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Zotero: Tips
and Tricks

Zotero is free, easy to use software that helps you save, manage, and cite research sources.

Find it @GSU and Zotero

You've probably seen the Find it @GSU button in some article databases that allows you to locate the full text of an article online. Zotero allows you to use the same feature.

To set up Zotero to access the Find it @GSU server, click the gear button on the Zotero toolbar, choose Preferences and select the Advanced tab. At the bottom of the preferences window, paste this url into the "Resolver" box:

http://galileo-usg-gsu-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/openurl/GSU/GSU_SP?

(Or if you're on campus at GSU, click the "Search for resolvers" button to enter this URL automatically.)

Then click OK. Once you've set this up, you can click the Locate button on any citation you're viewing to search for the item online.

Adding items by ISBN

Have the book in front of you and want to add it to your Zotero library without having to search for a citation?

If you have a book's ISBN, an online article's DOI or PMID number, just click the magic wand button: "Add item by identifier." Type in the book or article's number, and Zotero will automatically download its information and save it to your library.

Zotero + EndNote

EndNote and Zotero can both read and write a standard citation file format called RIS, which means references can be converted back and forth with a few clicks.

PDFs and other attachments do not export between programs, however; only citation information.

Zotero to EndNote

To save your Zotero library for importing into EndNote, click the "File" menu and choose "Export Library." Choose RIS as the file type and pick a filename.

In EndNote, click "File" and then "Import." Click the "Choose File" button and select the file you just exported from Zotero. Set Import Option to "Reference Manager (RIS)" and click Import.

EndNote to Zotero

To export your EndNote library for use in Zotero, click "File" and then "Export." Set the output style to "RefMan (RIS) Export" and save it as a text file.

In Zotero, "File" and then "Import." Just double-click the file you exported from EndNote. The new references will be added to a new collection.

Zotero + NVivo

To export a Zotero collection or library into NVivo:

  • Export the references in RIS format.
  • Open NVivo and import the saved RIS file.
  • Your PDF attachments will be imported into NVivo along with the references.
  • Need more help with NVivo?