Citation Management Tools: Zotero

What is it?

ZoteroBib is a free tool that helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device. You don't need to create an  account or instal anything!

When should I use it?

• You are creating a reference list for a one-off assignment 
• Your assignment is shorter and doesn't have lots of references (recommend for around than 15 references or less)
• You don't mind adding your in-text citations by hand or copying them from ZoteroBib and pasting them in your paper

How do I use it to make a bibliography?

Here's a quick description of how to make a bibliography with ZoteroBib (if you need more detailed instructions, scroll down to the next section):

• Add your item (book, article, video, report, etc.) by entering the url or DOI
• Check accuracy, edit if needed
• Select the citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) 
• Repeat steps 1-3 as many times as needed
• Copy your citations and paste them into your paper, that's it!

How do I use it to make an in-text citation?

After you've added an item, you can create an in-text citation to copy and paste into your paper, click the button with a quotation mark icon, add page numbers if needed, click the Copy Citation button, and then paste into your paper. 

How to make a bibliography

Step 1. Go to zbib.org, the ZoteroBib website

Step 2. Add your item

• In the search box under the ZoterBib logo, paste or type your item's URL, ISBN, DOI, PubMed ID, or arXiv ID, then click the blue Cite button 
• If you don't have any of the identifiers listed, you can paste or type the title of your item in the search box instead; just be sure to carefully review the results
• You can also add your item's information manually if you can't find it, just click the Manual Entry button underneath the search box

Step 3. Review your item's citation information to make sure it's accurate, and edit as needed

• Check that the information included is accurate and complete
• If you need to add missing information or change inaccurate information, click the Edit button

Step 4. Select the citation style you want to use

• Directly underneath the heading Bibliography, you will see a menu of citation styles. Click the down arrow to see the most commonly used citation styles, and select the style you want to use if it's listed
• If the citation style you want to use is not listed (such as the version you would use for an annotated bibliography), click the option at the bottom of the menu, "10,000+ other styles available" and start typing the name of the citation style you need 

Step 5. Copy or download your citations

• To simply copy all of your formatted citations to your bibliography in your document (i.e. your paper that you are writing with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, etc.), click the Copy to Clipboard button. 
• For other options, such as downloading an RIS or RTF file, click the down arrow next to the Copy to Clipboard button