a quick citation or an entire bibliography is to right click on a single source, a selection of multiple sources, or an entire collection in your Zotero Library. Select Create Bibliography from Item/Items/Collection.
Select the citation style you want, select whether you want citations or a bibliography, and select Copy to Clipboard. You can now paste your bibliography into a document or text box.
Super Important Note:
Pasting in a bibliography or using the click and drag method (Quick Copy) creates bibliographies that are independent from your Zotero library. Future changes to sources in your library will not affect these bibliographies.
Cite as you Write
Zotero has “cite as you write” tools tools for Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice that will keep your citations and bibliographies updated as you write. Here’s how to use it.
Save your Work!
First, save and close any unsaved work in Word or LibreOffice, then open a new blank document.
Look around for your Zotero menu or toolbar
It’s in different places in different versions of Word and LibreOffice.
Don’t see your Zotero toolbar? Next slide!
Don’t see the toolbar in Word?
Try this first:
Big problems?
Contact a librarian or visit the Zotero forums
Add a Citation
The following steps will show you how to add an in-text citation. Most citation styles use in-text citations, but certain styles (e.g. Chicago) use footnotes. Zotero works great with both.
Place your cursor where you want the citation to go, then click Add/Edit Citation.
If this is a new file, you’ll first see the Document Preferences window.
Pick a citation style from the list, then click OK.
The Add/Edit Citation window will open. Search for and select an item in your Zotero library. Hit enter to insert the citation. Note that you can opt to omit author as well as add a page.
Edit a Citation
The following steps will show you how to add additional sources, page numbers, or prefix or suffix info to an existing citation.
Super Important Note:
You might be tempted to type directly into a citation to add a page number or remove an author’s name. Don’t do this! Zotero won’t recognize your edits and you might lose important citation info.
Choose your Citation
First, select the citation you’d like to edit. Click on it--it should turn gray.
Click Edit Citation
Make sure the correct source is highlighted. Add/edit page numbers, a prefix or suffix, or “omit author” where appropriate.
It should look something like this!
You can also add numerous sources to the same citation by clicking the “multiple sources” button. Each source may be edited separately in the right-hand pane.
It should look something like this!
Add a Bibliography
The following steps will show you how to insert a fully-formatted bibliography that includes the works cited in your paper.
Place your cursor
Usually bibliographies begin on a new page. Be aware that Zotero will insert a bibliography wherever your cursor is located, even if that’s right in the middle of your document.
Place your cursor, then click Add Bibliography
Add more sources
All of the sources cited in your paper should appear in the bibliography. If you continue to add citations of new sources above in the body of your paper, Zotero will automatically add their references to the bibliography.
Super Important Note:
Zotero is powerful, but it’s not smart. It can’t detect mistakes like misspellings, missing info, or incorrectly classified sources. Always check your bibliography.
Correct mistakes
If you catch a mistake, fix it in your Zotero library, then click Refresh in the Zotero toolbar in Word. Any changes will push throughout your document.
Groups
In this segment, you will create and share a group library in zotero.org
Login to your Account
Go to zotero.org and click Log In. Use the account credentials you created earlier.
Click the Groups option at the top.
Select the Create a New Group option.
This one!
Create a name for the group and determine membership type.
Once created, you can invite new members, share the link to your library, transfer ownership, and change access levels.
Need help?
See the library’s support guide at https://info.library.okstate.edu/zotero
If you encountered problems or need help, search the Zotero forums (forums.zotero.org) or contact your librarian.
For more Zotero help: www.zotero.org/support/
These slides were adapted from
Self-Guided Zotero Tutorial by Kyle Denlinger, Wake Forest University.
Last updated July 2025 by Matt Upson, Oklahoma State University.
CC BY 4.0 Feel free to copy, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute.