Background at a Glance

A quick overview of citations, citation managers, Zotero, and citation styles

What’s in this deck

A quick tour of the three chapters that make up the Background section of the Introduction to Zotero tutorial:

  1. Zotero Basics — citations, citation managers, and why Zotero
  2. Zotero Usage — creating a library, adding references, and citing
  3. Citation Style Language — how citation styles work under the hood

Navigate with the arrow keys or the on-screen controls.

Why cite?

  • A citation is a reference to a source used in your research.
  • Citations give credit to the original author and let readers locate the source.
  • In-text citations (usually author and year) are paired with a bibliography or reference list of full details at the end of the work.
  • Citation formatting varies by style: there are at least 8,000 styles in use.

Citation managers

Citation managers are software that organize your research and automate citations and bibliographies. Typical features:

  • Organize references into folders or collections
  • Import references from databases, websites, and PDFs
  • Generate citations and bibliographies in many styles
  • Integrate with word processors and editors

Popular options include RefWorks, Mendeley, and EndNote (often paid). This tutorial focuses on a free alternative: Zotero.

Why Zotero?

  • Free and open source, with the same core features as its competitors.
  • Fully transportable library: you can export and import your references freely, with no lock-in.
  • Available as a desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux), a browser connector (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge), a web library (300 MB free storage), and an iOS app.
  • Extras: group libraries for collaboration, an active plugin community, and integration with Word, LibreOffice, Google Docs, and RStudio.

Getting started

Download the two core pieces from zotero.org/download:

  1. The Zotero desktop application
  2. The Zotero Connector browser extension

The Zotero website automatically detects your operating system and browser and shows the right downloads.

Using Zotero: three core workflows

The Zotero Usage chapter is built around three tasks:

  1. Create a library — organize references into collections (folders) and tag them.
  2. Add references — bring items in from the web, by hand, or from files.
  3. Cite in documents — insert citations and bibliographies into your writing.

Your Zotero library works like a file system: collections keep things tidy, and tags make references easy to find later.

Adding references to your library

Four main routes:

  • Zotero Connector (preferred): one-click save from your browser. When possible it downloads the PDF; otherwise it saves a snapshot of the page.
  • Manual entry: click “New Item”, choose a reference type, and type in the metadata.
  • Import: drag-and-drop or clipboard import of BibTeX, RIS, or EndNote XML files.
  • By identifier: enter a DOI, ISBN, or PMID and Zotero fetches the reference.

Citing and creating bibliographies

  • Zotero installs plugins for word processors like Word and LibreOffice so you can insert citations directly.
  • “Create Bibliography from Collection” generates a bibliography in any installed style and output format.
  • For editors without a plugin (like Quarto), export a BibTeX .bib file and reference it from your document.

Full instructions for Word and Quarto appear in the Integrating Zotero section.

Citation Style Language (CSL)

  • CSL is an XML-based, open format for describing citation and bibliography styles.
  • Zotero uses CSL files to format references
  • A CSL style file defines:
    • metadata — style title, author, version
    • citation rules — how in-text citations look
    • bibliography rules — how the reference list looks

You don’t need to read XML to use CSL styles, only to create or modify your own.

One article, many styles

The same source looks different depending on the style chosen (here, author names and dates):

  • MLA: Horst, Allison M., Alison Presmanes Hill, and Kristen B. Gorman. … R Journal 14.1 (2022).
  • APA: Horst, A. M., Hill, A. P., & Gorman, K. B. (2022). … R Journal, 14(1).
  • Harvard: Horst, A.M., Hill, A.P. and Gorman, K.B., 2022. … R Journal, 14(1).
  • Vancouver: Horst AM, Hill AP, Gorman KB. … R Journal. 2022 Mar 1;14(1).

CSL styles in Zotero

  • Zotero ships with popular styles pre-loaded: APA, Chicago, Nature, Vancouver, and more.
  • The Zotero Style Repository hosts over 8,000 free styles.
  • Add a style by dragging and dropping a downloaded .csl file onto Zotero, or via “Get additional styles” in Zotero’s settings.
  • In word processors you may need to restart the app; in RStudio or Quarto you copy the .csl file into your project.

Worth knowing

Other Zotero features you may use along the way:

  • Organizing: collections, subcollections, and tags.
  • Collaboration: public or private group libraries.
  • Notetaking: notes attached to references, plus quoting from PDFs with citations included automatically.

For tips on library organization and workflows, see the Best Practices chapter.

Inserting Zotero Citations in Quarto

  • RStudio, Quarto, and Zotero all play nicely together.
  • You can insert Zotero citations in Quarto documents using the @ syntax and a BibTeX .bib file exported from Zotero.
  • Inline citation and bibliography formatting is handled for you!

Where to go next