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Reference Management: Zotero

About Zotero

Zotero is a program that easily works with Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.  Zotero is most useful for:

  • Collecting and organizing different types of references (Web pages, audio, video, etc.)

    • Create citation and capture snapshot of websites with a single click

    • Assign tags to references

  • Working collaboratively

    • Three options for creating groups

  • Inserting citations and creating bibliographies

    • Plugins allow you to insert citations and create bibliographies in word processing documents

    • Create independent bibliography for grant reports, CVs, etc.

    • Quick Copy feature allows you to drag and drop references into any text field (email, blog post)

    • Few output styles standard (such as APA and MLA), but thousands available for download (such as AMA)

  • Working on any computer

    • Syncing allows you to access your Zotero library from any computer with internet access

Zotero Tips

Get a Zotero Account

  • Go to https://www.zotero.org/
  • Register for a free account (if leaving Duke soon, consider making the account with a personal email)

Download Zotero

  • First make sure all Microsoft products are closed! (Word, PPT, Outlook, etc)
  • Go to https://www.zotero.org/download/
  • Download the Zotero Connector for the browser you are in (Chrome or Firefox recommended)

Set up your preferences

  • In Zotero, open the Preferences Pane
    • On Mac: Zotero (at the top of the screen) > Preferences
    • On Windows: Edit > Preferences
  • Click the Sync option
    • Enter your Zotero account information (email/password)
    • Make sure Sync automatically is checked before closing
  • Click the Advanced option
    • In the OpenURL Box, in the Resolver box, copy and paste this:
      • https://duke.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/openurl/01DUKE_INST/01DUKE_INST:Services
    • Click OK

 

Build Your Zotero Library: Create a New Collection

  • To keep organized, create collections for your references
  • Click on the folder icon in the upper left corner
  • Give your collection a meaningful name and click OK

Adding PDFs to a Collection

  • Many newer PDFs have invisible citation metadata (title, author, etc info) that allows Zotero to create a citation for the article in your library and collection.
  • To find out if a PDF has metadata, drag and drop (click and hold then move) it into a collection from the desktop. If the parent item shows an article icon it DOES have metadata. If the item shows a PDF icon, it DOES NOT have metadata (see image below).image showing Zotero Library with attachments
  • For PDFs that need citation metadata, that best way to get it is to find the article in a database and save it to your library, which creates a new parent item.
  • After saving the citation from a database, the associated PDF can be dragged and dropped into the parent item.

Adding Citation Information for an Article from a Database Downloading an article from PubMed into Zotero

  • In Zotero, open the collection to add to and then open a browser window
  • After conducting a search in PubMed, CINAHL, or Google Scholar and identifying articles of interest
  • Click on the article icon in the browser bar
  • A dialogue box will open near the icon saying where the item has been saved
  • NOTE! This saves only the citation information NOT NECCESARILY A PDF TOO!
  • Follow the full-text links for the pdf!

In Microsoft Word, look for a Zotero toolbar near the top.  The Zotero tab in contains these options:

  • Add/Edit Citation: Add a new citation or edit an existing citation in your document at the cursor location.
  • Add/Edit Bibliography: Insert a bibliography at the cursor location or edit an existing bibliography.
  • Document Preferences: Open the Document Preferences window, e.g. to change the citation style.
  • Refresh: Refresh all citations and the bibliography, updating any item metadata that has changed in your Zotero library.
  • Unlink Citations: Unlink Zotero citations in the document by removing the field codes. This prevents any further automatic updates of the citations and bibliographies. Note that removing field codes is irreversible, and should usually only be done in a final copy of your document.

Zotero and Word in Office 365

In order for Zotero to work with Office 365 Word, you must download and install a local copy of Word on your computer. To do this:

  • Go to Duke Office 365 online. The easiest way is via mail.duke.edu.
  • In the top right corner of your screen, click on your user icon and select View Account.
  • Down the left hand side, select Office apps, Apps and devices, and then Install Office.  Your computer should detect which version of Office you will require.

Getting Started with Zotero Video

Get Zotero

Zotero is available for free to everyone.

Resource Access Issues and Zotero Connector

We have found recently that the Zotero Connector (the browser add-in you likely installed the day you downloaded Zotero) might be blocking access to resources the library subscribes to (ie PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, etc.).  If you click on a resource from our website and the page seems like it's constantly spinning or reloading, your Zotero Connector may be to blame!

To fix this, navigate to your browser's add-ins or extensions area and toggle the Zotero Connector off or change the proxy settings for that particular resource. Just remember to turn the connector back on when you'd like to save resources to your Zotero library!

If you have any questions, reach out to the library via chat below (9-5, M-F) or via email at medical-librarian@duke.edu.

Zotero for Mobile

Contact the Medical Library

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medical-librarian@duke.edu