Managing References
Using the free reference management tool Zotero
Collaboration for Evidence Based
Health Care in Africa (CEBHA)
Overview
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Why use a reference management tool?
Zotero functionality
Creating your Zotero library
Adding references to your Zotero library
Managing your documents and references
Creating bibliographies
Using Zotero with MS Word
Typical researcher writing a paper…
Source: flickr/toennessen
Problem statement…
Your topic:
article
article
article
article
Your paper
citations
book
book
conference
conference
conference
paper
paper
paper
• Lots of typing
• Lost references
• Mistakes
reference list/bibliography
Use a reference management tool!
article
article
article
article
Your article
citations
book
book
conference
conference
paper
conference
paper
paper
Zotero
reference list/bibliography
Reference management tools
• Tools that help scholars to create and manage
their lists of references for research projects.
• Most tools are designed to organize citations
into specific formats for the preparation of
manuscripts and bibliographies.
• Many search tools provide ways to download
references into reference management tools.
Software options
Free
Subscription
Zotero
• Zotero is a free reference management tool, that
is available as an add-on for the Firefox web
browser.
• Standalone version for Chrome, Safari and
Firefox
• The Firefox web browser can be downloaded for
free at: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/
Note: you need version 17 or newer; current
version is 20 (May 2013)
• To download and install Zotero go to:
http://www.zotero.org
Zotero functionality
• Zotero recognizes bibliographic information on
books, journal articles, and other resources from
websites and databases and extracts metadata
from these sources.
• Store related PDFs, files, images, and links in
your library
• Create a bibliography in Word or OpenOffice.
• Publish shared libraries for your organization,
class, or research group
Before you can install Zotero, you first
need to install the Firefox web browser.
Firefox can be downloaded from:
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/new
Next, go to the Zotero website at
http://www.zotero.org and click
on the red Download button.
Note that there are Download options:
Zotero/Firefox and Zotero Standalone
version for Chrome, Safari and Firefox.
For this module, download Zotero 4.0 for
Firefox. When the download is complete,
a box will appear. Click on Install now.
Exercise 1
• Open the Firefox web browser (version 17
or higher)
• Go to the website: www.zotero.org
• Click on
• Then click on Install Now
• After installation, restart Firefox
While in PubMed, open Zotero by
clicking on the Zotero logo in the
bottom right of the browser.
This will open the Zotero window within the browser. The
window has three columns that represent different levels of
specificity for your references:
• The left column shows your Zotero libraries and collections
as well as 'tags' (keywords)
• The middle column displays items contained within the
selected library
• The right column displays information about a selected item.
Left column
Middle column
Right column
Many of Zotero's features
can be customized via the
Zotero preferences. To
access the Zotero preference
window, open Zotero, click
the actions menu button (the
'gear' icon) at the top of the
left column and select the
“Preferences…” option
Within Zotero you can create collections to
organize your references.
To create a new collection, click on the New
Collection icon in the left column.
A box will appear prompting you to name your
new collection. Choose a name and click OK.
Your collection will appear in the left column.
Exercise 2
• In the Firefox web browser, click on the
Zotero logo in the bottom right corner to
open Zotero.
• In the left column, click on New Collection
icon (
) and name this collection
artimisinin or another topic of interest to
you.
Adding citations to Zotero
• You can add citations to your library
in several ways:
–
–
–
–
–
Manually enter citation information
Import citation information for a single item
Import citation information for multiple items
Automatically cite web pages
Add an item by identifier (ISBN, DOI or
PMID)
To create a citation manually in Zotero, click on the
New Item icon in the middle column.
A pull-down menu will appear. Select the type of item
you want to cite, here we select Journal Article.
In the right column, you will find fields that are
specific to the type of item you selected. Fill in those
fields for your item.
Exercise 3
• In Zotero, click on the New item icon (
in the middle column.
