Zotero

Zotero is a free reference management software package, also known as bibliographic software, which enables you to:

• Create a personal database of references relevant to you, along with associated files, which will help you to easily manage your research;
• De-duplicate references retrieved from multiple sources;
• Insert references into a Word document and format them automatically in a citation style of your choice;
• Share your reference library with other researchers;
• Showcase your work to connect and collaborate with researchers worldwide.

Zotero has provided documentation on how to use the software. This guide walks you through the essential parts of the software to help you get started. You can do this by using the navigation menu on the left-hand side. Selected training videos are also highlighted on the Zotero site.

Zotero 7 is the latest edtion of Zotero, the software has been updated. From the user's perspective the most visible changes are: the complete redesign of the look and feel of the Zotero Desktop library and the new Zotero app icon.

The most noticeable change, in the Desktop library, is the way right-hand side panel displays the metadata and the various functions available:

• The navigation tabs at the top of the panel have been removed and the title of the reference is now at the top.
• Navigation to the various functions is now placed on the ribbon to the right of the metadata panel.
• To navigate to the various functions users can click on the individual icon: Info, Abstract, Attachment, Notes, Libraries, Tags, Related and Locate.
• Alternatively users can use the scroll bar to navigate up or down.
• 'Libraries' and 'Locate' are new additions which show the collections and libraries the item has been filed in and allow to locate items online either via the Library Lookup or Google Scholar, respectively.

If you already have Zotero installed, you can upgrade from within Zotero by going to Help > “Check for Updates…”. 

Windows users should install 64-bit Zotero for the best performance. You can reinstall over your existing version without affecting your data. 

If you don’t have Zotero yet, follow the instructions in the Installing Zotero section of this guide to download Zotero 7.

You can find out more about what's new in Zotero 7, by visiting the Zotero blog.