Zotero for Humanists

Workshop 1: Building Your Personal Library, Fri. Sept. 22 @ 12pm, PCL Learning Lab 3

Are you looking for an effective way to organize your research? Are you tired of typing out your bibliographies and citations by hand? Try learning Zotero! Zotero is a free, open-source citation manager. This workshop will cover how to build and organize your personal library, import citations from library databases, and create shared libraries for collaborative projects. 

If you’d like to follow along with the demonstration on your own device, plan to have Zotero and Zotero Connector (the browser plug-in) or Zotero iOS installed on your device before the session. This workshop will be taught in macOS and iOS.  A step-by-step download guide is available here.

Workshop 2: Maximize Your Zotero Experience, Fri. Oct. 6 @ 12pm, PCL Learning Lab 3

Have you been working with Zotero for a bit, or attended an introductory Zotero workshop, and want to learn how to do more with this free research management tool? In this 60- minute session, we will cover Zotero features that will maximize your ability to research, organize your research sources, and integrate them into your writing.

We will look at best practices for adding resources to your Zotero library; Cite While Your Write in Microsoft Word and Google Docs; Zotero for iOS; managing your Zotero presence; and collaboration features. This workshop is aimed at those with basic familiarity with Zotero, or those who want to refresh their knowledge of the more complex aspects of the tool. 

If you’d like to follow along with the demonstration on your own device, plan to have Zotero and Zotero Connector (the browser plug-in) or Zotero iOS installed on your device before the session. This workshop will be taught in macOS and iOS.  A step-by-step download guide is available here.

Workshop 3: Advanced Features & Office Hours, Fri. Oct. 13 @ 11am, PCL Scholars Lab Data Lab

Are you an old hand at Zotero? Do you wonder if there are any aspects of this free research management tool that you have yet to discover? In this 60-minute session, we will cover some of Zotero’s most advanced features, and offer time for office hours with knowledgeable librarians.

We will look at how to add archival materials and non-standard formats to your library; editing and attaching files; custom bibliographic formats; advanced & cloud storage options; and plug ins. This workshop is aimed at those who are quite familiar with Zotero, or those who want to refresh their knowledge of the more complex aspects of the tool.

If you’d like to follow along with the demonstration on your own device, plan to have Zotero and Zotero Connector (the browser plug-in) or Zotero iOS installed on your device before the session. This workshop will be taught in macOS and iOS.  A step-by-step download guide is available here.

Zotero is a free and easy to learn tool that helps collect, organize, cite, and share information. However, Zotero does more than this: it helps the researcher manage their data––primarily journal articles, books/ebooks, videos, webpages, and all of the associated metadata––in order to preserve and sustain their project. The ideal data management scenario is long-term: resources that one can return to time and again, asking the same question in different ways, or new questions. Being pro-active in the management and maintenance of items and the connections between them is a best practice for supporting long-term use and survival of humanities research data and the products of research.

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. 

• Create and manage citations of books, articles, videos, etc.

• Import citations from databases, the Web, and the UT Libraries Catalog

• Add searchable notes and tags to citations; attach and annotate pdf's

• Quickly create a bibliography in multiple formats (MLA, Chicago, APA, etc.)

• Automatically manage in-text citations

• Easily share references with others

ZoteroBib - Requires no account or software installation and provides a quick, reliable tool for creating one-off bibliographies. ZoteroBib enables you to build bibliographies in a variety of citaton styles and format basic in-text citations. You may re-use and edit bibliography you create--it will remain available in your browser until you clear it.

Not sure which to use? 

The Zotero/ZoteroBib website offers guidance for choosing the option that is best for you.