Zotero Bibliographic Software at MIT

What is Zotero?

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. Also works with Netscape Navigator 9.0 and Flock. 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
• 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.

Ups and downs of using Zotero:

There are still some kinks to be worked out of the software, so you may not want to use Zotero for writing your thesis or for creating complex bibliographies. 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!
• It's going to get better. Developers are planning new updates, and the growing online user community contributes ideas to make it better.
• Great for creating bibliographies in OpenOffice.org.

Cons:

• Not great for formatting bibliographies for papers, since there aren't many style formats.
• 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.

Getting Help With Zotero

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!.

This page was last updated on 05/01/08