Using Zotero for References and Writing

System preparation

  1. Install Zotero
  2. Install Zotero Browser plugins, as well as the word processor plugins and restart your word processor. In most cases, the word processor plugins are installed during Zotero installation.
  3. Install the Zotero better Note Plugin)
    1. Download the .xpi file
    2. On Zotero, go to Tools > Plugins
    3. On the Plugins page in zotero, click on the settings symbol ⚙️
    4. Then click on "Install plugin from file"
    5. Select the file you have downloaded, and press install!
  4. Make an account on Zotero, and enter the credentials in Zotero: Go to Edit /> Settings /> Accounts

Capturing citations with Zotero

  1. Once we have installed Zotero, as well as its plugins, we can start capturing the references which we will use during our writing. This is done on the web browser. A proper setup Zotero plugin will show up as a Zotero logo on the web browser, when not on a capturable page!! !
  2. Before we start capturing the citations, we have to ensure that the right collection is highlighted within Zotero!
  3. On a web page with reference that we can capture, the zotero icon changes, as per the source. Here, since it is a journal article, it will change to:
  4. Clicking on it brings up a little Zotero dialogue right there. This will give you another chance for a few seconds to change where the article reference is being saved !
  5. In case of many articles, Zotero downloads the full text if it is freely available. In case it is not, obtain it, and save it on your computer. Now attach it to the captured citation to be able to use Zotero in a better way. Right-click on the citation > Add attachments > File > Select the downloaded file!
  6. Do this for all the articles you mean to refer to for your review, or article, etc. Remember that you may capture citations from even Web pages. In the end, you will have a rich collection with several articles you can use for your own writing

Writing strategy

Zotero is not just a great software for managing references, It is a great writing tool. Here is my current writing approach. It is called the Scaffolded literature-synthesis writing:

Scaffolded literature-synthesis writing

  1. Find an article or work closest to the sections or subsections you would like to cover. This will be your scaffold. This will be your outline. It will evolve as you continue to find new material; In the end, your article may evolve to be very different from the initially planned outline
  2. Create a new "Collection" in the Zotero library you are going to use.
  3. Create a new standalone note within this collection.
  4. This standalone note will be your Draft zero. This is where we will put all the quotes from the literature we find. We may rephrase here itself or the word processor. I prefer to rephrase in Zotero itself, because I may need to change the sections and subsections after I rephrase, and managing text is easier here at this stage. Also, learn basic markdown (a 5- minute job) to take effective notes.
  5. Take the sections, and subsections from your scaffold paper. These will evolve as we read more. Precede sections with single hash (#), and a space and subsections with double hash (##) and a space, and so on. You can go really granular with you section > subsection > subsubsection
  6. To use this method effectively in Zotero, double-click on one of the reference with a PDF attached. This will open the PDF in Zotero itself, and allow us to add annotations (highlights and notes) to the main notes.
  7. Now, we will find the text we can use. Suppose, we are looking for material for Introduction.
  8. First, within the main (Draft zero) note, keep your cursor where your content needs to go.
  9. Open the PDF window (on Zotero, that you opened on step 6)
  10. Highlight the part of the article you are interested in.
  11. Simply drag it to the note, where you need it placed.
  12. To move around this quote, you may drag the small dots besides each of the paragraph in the notes.
  13. In case you need to cite an abstract-only article, simply copy and paste the text in the main note text. Then, right-click on the reference entry in Zotero and click "Generate Bibliography from item".
  14. Click on the citation style you want, check Bibliography, and also check "Copy to clipboard", then OK
  15. Paste it within the main note, to preserve the provenance. Ensure whatever is being pasted verbatim stays in quotes, along with the reference.
  16. What you did till now is simply quotation-capture. Now is the time to write, and synthesize your writing from the quotes you have collected