Zotero is a free, open-source, reference manager with a built-in PDF reader and note taker. It integrates with MS Word, LibreOffice Writer, and Google Docs.

Zotero integrates with your web browser to allow for the importing of reference data which you can store, manage and use to create citations and bibliographies.

The PDF handout and video provides more detailed instructions for downloading and using Zotero than this Guide.

You will need to download the Zotero application, the Zotero browser extension, and sign-up for an account. 

1. Download the Zotero application (Zotero 7 is the most recent). 
2. Download the browser connector/extension - if using Safari, the connector is bundled with the Zotero app and requires enabling in Safari's settings.
3. Create an account - you can use a personal email.
4. Go to the Settings in Zotero and login with your new account to set up syncing.

The primary way to add a reference to your library is via the Zotero connector. You can also import RIS files into Zotero from many academic databases. PDFs can also be added directly to your library and Zotero will attempt to read the reference data from the PDF.

The Zotero connector can be used on any webpage and it will change icon based on what type of webpage you are looking at.

• You can add a reference from a result in the Library's search engine (Te Waharoa).
• You can navigate to an online resource (an Ebook or academic journal article) and use the connector on that page.
• You can use the connector on standard webpages and Zotero will automatically take a snapshot of that webpage. 
• You can also add an item manually or via an identifier (DOI or ISBN).

Most academic databases (and Te Waharoa) have an export to RIS option which allows for bulk importing of references into Zotero.

ALWAYS CHECK AND EDIT THE REFERENCE DETAILS

Collections (and sub-collections) allow you to organise your library. All of your references live in your 'My Library' and can be directly added to or dragged into collections. The same reference can exist in multiple collections. 

You can add tags to references. By default, Zotero will automatically tag items with keywords and subject headings but this can be turned off.

PDFs are automatically attached to references when Zotero can find and download them. This can be turned off as PDFs use up Zotero's storage. 

• You can manually handle PDFs by attaching PDFs to items either stored in Zotero or linked to Zotero.
• You can download the plugin Zotmoov to automatically rename and link PDFs.

PDFs stored in Zotero or linked to Zotero, can be read in the Zotero PDF reader. 

• You can make highlights and take screenshots of PDFs.
• You can convert those highlights into a Note (Add Item Note from Annotations).

Zotero integrates with MS Word, LibreOffice Writer and Google Docs. These programs allow you to automatically add a citation (either as an in-text citation or footnote) and then create bibliographies based on those citations. 

You can also create bibliographies from collections (or from a group of references).

The reference data in Zotero has to be accurate to create accurate citations and bibliographies.