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.
Now that you have used the magic of Zotero to add references and a complete bibliography, you may realize that the format of the bibliography does not match what is required for your paper. If you try to edit it, it will go back to what Zotero has stored in its database, format, and all. How do you fix this?
To edit a bibliography, first, you need to unlink the bibliography, or Zotero will automatically force the bibliography back into the default format. To do this you can go to the Zotero tab and choose unlink. See examples below of how to do this in Google Docs or Microsoft Word.
Google Docs
Microsoft Word
This video shows how to use Zotero to help you start writing using your references.
Now that you have used the magic of Zotero to add references, you may realize that some of the citations are incomplete or even incorrect. If you try to edit it, it will go back to what Zotero has stored in its database. How do you fix this??
To correct a citation, you must change the information in Zotero.
First, choose the library that you want to work with on your main screen, then choose the work that needs to be corrected.
Then, you can enter the correct information. The image below shows that this journal article is missing volume, issue, and page information. If you cannot see the information pane, click on the information icon in the sidebar.
