Saving References with Zotero
In order to create accurate citations and references in Zotero when we're writing, we first need to store the referencing information for these sources in our library.

Using the Zotero connector.
The best way to add references to your library is by using the in-browser Zotero connector. This lets you quickly and easily save the referencing information of an item without having to download anything manually. The referencing information will also be of a higher quality compared to other methods.

Here we have an example of an article that we'd like to add to our library. When adding a journal article, we recommend going through to the article's landing page to add it rather than adding it from library search. Now that we're looking at the article, we can see in the top right hand corner that the Zotero connector has changed to a white page. This is the icon for a journal article.
It's important to check the connector has changed to the right icon.Here's an example of the icons for some of the most common items you might come across in your research. If the icon matches the type of item you're looking at, that's a good indicator that Zotero will be able to capture the referencing information accurately.

Make sure you have Zotero open in the background. We can now add the article to our Zotero library. Click on the browser connector, and it will capture the referencing information. If you have folders in your Zotero library, you can choose which folder you'd like this reference to be added to. And you can see, in this example, Zotero has been able to capture the PDF as well. Zotero will try to save the PDF for journal articles if it can, and store these in your library.
If we open up our Zotero library, you can see that the reference has been added. We've got all the referencing information here and we have a PDF attached as well.

You can also use the Zotero connector to add multiple items. If, for example, you're looking at an issue of a journal, you'll notice that the icon will change to a folder. If I click on the folder, Zotero will scan the page and give me a list of all the items that it can see on this page. You can select all of them for import or just choose the ones you want to add. Then press okay. If we go back into Zotero, we can see that it's captured the referencing information for all those sources.

Whenever you're adding new items to your library, it's important to check that the referencing information is being pulled through correctly so that when you come to reference your work at the end, it's accurate.

Correcting references
Zotero works very well when capturing the referencing information for academic sources like journal articles and books. But as with any software, it's not perfect. Always check the information pulled through by Zotero matches the original source. You may need to make some manual edits to correct the information. This is very easy to do.

For example, with this book, if we add it to Zotero and go into our library, we can check the information is accurate. Checking this against the original source, I can see that most of the information is correct. The only thing that's slightly off is Zotero has captured the publisher as University Press, but the publisher is actually Cambridge University Press. All I need to do is click into the publisher field and make this change. This ensures Zotero will generate an accurate reference for this item later on.

One academic source that the Zotero can struggle with are book chapters. If you're looking at a book chapter and the Zotero connector changes to an open book icon, like in the example we have here, this indicates that Zotero has been able to identify the specific chapter, so it will capture the referencing information accurately.
Sometimes when viewing a book chapter, the Zotero connector will display the standard book icon. Zotero is not able to recognise the specific chapter, just the book as a whole. It's still worth capturing the book reference with the connector as this will save lots of the information we need. But we'll need to add the missing information of the specific chapter ourselves.
If we go to Zotero and select the reference, we can see Zotero has captured this reference as a book. Click this and use the dropdown menu to change the item type to book section. This updates the template so we can add the chapter details. You don't need to fill out all the fields, just the information that's needed when referencing this type of source. If you're not sure what information you need, check the referencing guidance for your style on Skills Hub.

For book chapters, we need the title of the chapter, the chapter author, and the page range for that chapter. First, we'll add the title of the book chapter. We can see here that David is listed as the author, but he's actually the editor of the book as a whole. To change this, just click on author and use the dropdown to change him to an editor. Now we need to add the author for this chapter. To add another person, click the little plus icon next to any existing names. Once again, we can use the drop-down to change their role, and then we enter their last and first names. Lastly, we need to add the page range for this chapter. Now we have all the information we need to reference this item, and we know that when we generate a citation later, it will be accurate.

Adding Grey Literature
We also need to do some manual editing when working with non-academic sources, particularly if you're working with grey literature like newspapers, government documents and organisational reports.

For example, you can see that the connector is showing a website icon for this report. so we know the reference won't be pulled through correctly. If we click on it and send the reference to our Zotero library anyway, we can check the information. Zotero has captured the reference, however, it's pulled it through as a web page and there is some key information missing. It does have some useful information though, like the URL and the date accessed. It's also managed to get the title and the publication date. Another useful feature is Zotero has captured a snapshot of the website. This way you have a saved record of the version of the webpage you accessed.

Now we just need to add the missing information. It's the same process as with the book chapter. First, use the dropdown to change it to the correct item type. In this case, a report. The template will update and we can add the missing information. In this case, all we need to add is the author. If it's a named author, enter the first and last names in these fields. In this example, the report is actually written by an organisation. If I just click this little rectangle, it will change the field. So it's just one box that allows me to enter the organisational author. In this case it's the legal aid agency. Once we click away or press enter, all the information will be saved. And now we have everything we need for an accurate reference.

Although Zotero did capture a snapshot, it didn't download the PDF, so we're going to need to add that manually. Once you've downloaded the PDF, you just need to open the file and drag and drop the PDF over your reference. Now you can see we have the referencing information, a snapshot and an attached PDF all in one place.

We recommend checking and updating your references as you add items to your Zotero library. This way you'll avoid having to edit lots of sources later when you don't have the required information in front of you.

That covers how to save references to your Zotero library using the connector.
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Other ways to Add References
Zotero is designed to save us time and avoid manual data entry. It's best to save items to Zotero using the browser connector, as this is quick and creates the most accurate references. However, if you're working with less common sources, like those which aren't available online, then you may need to use one of these other methods.

Importing PDFs
If this is the first time you've used reference management software, then it's likely that you've got a folder of PDFs that aren't saved in Zotero or attached to a reference. You won't need to find the original sources and add them manually. You can just drag and drop all the PDFs into your library, and Zotero will automatically search for the citation information.
Zotero will scan the documents and search for the citation information and generate a reference. This pop up shows the progress. Just close it when you're done. You can see that these PDFs have been saved to a library. And they have references attached. Always check the information against the original source to make sure it's been pulled through correctly.

With older PDFs, this may not work and you'll need to find the original source and add it using the Zotero web connector.
Whenever you add a PDF to Zotero, it will save a copy on your computer, and this will also be backed up in your online Zotero library.

Using Identifiers
You can also add items to your library by using their ID numbers or identifiers, like the ISBN of a book. To do this, open your Zotero library, select the Magic Wand option to add items by identifier. With a book, you'll need to find the ISBN. This will be listed on one of the book's first pages, along with the other publishing information.
For this demo, I'll add this e-book using the ISBN listed here under the book details. Just add the ISBN and press enter, and Zotero will generate a reference for the book. As always, check the information is correct and make any necessary changes.

Manual entry
You can also add items manually. You would rarely need to do this only in very specific situations, like if you're working with archive materials. Open Zotero and click on the 'New Item' option in the toolbar. At the top, you'll see the most recently used items, but you can scroll to see all the item types available. Select the source you're adding, and then enter the required information into the template.

You don't need to include all the details, just any information required to generate a reference in the style you're using. If in doubt, check the referencing guidance on Skills Hub. Zotero automatically saves information as you add it. Once you've finished adding all the relevant information, just press enter and your reference will be saved.

That covers some of the other ways you can add references, aside from using the connector.
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