What is Zotero?
Zotero is a free tool that allows you to save information about your sources, organize and cite those sources within your paper, create a bibliography in seconds, and share your research with others.
ZoteroZotero is a powerful, easy-to-use research tool that helps you gather, organize, and analyze sources and then share the results of your research.
What is ZoteroBib?
ZoteroBib is a free service that enables you to build a bibliography really quickly. While there are other free services from which to choose, "ZoteroBib doesn’t bombard you with ads or try to charge you (or your school) money for full functionality or additional citation styles."
ZoteroBibZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software.
How do I know which one to choose?
Zotero is for these circumstances:
- You have time to set up your free account, download Zotero program to your computer, and set up syncing from the browser extension (note: full features of Zotero are not available on Chromebook or Microsoft Surface)
- You have more than a few sources to manage
- You have multiple projects requiring sources and you want to organize your research
- You are working with a group and you want to share resources
- You want the full Zotero experience, including browser extensions and integration with Microsoft Word and Google Docs, including in-text citations. The first-time setup takes a few minutes. We have created tutorials and librarians are happy to help if you have questions.
ZoteroBib is for these circumstances:
- Your primary computer is a Chromebook or a Microsoft Surface (there are workarounds for using the full Zotero version. Ask a librarian for ideas)
- You just need a quick citation/bibliography for a discussion board or short paper
- You are only using a few sources
Note: most of the instructions on the Zotero guide are for the full version of Zotero. For ZoteroBib instructions, look at the Frequently Asked Questions link below.
