This page will show you how to:
Any source saved in your Zotero library can be quickly pulled into Microsoft Word for on-the-fly citation as you type. Note: In order to do this, you need to have installed the Zotero word processing plug-in for your program (see the "Home" page of this guide for more details).
Here's how:
If you are using the standalone version of Zotero, the Microsoft Word citation manager lives at the top left of your screen when you are using Microsoft Word. The toolbar looks like this:
Each picture serves a different purpose. They are (from left to right):
The most used are the first two, insert and edit citations. Refresh is helpful when if the program seems to get hung up (sometimes this happens after selecting a citation to add), and set document preferences is useful at the beginning of each project in order to make sure your citation style matches that desired by your professor. You will use insert and edit a bibliography most often at the end of writing a paper; Zotero will then compile each citation you've used throughout your paper into a handy works cited list at the end.
When you reach the point at which you need to cite a source, click on the "Insert Citation" button. A long red Zotero search window will pop up:
This tab will search every source saved in your Zotero library. If you've been diligent about saving sources, great! If not, you may want to take a moment to enter in the sources that you plan to use.
You can search by keyword, author, publication date -- anything saved in the Zotero item reference can be searched with this box. A list of all matching results will display. Click on the item that you wish to cite.
One useful feature is the ability to add page numbers before you create your citation. To do this, click on the citation bubble that appears after you select your source. A number of editable fields will appear:
Enter the page number or numbers you wish to cite. They will then appear in the citation that appears. Click "enter" to activate the citation. Scroll to the bottom of your page in Microsoft Word to see how it appears and to make sure that the style and information fields showing match with the style you want to use.
You can use "Set document preferences" in the Zotero bar within Word to change any citation style that needs to be changed.
Note on "Ibid.": To use "Ibid." for a citation used repeatedly, click the "Suppress author" tab in the pop-up screen where you enter page numbers. This will cause "Ibid." to appear in place of the author's name.
To create a bibliography from sources already cited in the paper, move to a new page at the end of your paper and click the "Zotero Insert Bibliography" button. To create a bibliography in which you select the sources to be used, do the following:
1. Move to your Zotero library.
2. Highlight each source you wish to add to your bibliography (use "Command-Shift" to highlight more than one item).
3. Once all items are highlighted, in the Zotero menu, select "Tools" then "Copy Bibliography."
4. Move to the page in your Word document where you want the bibliography to appear, and use Command-V to paste the copied bibliography in place.
5. Check the bibliography to make sure all needed fields appear correctly.