Comprehensive guide to reference management software for organizing research and creating citations
Free, open-source reference management software
Students, researchers, budget-conscious users
Academic social network with reference management
Collaborative research, academic networking
Professional reference management by Clarivate
Professional researchers, institutions with budget
Cloud-based reference management platform
Institutional users, collaborative projects
Visit zotero.org and download the desktop application
Add the Zotero browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari
Sign up for a free Zotero account for syncing across devices
Install the plugin for Microsoft Word or Google Docs
• Click the Zotero icon in your browser when viewing academic papers
• Import from library catalogs and databases
• Manually add references using the green "+" button
• Drag and drop PDFs into Zotero
• Create collections for different projects
• Use tags to categorize references
• Add notes and annotations
• Attach PDFs and supplementary files
• Use the Word plugin to insert citations
• Switch citation styles as needed
• Generate bibliographies automatically
• Collaborate with shared group libraries
Create group libraries for research teams. Share references, PDFs, and annotations with collaborators.
Keep your library synchronized across all devices. Changes appear instantly for all team members.
Create separate collections for each research project or paper you're working on.
Use consistent tags like "methodology," "theoretical," or "empirical" to categorize content.
Tag references as "to-read," "read," "cited," or "review" to track your progress.
American Psychological Association
Modern Language Association
Chicago Manual of Style
Most academic journals specify their preferred citation style in their submission guidelines.
Your university or department may have specific requirements for theses and dissertations.
Different academic disciplines have traditional preferences for citation styles.
Add references as you discover them, not when you're ready to write. Include notes about relevance to your project.
Insert citations as you write, don't wait until the end. Use the "Add/Edit Citation" feature frequently.
Review and update citations during revision. Check that all references are cited and all citations have references.
Master these tools to streamline your research and writing process.