Adding items to your Zotero Library

The best way to add items to Zotero is through the Zotero Connector, an application that allows you to save directly to Zotero from your preferred web browser.

Through the use of the Connector, Zotero will automatically find bibliographic information on webpages you visit and allow you to add it to Zotero with a single click. The 'save' button will turn into an icon representing the media you're viewing (the image below shows the save icon for a journal article).

Clicking the save button will create an item in Zotero with the information that Zotero has identified. If it is available, Zotero will also save any PDF accessible from the page or an open-access PDF that can be found for the saved item.

Further instructions, information and support can be located on the Zotero website.

Import Citations

Citation libraries from other reference management software applications such as EndNote, Refworks, and Mendeley can be imported into Zotero.

To export an existing library from your current software application, locate the export option, and decide whether you want to export an individual citation, or an entire list. When saving your file, keep in mind that the following file types are supported by Zotero:

• CSL JSON

• MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema)

• BibTeX

• RIS

• Refer/BibIX

• Unqualified Dublin Core RDF

• Endnote XML

• XML ContextObject

• Web of Science Tagged

• MEDLINE/nbib

Import to Zotero

In Zotero, choose the "Import" option from the File menu. Locate the file you exported from the other application, select it, and click the "Open" button. Your exported items should then be filed in your Zotero library in a date-stamped collection.

Note: This is only available in the desktop version of Zotero, not in the browser.

Please note that PDF files are not included in the exportation - you will need to manually add the PDF file for each citation.

Further information

Listed below are detailed instructions on importing records from the following software applications:

• Endnote
• Mendeley

Adding PDFs and other files to Zotero References

As explained above, when possible, we recommend saving items using the Save to Zotero button in your browser from the primary webpage (e.g, a journal article's abstract page) rather than adding PDFs directly. The Save to Zotero button will usually save high-quality metadata and also automatically download the relevant PDF if you have access to it.

If there's no primary webpage, you can click the Save to Zotero button while viewing the PDF in your browser to save the PDF directly.

If you have a local PDF or other file on your computer — for example, if you received a file via email — you can drag it to Zotero, either onto an existing item to create a child attachment or between items to create a standalone attachment. You can also add an attachment to an existing item by clicking the paperclip button in the Zotero toolbar and selecting “Attach Stored Copy of File…” or “Attach Link to File…”, or you can add a standalone attachment by clicking the green plus sign () and choosing “Store Copy of File…” or “Link to File…”.

For more information see the Adding files to Zotero guide.

Managing Records in Zotero

Subcollections

In Zotero, citation records can be organised into subcollections by clicking the plus button next to the My Library tab. 

Then create a name for your subcollection file. 

Once the subcollection file is created, drag added or imported citations into the file.

Tags

Citation records can be marked with tags. These can be created in the Tag tab for each citation. A citation record can have multiple tags. The tags can be searched for in the search bar at the bottom left corner of the screen. Be careful when creating tags, they are case sensitive. 

Sharing a Zotero Library

Setting up a Group

To share a Zotero library, first create a group in Zotero under the groups option at the top of the page. Either Search for a established group or Create a new group. To add others to the group, they also must have a Zotero account. Click here for more information about setting up a group in Zotero. 

Once a group has been created, a library or subcollection or individual citation record can be dragged into the group library where is can be accessed by all members of the group.

Be aware that this will created duplicates between a personal library and a group library.

Using Zotero with Word Processor Programs

By using ‘word processor plugins’ – including Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs, you can have new citations placed in your document whilst working on it, at the same time automatically updating your bibliography.

Microsoft Word Plugin

Installing the Zotero plugin will add a "Zotero" tab to the top toolbar of Microsoft Word. The tab contains the following options:

Add/Edit Citation		Add a new citation or edit an existing citation in your document at the cursor location.
Add/Edit Bibliography		Insert a bibliography at the cursor location or edit an existing bibliography.
Document Preferences		Open the Document Preferences window, e.g. to change the citation style.
Refresh		Refresh all citations and the bibliography, updating any item metadata that has changed in your Zotero library.
Unlink Citations		Unlink Zotero citations in the document by removing the field codes. This prevents any further automatic updates of the citations and bibliographies. Note that removing field codes is irreversible, and should usually only be done in a final copy of your document.

​Google Docs Plugin

Support for Google Docs requires use of the Zotero Connector, an application allowing you to save directly to Zotero from your preferred web browser. Use of the Zotero Connector adds a new menu to the Google Docs interface:

The menu provides the following options:

Monash Health Library provides educational resources, group training, webinars and individual consultations on evidence based practice including guidance on literature searching, appraising and managing search results.

Can’t attend our live webinars?

• The library has a selection of recorded webinars available in Latte.
• Consider requesting group training for your team at a time that suits you. 

Custom training sessions can be arranged to fit with a team meeting or existing professional development schedule. Email library@monashhealth.org for more information.