)
• Select Book
Enter the following title, author, publisher and
publication date:
An Introduction to Medicinal Chemistry
G.L. Patrick
Oxford University Press, 2013
(or a book title to add to your subject collection)
Zotero is compatible with many databases,
including PubMed. Note: you can open
HINARI/PubMed or regular PubMed
If you are looking at PubMed search results,
a Save to Zotero icon will appear in the
address bar of your browser.
If you click on this icon, the citation
information will be immediately added to
your Zotero library.
A full overview of databases
and publishers supported by
Zotero is available at:
http://www.zotero.org/translators
If you open an individual PubMed
entry, you will see a Save to Zotero
icon in the address bar of the browser.
By clicking on the icon, the Saving to
My Library... message will appear and
save the record to the open collection.
If you are on a page with a list of PubMed
results, you will see a Save to Folder icon in the
address bar of the browser.
If you click on the icon, a box will appear with a
list of all records to import. Select the records
you would like to import and click on OK.
Exercise 4
• Go to PubMed and do a search for articles
about: artemisinin combination or a search of
your choice
• When you are on the results page, click on the
Folder icon in the address bar:
• Select some articles to import into Zotero and
click on OK
To import citations for webpages into your
library, click on the Create New Item from
Current Page icon in the middle column.
Information about the current webpage will
automatically be saved. You can edit the
information by clicking on the fields in the
right column.
Exercise 5
• Go to the World Health Organization website www.who.int - or a website of interest to you.
• In Zotero, click on the Create New (Webpage)
Item from Current Page icon in the middle
column :
• Look at your Collection to confirm that the
website url has been added.
Another way to add a new item is by
using the Add Item by Identifier option of
Zotero. You find this icon in the middle
column. You can enter an ISBN, DOI or
PMID. Zotero will look up the information
and import it into your library.
Attaching files to items
• In Zotero, any type of file can be attached to an item.
• Items such as the PDF of an article or images can be
opened in the Firefox window, while other file-types open
in external programs.
• You can add attachments to items by clicking on the
button in the middle column that looks like a paperclip:
• All files stored in the Zotero library are kept in a folder
within the Firefox profile directory (unless another
location is specified in the Advanced preference tab).
Creating bibliographies
from Zotero
Creating bibliographies from Zotero
• To create a bibliography from Zotero, highlight one or
more references and then right-click to select Create
Bibliography from Selected Item. Then select a Citation
Style for your bibliography and choose one of the
following four Formats to create your bibliography:
– Save as RTF will allow you to save the bibliography
as a rich text file, which can be opened for example in
Word.
– Save as HTML will allow you to save the bibliography
as a HTML file for viewing in a web browser.
– Save to Clipboard will allow you to save the
bibliography to your clipboard to paste into any text
field.
– Print will send your bibliography straight to a printer.
To create a Zotero
bibliography:
• Select the items you want
to include in the middle
column.
• Next, right-click the
selected items.
• Choose the option Create
Bibliography from Selected
Items, a new dialog box
will appear.
In the new dialog box:
•From the drop down menu,
choose the Citation Style you
would like to use
• Choose the Format (RTF or
HTML) to save your document
• Click on OK
This is an example of a Zotero
bibliography that was created
using the Harvard citation style
and RTF as format.
Exercise 6
• In Zotero, Select (check boxes) the items you
have imported from PubMed in the middle
column.
• Next, right-click on your mouse or touch pad
• Choose the option Create Bibliography from
Selected Items, a new dialog box will appear.
• Choose the Citation Style you would like to use
• Choose the Format RTF
• Click on OK
• Open the saved document with MS Word
Word Processor Integration
• Zotero's Word and OpenOffice plugins allow users to
insert citations directly from their word processing
software.
• You can find a link to install the plugin on the Zotero
homepage (www.zotero.org).
• After installation of the plugin you should see this row of
icons in your Microsoft Word toolbar:
• These six buttons allow you to manage references and
bibliographies in your Microsoft Word documents.
