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Citation Managers

Library Basics

With Zotero, you can only have one library on your desktop and one library per online account. Generally, if you want to sync your desktop and online libraries, this will mean that you only have one Zotero library. This differs from some other citation managers, such as EndNote, which allow you to create multiple libraries. However, items in your Zotero library can still be organized on a more granular level; see the Organizing References section of this guide to learn more about how to do this.

You should store your Zotero library on your hardrive, not on the cloud or in a shared drive. Setting up a Zotero account will allow you to sync your library and store the information on Zotero's servers. While your library should not be stored in a cloud storage service such as OneDrive, Google Drive, etc., full-text PDFs associated with items in your library may be.

Adding References

There are several ways to add references to your Zotero library:

Manually

  • This is the most time-consuming option; reserve it for physical items or unusual formats.
  • To add a reference manually, click on the green plus-sign at the top of your library, then choose the source type from the dropdown. If the source type you need does not immediately appear, click on More.
  • Only enter the relevant fields for the item. Not every item will have something for every field! (For example, not every book has a volume number.)

From a file

  • This option is best if you already have a file (e.g., a PDF of a journal article or an exported citation from PubMed) saved on your computer.
  • You can simply drag and drop the file from your file explorer into your Zotero library.
  • Alternatively, you can go to File Import and choose the file from there.

By identifier

  • If an item has an ISBN, DOI, PMID, or arXiv ID, you can add it using just the identifier.
  • Click on the magic wand with the green plus sign at the top of your Zotero library and then enter the identifier into the box provided.

Using Zotero Connector

Organizing References

In Zotero, you can only have one library. This differs from some other citation managers--such as EndNote--where you can have different libraries for different projects, classes, etc. While you can only have a single library in Zotero, you can organize that library using collections, subcollections, and tags.

Collections

  • To create a new collection, go to File New Collection or right click on My Library in the left sidebar and choose New Collection from there. 
  • Once you have created your collection(s), you can drag and drop items from your library to a specific collection, you you can add them to the desired collection from the start. 
  • Every item you put in a collection is still in your main library; however, they are not copies, so if you move an item in a collection to the trash, it will remove it from your library entirely, and vice versa. To remove an item from a collection but keep it in your library, right click on the item and choose Remove Item from Collection.
  • The number of collections you create is limited only by your Zotero storage limit (and your computer's storage limit, of course).

Subcollections

  • A subcollection is exactly what it sounds like--a collection below or within another collection.
  • To create a new subcollection, right click on the collection you would like it to be a part of and choose New Subcollection
  • You can create subcollections within subcollections and subcollections within subcollections within subcollections and...well, you get it.

Tags

  • Items that you import from databases or add using a PMID or other identifier may come with tags already attached.
  • You can add, remove, or edit tags by clicking on an item and going to the Tags tab at the top of the right sidebar.
  • Tags are searchable using the search bar above your library.

Adding PDFs

Zotero can find some PDFs for you

If you have added references to your library without a full-text PDF and you don't already have that PDF saved somewhere, Zotero can sometimes find and attach one. Zotero will not be able to find every PDF you ask it to--and in those cases you will have to find and manually attach one--but it can save you time by finding some of them.

To have Zotero look for PDFs for you, select the item or items for which you want to attach a PDF, right click, and select Find Available PDF. If Zotero can locate a PDF for that reference, it will attach it.

Zotero can look up items in PittCat for you

Even if Zotero doesn't find a PDF for you, it can still help you see if our library provides access to it! The first time you want Zotero to check the library's collection and subscriptions for an item, go to Edit Preferences > Advanced. Under "OpenURL," paste the following link into the field labeled "Resolver": https://pitt.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/openurl/01PITT_INST/01PITT_INST:01PITT_INST?sid=

Now, whenever you want to look an item up in Pitt's library system, you can select the item in your library that you wish to find full-text for, and then click on the "Locate" arrow to the right of the item details. From the drop-down menu that appears, select Library Look-Up. If we provide access to that item, you will be taken to a listing for that item in PittCat, and from there you can see where the full-text is available. If the library doesn't provide access to that item, then you may need to use Document Delivery to get it.

Retraction Watch Integration

Zotero automatically checks your library for items that have been retracted through an integration with Retraction Watch. Retraction Watch maintains a database of retracted articles, so if you add an item to your library that has already been retracted or an item already in your library gets retracted, you will receive a notification in Zotero. 

Retraction Watch is a nonprofit organization (just like Zotero!), and there may be some time between an item being retracted and its addition to the Retraction Watch database. Therefore, you might not be notified in Zotero to an item's retraction until several weeks after the item has been retracted.