1. Download the software package and the browser extension.
2. Open Zotero. In your browser, search for an article in a database.
3. Click the Zotero icon at the top of your browser to save a citation from that page. The icon will change based on the type of item on the page. For example, on a library catalog page for a book, the Zotero save button will show a Book icon.
4. While writing your paper, use the Zotero tab in Word to insert citations and a bibliography.
5. See the Zotero page on "Getting Stuff Into Your Library" for more information.
This information has been modified from a Creative Commons LibGuide for MIT, available here.