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Albert S. Cook Library

Zotero

A guide to using the citation management tool Zotero.

Cite Using Zotero in Microsoft Word

  • Open Zotero on your desktop computer.
  • Open an existing or new document in MS Word.
  • Check to see if the Zotero menu appears.
  • When you get to a spot in your document where you want a footnote or in-text citation, click the Zotero menu.
  • Click Add/Edit Citation.
  • Select your style if needed.
  • A Zotero box appears. Search for your source (by author, title, tag, etc.).
  • Select the correct source and hit Enter.
  • Search for additional source(s) and repeat if you need to cite multiple sources for this one footnote or in-text citation.
    • PRO TIP: If you need to add a page number -- or if you are using a signal phrase and need to suppress the author(s) from appearing, click the Z in the Zotero box.
    • Select classic view and make selections as appropriate in the lower part of the box.

The Zotero plugin should appear in the topmost Menu bar. When you select it, the full list of Zotero options appear in the Ribbon.

This brief video tutorial demos how to add citations with Zotero while you write in Microsoft Word. It features closed captions and audio narration. To easily navigate the many different section of this 9 minute video, please watch it on YouTube to access the Table of Contents in the Description field.

Cite Using Zotero in Google Docs

For more details, view this Zotero Google Docs support page.

  • Sign in at zotero.org/user/login. 
  • Open a new or existing Google Doc.
  • When you get to a spot in your document where you want a footnote or in-text citation, click the Zotero menu.
  • Click Add/Edit Citation.
  • Select your style if needed.
  • A Zotero pop up appears. Search for your source (by author, title, tag, etc.).
  • Select the correct source and hit Enter.
  • Search for additional source(s) and repeat if you need to cite multiple sources for this one footnote or in-text citation.
    • PRO TIP: If you need to add a page number -- or if you are using a signal phrase and need to suppress the author(s) from appearing, click the Z in the Zotero box.
    • Select classic view and make selections as appropriate in the lower part of the box.

To use Zotero within Google Docs, select the word from the Menu or the icon from the toolbar. A Zotero pop up should appear over the Google Docs window where you search for the source you're citing.

This brief video tutorial demos how to add citations with Zotero while you write in Google Docs. It is almost 6 minutes long and features closed captions with audio narration.

Troubleshoot Word Processor Installs

If the word processor plug ins don't appear automatically after following these steps, you may need to manually install them.

Zotero Support provides this step-by-step guide. To get started, from the desktop app, select your Preferences, select the Cite tab, and try reinstalling.

Once you enter your Zotero Preferences, select Cite, then switch to the Word Processor tab. Now you can try reinstalling your word processor plugin.

Subjects: Writing