Citation Management Software: Adding New References

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.

Add Item by Identifier

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

Add Multiple Items by Identifier

• Open the Zotero desktop app
• Click the Add Item by Identifier button
  • 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

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 (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.

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 in the appropriate bibliographic fields
• Zotero will automatically save the reference as you add more information