Zotero at MIT 

• Video tour of Zotero
• Zotero screencast tutorials

Contact us at:
cite-help@mit.edu

Zotero is: a research tool that helps users collect and organize sources. a free, open-source program that can be downloaded as a Firefox browser extension, and it works with Windows, Mac, or Linux systems. a desktop application that lives in your browser.

For many major databases and websites, the program senses when a list of books or articles is displayed by showing an icon in the address bar, so citation information can be saved with just a few clicks:

Zotero is a new software, so it is constantly changing and becoming more compatible with major research websites and databases.

Zotero can help you:

• Annotate and organize research results, including video.
• Save information about a reference, including author, title, and other publication information.
• Create libraries and save searches, and share collections with other people.
• Attach files, links, notes, and pdfs to records.
• Store a screenshot of a web page.
• Export information as formatted citations in word processing programs (Word, Google Docs).
• Tag and sort records and perform advanced searches.
• View records in personal collection when offline.
• Cite records in any language.

Some points to consider before you start using Zotero:

Pros:

• Great for importing records for non-traditional references, like wikis and websites.
• Allows advanced searching of your library.
• Helps to organize web screenshots and pdfs. You can make pdfs searchable by choosing to index them in the preferences menu.  
• Easily imports records from many of the resources you already use.
• The program lives where you already do most of your research, in the browser.
• Export your bibliography in HTML, and publish a "smart CV."
• Imports records from several major databases that won't work with RefWorks and EndNote, including Factiva and USPTO.
• It's user-friendly and free!
• Easily retrieves pdf metadata, like title and author information.
• Great for creating bibliographies in OpenOffice.org.
• Synchronizes collections among multiple computers & backs up data.
• Offers option to create user profiles and groups, so you can share your collection.
• Detects proxy servers automatically, making off-campus access to library databases easier.

Cons:

• Doesn't handle large collections well.
• Takes more time to maintain than other popular products, like RefWorks or EndNote. It's a good idea to check records after you import them, to make sure that everything is in order.
• Zotero doesn't have a feature to find duplicate records, so you need to delete them manually. This can be time consuming, if you have a large library.

Visit the Zotero website to download the program. For help, see Zotero's guides, including a quick tour to get started. To use Zotero with word processing programs, such as Word and OpenOffice, there are a few extra steps to set up. If you have questions or comments about using Zotero in conjunction with library-supported resources, please use Ask Us!.