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Referencing: Zotero Referencing Software

What is Zotero?

Zotero is a free, open source research management system designed to collect, store, share, manage and cite references.

Zotero can:

  • Save references from sources such as databases, eBooks, websites, and the Library catalogue.
  • Keep track of your sources as you find them.
  • Insert correctly formatted citations into your documents.
  • Automatically generate bibliographies in the AUB Harvard Style.

Zotero is available as a full App (for research projects) and a simplified web version (for quick bibliography creation) called ZoteroBib.

If you need help with Zotero, please contact your Subject Librarian. 

Using ZoteroBib

ZoteroBib is an easy, web-based version of Zotero that can quickly generate bibliographies for your essays. There's no need to create an account or install anything to use ZoteroBib.

Simply copy and paste URLs from the websites, databases, journal articles, eBooks, and the Library catalogue into ZoteroBib to generate formatted references.

Change the settings to ensure your references are formatted in the AUB Harvard Style - this style is programmed into ZoteroBib. The references are compiled in an alphabetical-by-author bibliography that can be copied and pasted into your essay. This list will stay in your browser's local storage until you choose to delete it, or you clear your browser history.

ZoteroBib is best used for short projects that only require a few references. It is not recommended for longer research projects - these should be done in the Zotero App. 

ZoteroBib is available at www.zbib.org

File Syncing & Backing Up

As Zotero is an App, it stores files, such as article PDFs, directly on your device. There is no limit on this storage.

Zotero does allow web-based file syncing up to 300mb. If you are storing a lot of files, you should turn off file syncing. Your reference data will still be synced, but this will prevent PDFs and other files from syncing and using up your allowance.

To turn off file syncing, go to Edit>Preferences>Sync and uncheck both 'File Syncing' options. 

As Zotero uses your device's storage, you should create a back-up copy of your Zotero library in case of any loss or damage to your device.

Go to File>Export Library. Zotero will create a copy of your library, including attachments and any notes, and save this as a .RIS or a Zotero RDF file. Save this somewhere external to your computer, such as OneDrive. In the event of any problems with your library, you can import this file back into Zotero, under File>Import, to restore that version of your Zotero library.

Be sure to create back-ups frequently, whenever you add new information to Zotero. 

Getting Started with Zotero

Step One: Install Zotero Desktop
Go to www.zotero.org to download the Zotero App. It is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS. The download should only take a few minutes to install and also includes a plug-in for Microsoft Word. 

Step Two: Install the Browser Connector
From the same page, install the Zotero browser connector. This is available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. If you are using Safari, the Zotero Connector is installed in a bundle with the App. The Zotero Connector runs in your web browser, not as a separate program, and relies on the Zotero App to work.

Step Three: Set Your Referencing Style
Open the Zotero App and select Edit>Settings>Cite. This gives you the list of referencing styles programmed into Zotero. Select 'Get Additional Styles' and search for Arts University Bournemouth to add our style to your Zotero favourites. 

Step Four: Create a Zotero Account
This is optional, but recommended. A Zotero account allows you to sync your reference data across devices and access it online. You can create a free account here. Open Zotero and select Edit>Settings>Sync and log in to sync your Zotero App with your new Zotero account. 

Laptop screen showing the Zotero App

The Zotero screen is divided into three sections:

  • Your folders are on the left, allowing you to sort your references by topic or according to projects. 
  • In the middle you will find all the references you have added to Zotero. 
  • On the right, if you've clicked on an item, you'll see the reference data - this is what Zotero will use to create the reference in your bibliography, so always check and for missing or incorrect information, and add or change it here as required.

Adding Research to your Zotero Library

Zotero can automatically generate citations for sources, including books and eBooks, journal articles, newspapers, and many websites. You must have information about the source your Zotero library in order to create references for it. 

