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Research Guides

Citation Management Software: Adding New References

A guide to the commonly used citation - or reference - management software available to the U-Idaho community.

Adding New References

Add References using the Zotero Connector

  • Open the Zotero desktop app
  • Navigate to an article, webpage, etc. you'd like to save
  • Click the 'Save to Zotero' browser extension icon
    • The Zotero Connector will automatically add the reference to your Zotero library

If you would like to undertake large-scale imports from library databases, please visit Zotero's documentation page for more information.

Add Item by Identifier

  • Open the Zotero desktop app
  • Click the 'Add Item by Identifier' icon
  • Type the identifier for the item you want to add (e.g., DOI, ISBN, etc.)
  • Hit 'Enter' on your keyboard to add this item to your Zotero library
Zotero Add Item by Identifier

 

Add Multiple Items by Identifier

  • Open the Zotero desktop app
  • Click the 'Add Item by Identifier' icon
    • Option 1
      • Copy and paste a list of identifiers, with each identifier on a single line
    • Option 2:
      • Type the first identifier and hit 'Shift+Enter' on your keyboard
      • Type the next identifier; continue to use 'Shift+Enter' to add more identifiers
  • Click 'Search' to add these items to your Zotero library
Zotero Add Item by Identifier

Import PDFs and Other Files

  • Open the Zotero desktop app
  • Find the PDF or other file on your computer
  • Drag and drop the PDF or other file directly into the Zotero desktop app window
  • Zotero will try to retrieve information about the PDF to create a reference entry
    • If Zotero cannot retrieve this information about a PDF or another file:
      • Right click the file name in the Zotero desktop app window
      • Click 'Create Parent Item'
      • Enter the item's identifier (e.g., DOI, ISBN, etc.) to try to automatically add this information or select 'Manual Entry' to add the item's information yourself

Please visit Zotero's documentation page for more information.

Zotero Create Parent Item

 

Add References Manually

  • Open the Zotero desktop app
  • Click 'New Item'
  • Choose the item type from the initial list or click 'More' to see other options
  • Fill out the necessary bibliographic fields
  • Zotero will automatically save the reference as you add more information
Zotero Add Item Manually

 

Zotero Add Item Manually

Import References from an Existing Reference Manager

Please visit Zotero's documentation page for instructions on how to import references from various existing reference managers, including Mendeley and Endnote.