Using Zotero

What is Zotero?

Zotero is a free, easy to use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. Save citations and create bibliographies right where you work – in your web browser.

Zotero allows you to:

• Collect: Collect information on books, journal articles, and web sites. Store related images, links, and entire web pages.
• Organize: Drag and drop items into collections and tag them with terms relevant to your needs. Easily take notes alongside your items.
• Cite: Create bibliographies in all the major styles. Drag and drop bibliographies into email, blog posts and word processors.
• Sync: Sync your data between multiple computers. Access your collection from any web browser or mobile device.

More information about Zotero is available at http://www.zotero.org. See Tour of Zotero and Quick Bibliographic Demo for video tutorials on using of Zotero or the recorded Demonstration Session by Trevor Owens from Zoterofest 2009.

Also see Zotero @ UMW, a resource highlighting uses of Zotero at UMW.

Support

• Installation and use on a single computer
• Use on shared or public computers
• Using Zotero
• Zotero and the UMW Libraries Catalog
  • Saving from the List of Titles screen
  • Saving from the Full Record screen

Installation and use on a single computer:

To install either Zotero 1.0 or Zotero 2.0 Beta on a computer, please see the Installation instructions available at http://www.zotero.org/support/installation. Please see Which version of Zotero should I choose? for more information.

Installing Zotero 2.0 enables you to sync and backup your Zotero library and allows you to view your library on the web. Even with Zotero 2.0's syncing capabilities, Zotero must be installed on each computer you are using in order to add, organize and cite sources. If you plan on using Zotero on shared or public computers, please see our Use on Shared or Public Computers information.

use on shared or public computers:

Zotero needs to be installed on each computer you plan on using in order to add, organize and cite sources from your Zotero library. As Zotero installation may be restricted, and the security of your library may be compromised, on shared or public computers, UMW Libraries recommends that those patrons planning to use Zotero across multiple computers install Zotero and Portable Firefox on a portable external drive (such as a USB or Flash drive). Instructions for installing Zotero on a portable drive are available at http://www.zotero.org/support/using_portable_firefox_on_a_usb_drive.

Using Zotero:

Zotero.org provides extensive guidance on using Zotero at http://www.zotero.org/support/ and http://www.zotero.org/support/screencast_tutorials.

UMW Libraries recommends the following pages and videos to get you started with using Zotero.

Collect:

• Quick Start Guide
• Getting stuff into your library
• Zotero and the UMW Libraries Catalog

Organize:

• Collections
• Tags

Cite:

• Word Processor Integration
• Zotero and Word

Sync:

• Syncing
• Groups

Zotero and the UMW Libraries Catalog:

When saving citations from the UMW Libraries' Catalog using Zotero, you want to be sure that you are viewing the title's full record and not the item record. Saving citations in the UMW Libraries' Catalog from the item record screen typically results in a "Could Not Save Item" error when using Zotero.

As such, there are two ways to save citations from the UMW Libraries' Catalog, from the List of Titles screen or the Full Record screen.

Saving from the List of Titles screen

When you perform a search in the UMW Libraries' Catalog, results are presented in a screen. When you see a list of titles, a folder icon will appear in the Navigation/Location Bar:

Clicking on the folder icon will open a window that allows you to select which of the titles in the list you would like to add to your Zotero library:

Once you have selected the items from the List of Titles that you would like to add to your Zotero library, click OK to add the citations for those titles.

Saving from the Full Record screen

You can access the screen from a List of Titles screen by clicking on "full" on the left hand menu next to a result:

When viewing information about an title/item, you can also access the Full Record Screen by clicking on "full" at the top left of the screen:

Once at the Full Record screen, a book icon will appear in the Navigation/Location Bar:

Clicking on the book icon will add the title's citation to your Zotero library.

Events

• Morning Zotero Demonstration Session with Trevor Owens of Zotero (click to see recorded presention)
• Afternoon Zotero Demonstration Session with Trevor Owens of Zotero (click to see recorded presention)
• The Future of the Digital University by Dan Cohen, Director of Zotero (click to see recorded presention)