When adding sources, always ensure your Zotero desktop application is open. Otherwise, the program and connector will not be able to recognize the commands. Zotero allows you to add source information and files from the library catalog, using the connectors, via a source's identifier, and via manual entry.
You can add sources by using the Zotero connector, entering the information in manually, or using the source's identifier. See the other boxes for specific instructions.
From the source webpage, click the Zotero Connector from your browser's extension menu
Select My Library or a specific folder to add the item and any related files (e.g. PDF) to your accounts
In your Zotero library, select the Identifier tool in your Tools ribbon. It looks like a magic wand.
Then paste in an appropriate identifier and hit enter.
See the box below for a cheat sheet of eligible Identifier IDs
Zotero will auto-populate metadata from the source's ID but still double-check the information for accuracy.
Note: it does NOT locate and add files like PDFs, etc.
Types of identifiers:
ISBN: International Standard Book Number
The unique commercial codes given to books
Usually begin with "978" and can be found on the internal copyright page or next to the cover's barcode
URL: Uniform Resource Locator
Commonly known as the "web address"
DOI: Digital Object Identifier
Given to journal articles or data sets
Commonly found under header information on a journal article page or at the end of a citation
Example: DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/ac7342 (enter the number only)
PMID: PubMed Identifier
Similar to the DOI, this is assigned to articles and data sets by PubMed (an engine maintained by the National Institute of Health)
Example: PMID: 33126180 (enter the number only)
Similar to DOI/PMID, this is assigned to articles by arXiv which is an open-access repository of articles.
Example: arXiv: 2308.03804 (enter the number only)