To add information into Zotero:

  • Install the Zotero browser connector, which allows you to capture referencing data directly from the web.
  • Other tools are available within Zotero that can assist with adding references - see the relevant tabs above for more information about how to add different types of sources.
  • If you are unable to add sources by other methods, you can also add references in manually:

It is recommended that you double-check each reference as you import it, in case any data is missing or incorrect. This can be common for websites. 

To edit any reference data that may have been incorrectly imported:

  • Select the item you wish to make changes to. You can then edit the data on the right-hand side of the screen.
  • The fields available for each source depends on the item type Zotero has assigned it (book, journal article, web page, etc.).
  • Click into the item type field to change it, if required.

There are several ways to add book references into the Zotero App: 

  • Use the browser connector to capture book information directly from the Library catalogue. When you have a book record open on the catalogue, the connector button will detect the data on the page and change into a book-shaped icon. Click here to send this data to the Zotero App:



    This will also work from other library catalogues, and some websites such as Google Books. 
  • Add books directly into Zotero using the ISBN. You will usually find this on the back cover of the book, printed under the barcode. In Zotero, click the Reference Wizard button. Simply type or paste the ISBN in and press return. Zotero will import the data. This may take a few moments. 

Journal article references can be added to Zotero, using the following methods:

  • Imported using the Zotero Connector. When you find an article online, the browser connector should be able to detect the reference data on the page. When it does, it will change into a small paper-shaped icon. Click here to send this data across to the Zotero App:



    Where possible, Zotero will also download a copy of the article PDF for you, and attach it to the item record in Zotero. 
     
  • Added using their Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number. Most digital journal articles are issued a unique DOI. This is usually displayed near the beginning of the article or somewhere in the database record. In Zotero, click the Reference Wizard button, paste the DOI in, and click enter to retrieve the reference data. 


     
  • Upload journal article PDFs directly into Zotero. Go to File>Add attachment>Add file and it will import the PDF and convert the data it finds into a reference. If it does not do this automatically, right-click on the PDF in your reference list and click 'Retrieve Metadata'. 

Zotero can import data from some, but not all, websites. The quality of the reference generated depends on the quality of the data on the webpage. You need to be vigilant when adding website references, as important referencing data (particularly author names or dates of publication) can be missed. 

  • Web references should be added using the browser connector. When websites offer high-quality data, the browser connector button will change into an icon. For example, ​Zotero can usually read the reference data on newspaper and news media websites, and the button changes into a newspaper-shaped icon. Click here to send this data across to Zotero:


     
  • When this button does not change, you can still attempt to send the reference data into Zotero. You will likely have to add some information to the reference, but these references are often almost complete. If nothing else, Zotero will capture the URL and accessed date: 



    Where possible, Zotero will also create a snapshot of the webpage at the time you visited it. If the website changes in the future, you will still have a record of the information on the page as it was displayed at the time you originally saw it. 

Creating a Bibliography

You can quickly generate bibliographies in Zotero by selecting individual items in your library, or by selecting whole folders. 

Select all the items you wish to include in your bibliography and right-click, or right-click on a folder, and select 'Create Bibliography from Items' or 'Create Bibliography from Collection'.

A new window will open. Select 'Arts University Bournemouth' as your referencing style (if this is not appearing, click Manage Styles>Get Additional Styles to add it). Choose 'Bibliography' as your output style and 'Copy to Clipboard' as your output method.

You will then be able to paste your bibliography into your document.

Zotero is best used with Microsoft Word. The Word Plug-In allows you to automatically insert correctly-formatted citations directly into your documents as you write. The Zotero tab should automatically appear in MS Word after you have installed Zotero. 

Select 'Document Preferences' to set your reference style to the Arts University Bournemouth style. 

When you need to insert a citation from a source in your Zotero library, click 'Add/Edit Citation'. You will then be able to search for the reference you wish to add. Zotero will format this in the correct way for AUB referencing. If you need to add page numbers to your citation, type these in manually. 

When you’ve finished writing, and have inserted all the citations you need to use, click 'Add/Edit Bibliography' and Zotero will generate a list of formatted references in alphabetical order based on the sources you have cited throughout your work.