Zotero Citation Management: Creating Bibliographies

Creating Quick Bibliographies
It's easy to create a bibliography from your Zotero library in one of two ways: 1) select individual references in a batch when you aren't using collections, or 2) select a full collection you want to include. 

To begin: 

1. Hold the control key on your keyboard and click citations to select multiple items.
2. Right-click one of the selected items and choose "Create Bibliography." 
3. Choose the bibliographic style you want, select Copy to Clipboard, click OK and paste into your word processor.

NOTE: This method works with any word processor (or anywhere you can paste text).

Creating a Bibliography While Writing Your Paper 

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Zotero offers word processing plugins for Word and OpenOffice. The plugin adds a Zotero toolbar to your word processor that allows you to add citations to your document while you write.
NOTE: If your Zotero download is up-to-date, the Word processor plug-in automatically downloads with the Zotero desktop application. 

To add citations while you write: 

1. Click the first button ("Add/Edit Citation") on the toolbar. Search for the reference you want to cite and press "Enter." Zotero will add the citation at your cursor.
2. At the end of your paper, click the "Insert Bibliography" button. Your bibliography will appear, and new citations will be added automatically.
3. Change bibliographic styles with the "Document Preferences" button.

The toolbar looks different on different operating systems and versions of Word. Mousing over the toolbar will pop up each button's function if they're not clearly labeled.

Zotero - Creating Citations and References from Idaho State University

Adding Citation Styles to Zotero
Zotero comes with the most common bibliographic styles, but many more are available to download. To install a style:

1. Navigate to the Zotero Style Repository page
2. Search for the name of the style you need (because the list is so long, using CTRL + F on your keyboard will bring up a "find" search window to help you locate the style quickly)
3. Download the style by clicking the link and choosing the option to "add the style to Zotero"
4. Open Zotero preferences. Click Cite, then Styles, then the "+" button and select the style you downloaded (a .CSL file in your downloads folder)

The new style will appear in Zotero's style lists.