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Zotero Guide: Managing Research & Citations

What is Zotero?

zotero logo, written name with Z as red letter, other letters are in black

Zotero is a free, open-source citation management tool that helps you collect, organize, manage, and cite sources used for your research.

Why Use Zotero?

  • Collect sources from websites and library electronic resources while you search
  • Save and work with PDFs and web snapshots
  • Organize your research using folders, tags, and notes
  • Automatically generate citations and bibliographies / reference lists
  • Sync across devices and collaborate with others

Who is this guide for?

  • This guide supports University of Niagara Falls students, faculty, and researchers using Zotero.
  • The instructions in this guide are based on Zotero 7 and are written for users on Windows laptops.
  • Zotero is also available for Mac and Linux, but steps may vary slightly on those operating systems.

Keep in mind, Zotero is just a tool! It’s up to you to decide whether it fits your workflow. In following the guide's instructions and watching through accompanying videos throughout, human review and input remain essential — Zotero’s accuracy depends on how we use it.

Zotero Guide Navigation

📖How to Use This Guide

  • Navigation Pane (Left Side): Use the menu to move between sections (e.g., Install Zotero, Setting Up Your Zotero Library, Importing Sources)
  • Step-by-Step Layout: Each section walks you through a stage of working with Zotero, from setup to advanced features. Steps have been provided as guidance, but please feel free to adapt instructions to your own workflow.
  • Icons & Headings: Look for icons (🛠️, 📚, 📄) and clear headings to quickly identify the topic. All images can be enlarged by clicking on them.
  • Search Within this Guide: Use the search bar at the top of the page to find keywords or topics. This search only covers content within this Research Guide.
  • Extra Help: The Additional Resources & Help section links to external tutorials, basic troubleshooting, and UNF librarian support.
  • Workshops: Please visit your workshop edition (Faculty or Student). Each page provides an outline of the session, with links to other tabs in the guide for detailed steps and support

👉 Start at Step 1: Install Zotero and work through the guide at your won pacer, or jump directly to the section you need.

Credits & Acknowledgements

Guide Creator

Samantha Fritz

Source Acknowledgments

This guide builds on the valuable work and expertise of others. We acknowledge the following sources that inspired and informed the development of this guide.