TLU Library: Zotero citation manager: About Zotero

What Zotero does

Zotero (pronounced "zoh-TAIR-oh") is a free citation manager that works within your web browser to collect, manage, and cite research sources.

Zotero allows you to attach PDFs, notes, and images to your citations, organize them into collections for different projects, and create bibliographies.

It automatically updates itself periodically to work with new online sources and new bibliographic styles.

Quick start

Here are some ways to get started with Zotero:

Read this guide - the tabs above will walk you through the steps.
Watch short tutorial videos on the Zotero website.
Hands-on learner? Download Zotero now and start exploring - if you get stuck, come back to this guide or ask a librarian.

Workshop handout

Manage Citations with Zotero
Guide to getting started with Zotero. Covers installation, saving citations, creating bibliographies, syncing, and groups. Based on the handouts created by Jason Puckett at Georgia State University Library.

PDF version of the handout distributed in our Zotero workshops

Alternatives to Zotero

Here are some alternative citation managers:

NoodleTools
Free to TLU students, faculty, and staff. Web-based. Walks you through the process of correctly formatting citations. Does not import citations from databases - you need to type in the information yourself.
Mendeley
Free. Like Zotero, imports citations from databases and integrates with word processors. Also has social networking features. Owned by scientific publisher Elsevier.
EndNote
Paid software. Discounts available to TLU affiliates through Varsity Buys.
EndNote Basic
Free, web-based, pared-down version of EndNote. Good for small research projects.
Zotero vs. EndNote comparison
From the Chronicle of Higher Education's ProfHacker blog.