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Zotero: Bibliographies

This guide was created to support the TAMU-CC community and serve as a resource for information about the Zotero citation management tool.

How to Create Bibliographies in Zotero

This image depicts the Zotero logo. There are two ways to create bibliographies in Zotero.

  • Create a Quick Bibliography from a list or selected citations in your library
  • Install a plug-in for Word or your word processing program that integrates Zotero so you can write your paper and add citations while you are writing it. 

Zotero comes pre=loaded with the most common bibliographic styles, but many more are available to download.

Creating Bibliographies & Adding Additional Styles

It's easy to create a bibliography from your Zotero library.

Select the references or collections you want to include. Hold the control key and click to select multiple items. Right-click one of the selected items and choose Create Bibliography.

This image depicts the menu generated when a user clicks on an individual folder in their Zotero library. Use the Create Bibliography from Collection choice to create a bibliography from a folder.

Choose the bibliographic style you want, select Copy to Clipboard, click OK and paste into your word processor.

This image shows the next screen that appears in the process of creating a bibliography from a Zotero library folder. Choose the citation style that is desired, output mode, and method, then click on OK.

This method works with any word processor (or anywhere you can paste text).

 

​Zotero offers word processing plugins for Microsoft Word and other word processing programs. The plugin adds a Zotero toolbar to your word processor that allows you to add citations to your document while you write. Look for the Zotero tab in Word and then once you open it up, look to the left corner under "File" to find the buttons for adding citations and bibliographies to your paper. 

This image shows what the Zotero plug in looks like in Microsoft Word. An additional set of menu items on the ribbon will appear, labelled Zotero. Click on Add/Edit Citation to add in-line citations.

To add a citation, click the first button ("Add/Edit Citation") on the toolbar. Search for the reference you want to cite and press Enter. Zotero will add the citation at your cursor.

This image shows how a Zotero citation search bar will appear in the word document you are editing, and allow you to choose from various citations in your library to add the in-text citations to your paper.
 

At the end of your paper, click the "Insert Bibliography" button. Your bibliography will appear, and new citations will be added automatically.
 

Click on Add/Edit Bibliography to create a bibliography at the end of your paper incorporating the in-text citations you have added to your text. This image shows what a Zotero-generated bibliography looks like in a word document.


Change bibliographic styles with the "Document Preferences" button.

Use the Document Preferences choice on the Word Zotero menu to change citation styles.

The toolbar looks different on different operating systems and versions of Word. Mousing over the toolbar will pop up each button's function if they're not clearly labeled.

Zotero comes with the most common bibliographic styles, but many more are available to download.

To install a style:

  1. Go to the Zotero Style Repository page.
  2. Search for the name of the style you need.
  3. Download the style (right-click the Install link and choose Save As).
  4. Open Zotero preferences. Click Cite, then Styles, then the "+" button, and select the style you downloaded (a .CSL file).

The new style will appear in Zotero's style lists. This is what the page looks like:

This image is a screenshot of the Zotero Style Repository and Style search menu that can be used to download and install specific bibliographic styles.