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Zotero Reference & Citation Management

Use Zotero to collect, manage and cite your research resources, create collections for research projects, share your data with your collaborators, and generate bibliographies.

What can Zotero do?

Zotero is a free citation management tool which means you don't need a subscription through UNM to access it.

Icons of a download arrow, a folder with a document in it, and a checklist. This is a visual to quickly show the options for Mendeley which are listed below the image.

  • Import PDFs directly into your personal Zotero Library.
  • Import website links into your personal Zotero Library.
  • Create groups to share PDFs and/or citations.
  • Create in-text and works cited lists.
  • Save citations online or through the desktop download. Zotero's online component works like the cloud, syncing your library across computers and online.

  • Organize and search your own personal resource library.

    • Create folders and subfolders

    • Create your own tags for items

    • Search across your entire Zotero library

Zotero Storage

HSLIC Zotero Storage Policy

Please see our Zotero policy and contact us via Ask a Librarian to obtain the pre-approved Security Review to submit to UNM Purchasing

Zotero offers 300 MB Free Storage

 Login here to check your storage.

You can also click on Settings (top right) in your Zotero account to display how much storage you have left.

Go to the Zotero Storage page (linked below) or the Storage FAQ (linked below) for more information

Need More Space? - Remove PDFs you don't need. Empty your trash folder (Items in Trash count against your storage total.)

Switching to Zotero

Creating an Account

To Register

  • Go to Zotero.org and click on 'Register' at the top right of the screen.
  • Create a username and password. Zotero will send you an email to confirm your account.

Download the Desktop Application

Once you've created an account you can download Zotero by clicking on 'Download Now'

Image of Zotero homepage that has the download now button highlighted.

Download the Browser Connection

Download citations and materials from the internet with the browser connector (compatible with Firefox, Chrome, or Safari). You should be prompted to download the connector once you've created your Zotero account and can add it any time by going to the Zotero homepage.

Sync Your online and Desktop Components

In order to have your Zotero Online & Desktop sync (allowing you to see all your resources on different computers) you need to go to Edit > Preferences > Sync. Once in there put in your username and password and select "Link Account."

Zotero Basics - Handout

Need Help? Contact Us!

Creative Commons

Feel free to make a copy or re-use this page as long as you credit UNM HSLIC.

This guide is licensed by the Health Science Library and Informatics Center of the University of New Mexico under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Subjects: Citing