Zotero: A Beginner's Guide

Zotero is a free easy-to-use tool that helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research content (e.g. articles, books, reports). Zotero is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Please note, librarians and staff at BU library use PCs and may not be familiar with the Mac platform. Mac users are welcome to schedule appointments but should be aware that we may not be familiar with Mac menus and options.

NOTE: During the workshop we won't spend time walking through the download and installation process

1. If you use Microsoft Word, close all Microsoft Office products prior to downloading Zotero.
   • This allows Zotero to add a plug-in in Word during installation, which is beneficial for in-text citations and bibliographies.
   • The Chrome connector (see below) works with Google Docs
2. Go to https://zotero.org/download using Firefox or Chrome
3. Download and install Zotero 6.0 (must have admin rights to your computer)
4. Install the Zotero Connector for your browser (use Firefox or Chrome).
   • Allows fast collection of citations/abstracts (and PDFs) from databases.
5. Create a Zotero account (https://www.zotero.org),
   • It's a backup citations/abstracts in the cloud (access anywhere),
   • Share citations with a group
   • Works with Google Docs via Chrome.
6. Optional: Review the rest of this guide

This guide was created by Todd Quinn of the University of New Mexico Libraries and was copied with his permission.