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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.

Reading PDFs

Zotero works with the PDF reader on your computer to access PDFs. This means if you want to read and annotate PDFs you have to have a PDF reader on your computer that can do so. When you are done reading/annotating you can save the item and Zotero will replace the old file.

Notes

Notes can be a good way to list overall thoughts on a resource and they are searchable in Zotero. To add a note click on the record you want to create one for and then select "Notes" at the top of the record display.

Image of Notes display in Zotero

 

Check mark icon.Quick Tip: Notes can also be formatted with different sizes, colors, and more. This can make it a really great feature when working in a group.

Create a Folder

You can organize the content in Zotero by creating folder and subfolders.

To create a folder click on the Folder icon with a plus symbol at the top of the Zotero Library.

Image of the Folder icon to create a new folder in Zotero

To create a subfolder/subcollection right click the folder and select "New Subcollection."

Create Tags

Creating Tags can be another great way to organize your resources in Zotero. Tags allow you to easily mark a resource with multiple keywords to make it easier to track your use and to find. An example would be if you had   folders for subjects and tags for each publication or conference you use a resource in.

To add a tag(s) click on the record you want to create one for and then select "Tags" at the top of the record display.

Image displaying the Tags option in Zotero

 

Searching Zotero

Zotero is completely searchable, so no need to worry if you forgot what folder you put that article in! You can search Zotero by "Title, Creator, Year," "All Fields & Tags," or "Everything." The search box is at the top right of the Zotero Library display.

Image of the Search box in Zotero

Zotero Resources for Organizing Your Library

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