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Citation Managers: Adding Sources

Resources for using Citation Management Tools to organize and cite research.

Adding Sources

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.

Zotero Connector

  1. From the source webpage, click the Zotero Connector from your browser's extension menu​

    • Chrome tool bar with a red circle around the extensions icon and a red arrow point to Zotero connector

  2. Select My Library or a specific folder to add the item and any related files (e.g. PDF) to your accounts​

Manual Entry

  1. In your Zotero library, select the New Item tool in your Tools ribbon. It looks like a plus sign​.
    • Zotero library task bar with green add item icon in a red box with a red arrow pointing at it
  2. Select the type of source or click "More" for an extended source list (ex. Interview) then enter the information in the form that pops up. Complete as many of the fields as you can for a thorough citation.​
    • Note: Zotero will use this to generate a citation so be sure to check your spelling, sentence case, and punctuation​
  3. A file (e.g. PDF) will need to be added separately, if relevant.​
    • This can be done at any time by dragging a file to the parent file 

Source Identifier

  1. In your Zotero library, select the Identifier tool in your Tools ribbon. It looks like a magic wand.

    • Zotero library task bar with wand icon in a purple box with a purple arrow pointing at it

  2. Then paste in an appropriate identifier and hit enter.​

  • See the box below for a cheat sheet of eligible Identifier IDs​

  1. 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.​

Source Identifiers

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)

  • arXiv​

    • 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)