CRES Research

Citation managers help you collect, organize, cite and share research.  Commonly used managers are Zotero, Mendeley and Endnote.  Because Zotero has an option to use the Bluebook style of citation which is commonly used in law schools, this guide focuses on Zotero.

Go to the Zotero website at the link above, click on "Log in," and register for a free account. 

From the Zotero homepage or www.zotero.org/download, download the Zotero desktop application and browser extension (Zotero Connector) for your Internet browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari). 

There are several ways you can add items to your Zotero library. 

1. PDF files: If you already have PDF files saved to your computer that you'd like to add to your Zotero library, you can drag them into the desktop application. 

2. Use the DOI or other standard identifier: From the Zotero toolbar, click on the "Add Item by Identifier" button (). Copy and paste the identifier number associated with the item you're trying to add into the pop up window. You can use identifiers like ISBN, DOI, PubMed ID (PMID), or arXiv ID. Press the Enter key to finish adding the item to your library.

3. Use the Zotero browser extension: Click on the Zotero icon in your Internet browser to automatically import the citation information for an item to your library. The Zotero icon in your browser will change depending on what type of item you are looking at (journal article, book, video, etc.), but it should always say "Save to Zotero" when you hover over it. When you are looking at a journal article, the icon will appear as a white sheet of paper. When viewing a list of items, such as search results, the "Save to Zotero" icon will appear as a small folder and you will be able to select multiple items.

If the full text of an article is available, Zotero should automatically save the PDF as an attachment. To see files that are attached to an item in Zotero, click on the arrow next to the item:

4. Add an RIS/BibText file: LibrarySearch and most databases will offer the option to export citation(s) in a particular file format that works with tools like Zotero. Open the file in Zotero to add it to your library. This is a good option for when you need to add many items to your library at once, but it will not include the PDFs of articles.

5. Manually add a source: Click on the "New Item" icon and select the type of item you are trying to add (additional options are available under "More"). Then you can manually enter the information about the item (title, author, etc.).

The Microsoft Word plugin should be installed automatically when you download Zotero. You may need to restart Microsoft Word if you have it open already. The plugin also works with LibreOffice. 

You should see a Zotero tab in Microsoft Word. Click here to see your options for adding citations and a bibliography to your Word document. You will need to have the Zotero desktop application open while you are using the Microsoft Word plugin. 

Click on "Add/Edit Citation" to add your in-text citations as you write your paper. The first time you do this, there will be a popup asking you which citation style you want to use. Then you can search for and select the item you want to cite. You can search by title, author, or any other information associated with the item. Zotero will also display any items you have actively selected in the desktop application under the heading "Selected Items."

Select the item you want to cite. If you want to add a page number to your citation, click on the in-text citation in the search box and a menu will appear with the option to add page numbers. You can also click on the checkbox next to "Omit author" if you have already mentioned the name of the author in the body of your paper. Hit the enter key to complete the in-text citation.

You can always click on your in-text citation and then click on "Add/Edit Citation" again if you need to go back and add page numbers.

To create your reference list, click on "Add/Edit Bibliography" to create a bibliography of all the items you have cited throughout your paper. Any additional in-text citations you add after creating your reference list should automatically be added. If you need to make any edits to the citation (typos, capitalization, etc.), make the corrections in the Zotero desktop application and then click on "Refresh" to update the bibliography in your Word document.

Troubleshooting

The Word plugin should be installed automatically, but if you are having difficulty getting it to appear, refer to the following links: