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Zotero Tutorial

What is Zotero?

Zotero is a free easy-to-use tool that helps you collect, organize, cite, and share research articles. Zotero is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Installation Instructions

To install Zotero on your own device:

  1. Close and Quit all Word documents.
  2. Go to zotero.org/download
  3. Install Zotero 6 for Windows or Mac
  4. Install the Zotero Connector for your browser of choice (Chrome, Firefox, or Edge) (Safari is automatically installed with the Zotero 6 install)
  5. Register for a Zotero Account using your csbsju email at zotero.org/user/register - remember your username and password
  6. Go to Zotero Settings and use Add an email address to add your personal email to maintain account access after graduation (optional)
  7. Follow Zotero Connector Set up instructions below

IMPORTANT: Zotero is available on the Virtual Computer Lab. However, this instance will save your data to OneDrive. Zotero is known to corrupt your data (you'll lose everything) if you forget to log out and access the OneDrive cloud account from more than one computer at once. We therefore recommend using Zotero on either a lab machine or your personal computer, but not both to avoid losing your data. Always be sure to Log Out of Zotero when using the Virtual Computer Lab.

Zotero Connector Set Up

If using Chrome, Edge, or Firefox:

  1. After installing the Zotero Connector using the installation steps above, click on the puzzle piece (Extensions) button in your browser.
  2. Pin (Show in toolbar on Edge) the Zotero Connector so it's always visible on the browser toolbar.

If using Safari:

  1. Open Safari
  2. From the Safari Menu, go to Preferences (or Settings)
  3. Select Extensions tab
  4. In the list on the left, check the box next to Zotero Connector
  5. The Zotero icon should now display next to the URL box (usually to the left)

For instructions on using the Zotero Connector, see the Collecting Sources tab.