How to Use Zotero?

by Library UP Diliman, posted in Learning is Easy
CONTENTS

TRANSCRIPT

Hello and Welcome to Learning is Easy @ Your Library.

Mabuhay! This video will show you on how to use Zotero, another commonly used Reference Management Tool. Zotero is also known as your Online Reference Manager. 

This video is brought to you by the Information Services and instruction Section of the University Library UP Diliman.

What is Zotero?
  • Zotero is an application extension that manages online references. Application extension appears as an application in your web browser, which depends on the web browser you are using. 
  • It is free software that allows you to easily collect, manage, and save bibliographic information in any source (e-books, websites, or online journals). It’s very useful when you’re doing online databases.
How Does it Manage Online References?

If you go to a website, or open pdf documents, or e-book online, just click on the Zotero icon, and it will automatically generate the bibliographic fields. Zotero uses an advanced algorithm to capture the author, title, date published, volume number, etc. 

What else does Zotero do?
  • Zotero creates an online library where you can easily search and open all your references. 
  • If you are working on your thesis or a paper, you can cite online resources easily and access them again at a later time. It has an embedded citation generator, and with the latest version of Zotero, it is now possible to download the full text version of an article. 
Where can I install Zotero?
  • Zotero works on any device and   operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and Mac. 
  •  It was initially designed for Firefox, Netscape 9.0, and the Flock browser, but now it supports Chrome and Safari web browsers. 
  • However, Zotero does not work with Internet Explorer. 
Pros vs. Cons

Now, let’s talk about the advantages and disadvantages of using Zotero

For the Pros

  • Zotero is Open source. Thus,  a large community of programmers constantly update the Zotero program)
  • There is now an unofficial mobile version for IOS and Android tablets and phones. 
  • There are 9,676 available citation styles which include MLA, APA, etc. You can customize your citation style. 
  • Zotero has a rich text editor supporting images, hyperlinks, and headers. Hence, Zotero is much more helpful when citing web page contents. 

For the Cons

  • There is limited storage of only 300 MB. You must pay $120/year (P6000/year) to get unlimited file storage. 
  • It is also intended only for personal use.      
  • Additionally, citation format must be checked first to ensure accurate formatting. 
  • Zotero also could not prevent or remove duplicate items at the moment. You need to remove duplicate items manually. 
Installation

In Installing Zotero Standalone App. Follow these steps: 

This will be saved to our desktop.

  • Step 1: Visit www.zotero.org and click download. 
  • Step 2: Click download for Windows and wait for the download to finish. 
  • Step 3: Click Next and Run the Installer. 

In Installing Connector, Follow these steps: 

  • Step 1: Click and install the Zotero Connector extension for browsers. 
  • Step 2: Click the ”Add to Chrome” icon. 
  • Zotero Connector should be successfully installed. 

Opening a Zotero account

To open a Zotero account, follow the succeeding steps

  • Step 1: Visit www.zotero.org/user/register
  • Step 2: Create your username and password. Provide your email address for verification purposes. 
  • Then click Register. 
  • You will receive an email from Zotero. 
  • Step 3: Click the link to the URL which Zotero sent to you. 
Zotero Settings

You may also edit Zotero settings by following these steps: 

  • Step 1: Click Edit from the main menu bar. 
  • Then choose Preferences. 
  • Step 2: Create your Username and Password. 
  • Then click Set Up Syncing for your account synchronization. 
  • Step 4: Click Ok. 
Capturing from any academic database

For capturing any academic database, follow these steps: 

  • Step 1: Go to any online journal website. 
  • Step 2: In the search bar, type any search/ index term. 
  •  Step 3: Go to the full text of your selected search result. Click the Icon ”Save to Zotero PDF.” 
  • All the important bibliographic fields are now saved in the Zotero Stand Alone Program. 
  • Make sure that the Zotero Stand Alone Program is open before capturing any full text online to avoid error. 
  • The article should have been saved on your Zotero database. The bibliographic fields such as title, author, abstract is automatically generated. 
Citation

In making a citation, follow these steps: 

  • Right-click specific articles that you want to cite. 
  • Create a bibliography from the item. 
  • Choose your citation style. 
  • Click and drag the citation into your document. 
Zotero Bib

Now let us discuss the Zotero Bib. 

  • Zotero Bib is a more accurate citation generator. 

To use the Zotero Bib: 

  • Go to resources you want to cite. 
  • Just copy the URL and paste. Then cite. 
Zotero Group

Then we have what we called a ”Zotero Group”: 

What can groups do for you? Zotero groups allow you to:

  • Share your work or sources you have discovered with others who are working in related areas. 
  • Collaborate with colleagues, publicly or privately, on ongoing research. 
  • Discover other people with similar interests and the sources they are citing. 

How to create a new group?

  1. Add the New Group Button. 
  2. The site will prompt me to name the group and specify how public I want the group to be. 
  3. I can add additional information to my group, invite a member, and set preferences on who can see and edit my group library. 
  4. As soon as my Zotero syncs up, the group library will appear in the left column. 
  5. Just like my personal library, I can right-click the group library to create a new collection. 
  6. I can then drag any of my research items and notes from my library into the group library.
  7. Other group members can access these items in their copy of Zotero. 
  8. I can double-click the group library icon to visit the group page. 
  9. With a public group library like this, anyone can browse the entire group library online.

Now that you have reached the end of the video, please note that all information contained in this presentation is accessible via our homepage mainlib.upd.edu.ph.

Postscript

For further assistance or additional concerns, you may also send us an email via libraryinfo.updiliman@up.edu.ph or call our telephone number 8981-8500 local 2861.

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Good luck on your research.

Remember, here at the University Library we are Discovering Connections, Connecting Discoveries.

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