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Citation Management Software - Zotero

About Zotero & ZBib

Zotero is a free, open source desktop application that allows you to collect, organize, cite, and share research. It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. This guide has information on how to get started with using Zotero, from installing the application and its plugins, to adding books, articles, websites and more to your personal library, to generating in-text citations and reference lists.

Zotero also offers ZBib.org, a free citation generation app, which can help you quickly create a bibliography in any citation style without having to download the citation management software.

Install 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).

Zotero download page

Sync Zotero

1. Click on Preferences under the Edit menu:

Screenshot of Zotero edit menu

 

2. Click Sync and enter your Zotero username and password, and click Set Up Syncing:

Screenshot of Zotero sync settings

 

3. Click on the "Sync with zotero.org" icon in the upper right-hand corner to sync your Zotero library:

Screenshot of sync icon in Zotero