Zotero is a free software program that will allow you to organize your sources and cite them more efficiently. Zotero works well on most laptops and desktop computers, but isn't suited for tablets and Chromebooks. If you're using a device that isn't compatible, talk to your instructor and a librarian. We'll work with you to find a solution!
The Zotero connector will appear to the right or left of your address bar, depending on what browser you're using. If you're using Chrome, the connector will be in your extensions menu. You can pin it next to the address bar by clicking on the extensions menu (the puzzle piece icon) and clicking on the pin.
The connector allows you to add items to Zotero from your web browser by clicking on the connector icon. When you're on a website with a PDF file of a journal article, Zotero will save the PDF. The image below shows this with red arrows pointing to the connector and the PDF file.
The Zotero interface has three sections. On the left is the list of folders, the middle shows the contents of the folder, and the right shows the bibliographic information of the selected item within the folder. Zotero uses the bibliographic information to create citations - you can edit errors found there by clicking on the field you want to change. Items can be dragged and dropped from the middle pane into various folders. PDFs can be opened by clicking on the arrow next to the item in the middle pane, then clicking on the PDF icon.
Zotero works with the desktop version of Microsoft Word, but not the web version. CU Boulder students can get the desktop version for free through OIT. When you open Word you should see a Zotero tab. If not, close out of Word entirely, then open the Word Processors menu in Zotero (Mac: Zotero > Settings > Cite > Word Processors / PC: Edit > Preferences > Cite > Word Processors). Click on the button that says either "Install Microsoft Word Add-In" or "Reinstall Microsoft Word Add-In." The Zotero tab should appear when you reopen Word.
Click on Document Preferences to select your citation style. Zotero comes with several popular styles, like APA, MLA, and Chicago. Thousands of other styles can be found through Zotero's style repository (Mac: Zotero > Settings > Cite > Get Additional Styles / PC: Edit > Preferences > Cite > Get Additional Styles).
Click on Add/Edit Citation to create an in-text citation. This will open a red box where you can type the title of the source you want to cite, or the author's last name. Click on the item in the dropdown menu, then press enter. If you want to cite more than one source in the same in-text citation you can keep adding them to the red box before pressing enter.
When you're done adding in-text citations, place your cursor in your document where you want your bibliography to be, then click Add/Edit Bibliography. Zotero will add a bibliography entry for every in-text citation. In-text citations that were typed manually (without Zotero) will not appear in the bibliography. If you add a new in-text citation with Zotero, it will add a corresponding item to the bibliography. Removing an in-text citation that was placed with Zotero will also remove it from the bibliography.
Remember to review your citations and bibliography before turning in your work! Zotero makes the process easier, but it's rarely perfect. If you notice something that looks incorrect (a missing date, an incorrect spelling in the title, etc.), the best way to fix it is in the right pane of the desktop version of Zotero. Zotero will sometimes think that a journal article is a web page and this can be resolved by choosing the correct Item Type. You can also toggle between Title Case and Sentence Case by right clicking on the title. After you've corrected the errors click Refresh under the Zotero tab in Word.
You can also manually edit citations in a document, but this will preserve the error. You'll need to manually edit the citation every time you cite that item.