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Zotero

Instructions for using and exporting sources to Zotero, the free, easy to use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources.

Organize Your Sources

Create an unlimited number of collections to sort your sources, and keep your research organized.

  • You can sort citations and create bibliographies for each individual collection by right clicking on the collection, and selecting "Create Bibliography from Collection"

1.  In any of the Zotero platforms , click the "New Collection" button in the toolbar and enter the collection name

2. Add citations by dragging files from the central column to the corresponding collection in the left column

  • Adding citations to a collection does not remove it from its original location, so you can have a citation in more than one collection simultaneously.
  • The remove an item from a collection, right click on the item and click "Remove from Collection." This will not delete the citation, only remove it from that location. 

3.  Create additional subcollections within a broader collection by right clicking on a collection title and then click "Create New Subcollection"

 

Adding tags to your references is another way to manage resources in your Zotero library. 

  • Tags are similar to collections in that they help to establish a connection between different resources. 
  • Tags are searchable, and customized to meet your search needs

1. Click on the source you want to tag and go to the "Tags" tab in the item information and click "Add"

 

2.  Add your descriptive tags to the source

  • Any number of tags can be assigned to any works.
  • Tags are for your own convenience- they can be as broad or as specific as you want.

To see all the tags associated with a particular collection, click on the collection name and the list of tags will appear in the box below the "My Library" section.

  

  • You can also tag items by dragging the files from the center column over to the tag name listed in the box. 
  • Use the search bar underneath the list to locate tagged references.