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Zotero: Overview

Open Source Citation Management Tool

Zotero (pronounced "zoh-TAIR-oh")

Collect, manage, and easily cite your research sources
Save PDFs, attach notes and images to your citations, and organize citations into collections for different projects
Add sources via a web browser extension
Free with up to 300 MB of storage

Getting Started in 3 Steps

To use Zotero, you'll need to:

Download the Zotero application
Download a connector so your browser can save citations to Zotero
Create an account

Download and install Zotero application & connectors
You must download both:
1. The application for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux), and
2. The connector for your browser (Chrome, Safari, etc.).
**Note: Do NOT save your Zotero to a cloud storage folder (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.). Your file is very likely to become corrupted and break.
Register for Zotero
Create a Zotero account.

Zotero Links

Zotero FAQs
For additional frequently asked questions, see the knowledge base. If you can't find the answer to your question here, see Getting Help.
Zotero Storage Plans
*free up to 300 MB of storage

Need More Help?

Contact:

nschemm@smu.edu

214-768-6155

Subjects: Advertising, Applied Physiology and Sport Management, Arts Management and Arts Entrepreneurship, Corporate Communication & Public Affairs, Design and Innovation, Education, Journalism, Writing & Reasoning

Watch the Workshop

Zotero Spring 2023 Workshop Recording

Related Guides

What are Connectors?

Zotero uses connectors to save citations to your Zotero library from your web browser.

Each browser has its own Zotero connector, so if you use Chrome, Firefox and Safari you'll need to install all three.
The Zotero downloads page will automatically detect what browser you're using and give you a link.

GSU Zotero Guide
Parts of this SMU guide are based on this research guide from Georgia State University.