Zotero Citation Guide: Reference Management for Research
Date Published
Zotero: The Essential Reference Manager
Zotero is a free, open-source reference manager that makes citing sources easy.
What is Zotero?
Zotero helps you:
- Collect — save references from the web - Organize — group sources by project - Cite — insert citations as you write - Collaborate — share libraries with colleagues
Getting Started
1. Download Zotero (zotero.org) 2. Install browser connector 3. Create account for syncing 4. Start collecting references
Collecting References
From Websites
Click the Zotero browser button on:
- Journal article pages - Library catalogs - Amazon (for books) - Google Scholar results
By DOI or ISBN
In Zotero, click the magic wand icon and enter:
- DOI: 10.1234/example - ISBN: 978-0-123456-78-9
Zotero fetches all metadata automatically.
Manual Entry
Right-click → New Item → Choose type (book, article, etc.)
Organizing Your Library
Collections
Create folders for projects:
- Dissertation - Paper on Topic X - Course readings
Tags
Add keywords to items for cross-referencing.
Search
Full-text search across all PDFs and notes.
Citing in Documents
Word/Google Docs
Use Zotero plugin:
1. Insert Citation → search for source 2. Insert Bibliography → generates reference list
LaTeX Integration
Export to BibTeX:
1. Right-click collection → Export 2. Choose BibTeX format 3. Save as .bib file
In LaTeX:
\bibliographystyle{plain} \bibliography{myrefs} \cite{AuthorYear}
Better BibTeX Plugin
For seamless LaTeX integration:
- Auto-generates citation keys - Keeps .bib file synchronized - Customizable key formats
Citation Styles
Zotero supports 10,000+ citation styles:
- APA (psychology, social sciences) - MLA (humanities) - Chicago (history) - IEEE (engineering) - Nature, Science, specific journals
Install more from Zotero Style Repository.
PDF Management
- Store PDFs with references - Annotate and highlight - Extract annotations as notes - Full-text search in PDFs
Syncing and Backup
- 300MB free storage - Syncs across devices - WebDAV for more storage - Export for backup
Zotero vs. Other Tools
Use Zotero with Octree
Octree integrates with your workflow:
- Import BibTeX from Zotero - AI helps format citations - Preview references instantly - Export with perfect bibliography
Try it at https://useoctree.com