Click on Add a plugin for
Word or LibreOffice.
From this page, download and
install the Word for Windows
Plugin (Firefox extension).
Note that this plugin option only
can be used with Firefox.
Location on Word toolbar
In Word, click on the Add-ins option on the toolbar. This
will display the Zotero Plugin.
Citing in Word - example
Using The Zotero Word Plugin
Click on the “Zotero Insert Citation” icon
• If this is the first citation you
have added to the document
the Document Preferences
window will open. Chose the
bibliographic format you
would like to use from the
list and click OK.
Adding a Citation in Word
• Once you have chosen a format, the Add citation window
will pop up. Sort through your collection in this window,
select the item you would like to cite and click on OK.
You can add the
specific page
number in the text
box at the bottom
of the window.
Generating a bibliography
• To generate a bibliography from all the items you have
referenced, click the Zotero Insert Bibliography button
(
) on the Zotero toolbar in Word.
• The Edit citation (
) and Edit bibliopgraphy (
)
buttons allow you to edit citations and bibliographies you
have already inserted into your documents. Click inside
a citation or bibliography and click either button to edit.
• Never use your word processor to edit citations!
Anything you type into (or delete from) a citation using
Word will be automatically reverted the next time Zotero
updates your document.
Generating a bibliography
• The fifth button on the toolbar, Zotero Refresh, (
)
updates your references to any changes in your Zotero
collection.
• The sixth button on the toolbar (
) will open the
Document Preferences window again, allowing you to
change your bibliographic style instantly.
Citation Styles
• A core feature of Zotero is its ability to automatically
format citations and bibliographies.
• By default Zotero comes with a selection of popular
styles (such as APA, Harvard and Vancouver), but many
more are available through the online Zotero Style
Repository at:
http://www.zotero.org/styles
• Visit the Style Repository and click the “[Install]” link next
to the style you wish to install.
Zotero Citation Style Repository
Click on the “[Install]” link next to
the style you wish to install.
Which citation style to use?
• Most journals provide information on which reference
style to use in their “Instructions to authors”. Look for the
heading “References”.
• The Mulford Library Instructions to Authors in the Health
Sciences Guide provides links to web sites which
provide instructions to authors for over 6,000 journals in
health and life sciences:
http://mulford.meduohio.edu/instr/
Zotero web account
• On www.zotero.org you can create a Zotero account.
• You need a Zotero account to synchronize your library,
participate in groups, or post to the support forums.
• Data synchronization transfers library items, notes, links,
tags, etc.—everything except attachment files—between
your local computer and the Zotero servers, allowing you
to work with your data from any computer with the Zotero
extension. It also allows you to view your library online
on www.zotero.org.
• To synchronize your data with the Zotero web server,
open Zotero's Sync preferences tab and enter your login
information in the Zotero Sync Server section.
Zotero Online Library
Zotero Groups
• Zotero Groups provide a way to share collections with a
class, work with colleagues on a project or keep track of
conversations in a specific field of research.
• Groups can be private or public.
• To create a group in Zotero:
Click the New Group icon located in the top left corner of
the left column in Zotero and follow the instructions.
Zotero Support
• On the Support page on the Zotero website
(http://www.zotero.org/support/), which is available in
several languages, you can find documentation on
additional features of Zotero as well as Frequently Asked
Questions and a number of screencast tutorials.
http://www.zotero.org/support/screencast_tutorials
Zotero Screencasts demonstrate
many of the basic functions of
Zotero, such as adding references,
managing your library, and how to
use Zotero in Word.
References
• A Beginner’s Guide to Using Zotero - UBC
Biomedical Branch Library. Available at:
http://www.slideshare.net/giustinid/beginnersguide-to-zotero.
• Zotero Quick Start Guide. Available at:
http://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide.
This module initially was developed by:
Ingeborg Nagel, MSc
Information Specialist
Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) The Netherlands
Updated 2013 02