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Citation Managers: Creating References

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

Cite While You Write - MS Word & Google Docs

Zotero embeds itself with MS Word and Google Docs so that you can quickly and easily add in-text citations as you write your paper and also formulate a Bibliography or Resource list when you have finished writing your paper with the click of a button. NOTE: ALWAYS double-check your Zotero generated in-text citations and bibliographies for spacing and formatting to make sure it is correct. 

Creating In-Text Citations & Bibliographies

Creating In-Text Citations

  1. When you would like to add an in-text citation, select the Zotero tool in the tool ribbon. Click the "Add/edit citation" button. (See red boxes in the images below)

  2. Your first use will prompt you to select citation style you want to use for your paper. ​

  3. Then the Zotero bar will appear. Search for the source via title, author, date, etc. or click on the black down arrow to select the source you want.​

    • Zotero source search bar which is rectangular with a red trim

    • NOTE: In Google Docs, the Zotero bar will first show up behind the Google window, so you will have to minimize the window to access the bar. 

  4. Zotero will automatically generate the in-text citation according to the citation style you chose.​

    • NOTE: Be sure to have the citation information correctly entered into Zotero, otherwise your in-text citations will be incorrect.

Creating Bibliographies or Resource Lists

  1. Select the "Add/edit bibliography" in the dropdown menu to automatically generate a bibliography or resource list of the sources you used in your paper. (See green boxes in the images below)​

Zotero menu in google docs with add/edit citation option in a red box and add/edit bibliography in a green box 

Zotero menu in MS Word with add/edit citation option in a red box and add/edit bibliography in a green box

Adding Citation Styles

Zotero has a default library of citation styles that are ready to be used (e.g. APA, MLA, and Chicago), but allows users to import additional styles within the desktop application.​

  1. Go to the Preferences menu (Windows: in Edit Menu and Apple: )​
  2. Select the "Cite" tab in the pop-up window​ (see purple arrow in image below)
  3. The popup window will list all styles already imported; use the plus and minus icons to customize your library​ (see red box in image below)
  4. To add further styles, select "Get additional styles" to populate a list​ (see green box in image below)
    • Note: You will have to do this for the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style for Life Sciences courses
    1. Scroll the A-Z list or search for the style name -  ​hovering over any style will give you a preview of in-text citations and bibliographies in that style​
    2. Select desired style to add it to your list. It should now be visible in the styles pane ​

Zotero citation styles list menu with multiple citations listed