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Zotero

Adding References

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to add references to your Zotero library.

By the end of this tutorial, you'll be able to:

 

Extra Activities:

1. Adding PDFs

To practice adding PDFs to your library, complete the activity below.

  1. Open the Zotero app.
  2. Open a folder of existing PDFs or you can download pdfs from this journal.
  3. Select the PDFs you want to add.
  4. Drag and drop the PDF files into your Zotero library.

2. Using the Web Importer

To practice using the web importer to add single and multiple references, complete the activity below.

  1. Use Library Search to find a resource you want to add to your Zotero library or you can add items from this journal.
  2. Use the 'Zotero Connector' web importer to add an item to your Zotero library. 
  3. Once you’ve added the references, check that the citation information is correct. If you’re not sure what information you need to include to create an accurate reference, see Skills Hub for your particular referencing style.

3. Updating Citations

To practice updating citations, complete the activity below.

  1. Follow this link or go to a similar source e.g. a non-profit organisation's report. 
  2. Use the web importer to add the reference to your Zotero library.
  3. Update the item type and add the missing information to the reference. If you’re not sure what information you need to include to create an accurate reference, see Skills Hub for your particular referencing style.
  4. Download the PDF from the website and add it to the reference.

Extra Activity - Manual References

To practice manually updating references, complete the activity below.

  1. Go to the Zotero app and click on the green plus on the tool bar.

             

  1. Select the item type “Book Section”.
  2. Complete the reference manually for chapter 1 from The Sage handbook of interview research : the complexity of the craft. If you’re not sure what information you need to include to create an accurate reference, see Skills Hub for your particular referencing style.

It's usually quicker to add a reference and update it rather than creating it from scratch. Try adding a chapter from an edited book using the web importer; add the chapter from the 3 sources below and compare quality of records, which one requires the least updating?

  1. Directly from library search
  2. Directly from an ebook
  3. Directly from an ebook with a landing page

Extra Activity - Using Identifiers

To practice using identifiers to add references to your library, complete the activity below.

Use the links below to practice adding references using the identifier.

  • Go to this journal article and add it using the DOI.
  • Add this book using the ISBN
  • Go to PubMed and add this article using the PubMed ID (PMID)
  • Go to arXiv and add this article using arXiv ID.

You can also add multiple references using the identifier. See the Zotero documentation for more information