Library guides: Zotero: Home

What is Zotero?

Zotero is an easy-to-use free reference management tool. It can be used to:

collect and organise your research sources as you browse the web
store all your references in one location
sync your reference library across multiple devices
create citations in thousands of reference styles in Word and Google Docs
easily collaborate and share your library of resources.

Zotero comes with 300 MB of free storage. Additional storage can be purchased from the Zotero storage webpage.

Library staff at ACU provide limited help for Zotero users. For additional support, please search Zotero Support.

Which reference management tool is best for me?

Use this table to compare some key features of EndNote Desktop, Mendeley Reference Manager, and Zotero.
Feature	EndNote Desktop	Mendeley Reference Manager	Zotero
Ease of use	Harder to learn initially	Easy to use	Easy to use
Cost	Free for ACU staff and students	Free	Free (up to 300 MB)
Storage capabilities	Unlimited	Free account: 2GB ACU Institutional Edition: 100GB	300 MB (users can pay for extra storage beyond 300 MB)
Software support	ACU Library supports EndNote (guide, webinars and consultations) EndNote website provides online training materials	ACU Library guide Mendeley website provides online training materials	ACU Library guide Zotero website provides online training materials
Word processor compatibility	Microsoft Word Apache OpenOffice Apple Pages LibreOffice Google Docs	Microsoft Word OpenOffice LibreOffice NeoOffice	Microsoft Word LibreOffice OpenOffice NeoOffice Google Docs
Number of reference styles	Over 6,000 styles	Over 10,000 styles via the Citation Style Language (CSL) repository	Over 8,000 styles via the Style Repository
Operating system compatibility	Windows, Mac	Windows, Mac OS X or later, Linux	Windows, Mac, Linux
Syncing	Cloud storage and syncing via EndNote Web Register for an account	Cloud storage and syncing available Register for an account	Cloud storage and syncing available Register for an account
Advantages	Premium product Advanced features Easily customised Easy to edit reference styles Supported by ACU	Easy to use Collaborative, social networking functionality	Easy to use Great for importing records from non-traditional sources such as websites
Best suited to	Users comfortable with reference management systems	Undergraduates who have never used a reference management system Researchers sharing papers and networking	Undergraduates who have never used a reference management system

Table last updated September 2023.

Reference Manager Comparison Table (DOC, 172KB)

Install Zotero

There are three steps to installing Zotero.

Step one

Download Zotero and follow the prompts for installation.

Step two

Get the Zotero Connector for your browser.

The Zotero Connector (plug-in extension) allows you to collect references from databases and webpages with a single click. Connectors are available for Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari.

Step three

Create a Zotero online account.

An account will allow you to:

back up your library in the cloud
sync and access your library from multiple devices
share and network with other Zotero users.

There are two ways to create a Zotero online account.

Open Zotero. Go to Edit ⇨ Preferences ⇨ Sync ⇨ Create account. You will need to validate the account via your email address.
Register for an account first, then go to Zotero ⇨ Edit ⇨ Preferences ⇨ Sync. Sign in with your credentials.

Add additional reference styles

Zotero comes with several popular citation styles pre-installed. However, you may need to install additional styles via the Zotero Style Repository. Information about installing additional styles can be found at Zotero: Citation Styles.

How to use Zotero

For guidance on using Zotero, see:

Zotero Quick Start Guide
Zotero Support Page
Word Processor Plugins – for how to use Zotero to cite sources in Word and Google Docs
Syncing – for how to use your Zotero online account
Zotero Forums – for discussions and troubleshooting.

Help

Use the Zotero Forums.

The library provides limited Zotero support. Contact us to see if we can help.

Guide last reviewed: 7 November 2022

Zotero