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Zotero: Bibliography

Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. It lives right where you do your work—in the web browser itself.

Creating your bibliography while you write

Zotero offers word processing plugins for Word and OpenOffice.

Once installed, the plugin adds a Zotero toolbar to your word processor which allows you to add citations to your document while your write up your research.

To add a citation, click the first button ("Insert Citation") on the toolbar. Search for the reference you want to cite and press Enter. Zotero will add the citation at your cursor.

At the end of your paper, click the third button ("Insert Bibliography"). Your bibliography will appear, and new citations will be added automatically. Change bibliographic styles with the last button on the toolbar ("Set Doc Prefs").

Creating Bibliographies: without in-text citations

Creating a bibliography using Zotero is very simple. 

Highlight the references in your folder/file. Right click. Choose your reference style. The bibliography will open into a new window where you may edit, and/or copy the list.

Using Zotero to create in-text Citations and Bibliographies in Word documents

Adding additional styles to Zotero

Zotero comes with the most common bibliographic styles, but you can add many more.

To install a style (Firefox):

  1. Go to the Zotero Style Repository page in Firefox.
  2. Search for the name of the style you need.
  3. Click the Install link next to the style, then the Install button to confirm.
To install a style (Zotero Standalone):
  1. Go to the Zotero Style Repository page in Firefox.
  2. Search for the name of the style you need.
  3. Download the style (right-click the Install link and choose Save As).
  4. Open Zotero preferences. Click Cite, then Styles, then the "+" button, and select the style you downloaded (a .CSL file).

The new style will appear in Zotero's style lists.

More information about styles.

Citing your sources.

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