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Citation Management

Writing a paper is hard! It's a little bit easier with citation management.

About Zotero

Older versions of Zotero Connector (the browser extension or add-on) have been linked with temporary IP blocks from some publishers. If you have this experience, please check the version of Zotero Connector you're running and make sure it is up to date. You should be running 5.0.104 or higher for Firefox and Chrome. If you're not running 5.0.104 higher, update Zotero Connector. You can find detailed instructions in the 'How Do I...' section of our website.


Full Zotero logo with the word spelled out.


Zotero is a tool that helps you collect, organize, share, and cite sources. It's easy to use, connects with your web browser, and it's free! You can attach PDFs, notes and images using Zotero. You can also organize your citations and create bibliographies.

Zotero News

March 2022 — Zotero 6 released! Highlights include a built-in PDF-viewer and new notes editor! Also, an official Zotero app for iPhone and iPad is here!

Zotero for Your Cell Phone or Tablet

Check out Zotero for Mobile for information about Android and iPhone apps. An official Zotero-iOS app is here! You can find it in your app store by searching for Zotero.

Digital Library Development and Zotero

Michael Hucka is our Research Applications Developer. He developed a tool called Zowie (“Zotero link writer”). Zowie is a program for Mac that writes Zotero links into file attachments in your Zotero library. Check out Michael's GitHub page for details!

Zotero code is free and open-source. If you have programming skills or want to develop them, there are many ways to contribute to Zotero or build on it.

Introduction to Zotero (Zoom Session Online)

Are you writing a research paper or ready to start your thesis? Looking for an easy way to collect, organize, share, and cite sources? 'Introduction to Zotero' may be the short workshop you need! In this workshop you will learn how to:
 
  • Add citations to Zotero
  • Use Zotero with Microsoft Word
  • Make bibliographies with Zotero
  • Share citations using Zotero
     
The library offers 'Introduction to Zotero' online only via Zoom. When you register for the class (link below), you will receive an email with a Zoom link. Please visit Caltech's Zoom Video Conferencing page for more information about Zoom.
 
Please visit libcal.caltech.edu to see a list of our current classes.


Are you a member of the Caltech community and this workshop isn't convenient for you? Please contact us to schedule a one-on-one session or a session for your group.

How do I download and install Zotero?

Zotero has three parts to download and/or install:

  1. Zotero Standalone is a desktop app for Linux, Mac, and Windows. The program is installed locally on your computer. Download Zotero Standalone from the Zotero website.

  2. Zotero Connector is a browser extension or add-on for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. When you’re searching for an article online, you can click on the Zotero Connector button to add the article to Zotero Standalone. Install Zotero Connector from the Zotero website.

  3. Zotero Online is the only way to sync or share your citations. Create a free Zotero account from the Zotero website and then sync it by adding your username and password to Zotero Standalone. Go to Edit > Preferences > Sync. Use your Caltech email address to get unlimited storage courtesy of the Caltech library!

Other Citation Managers