Setting up Zotero properly is very important - if you don't do it you may not get te full value of this great research tool. You can find the official Zotero information on setting up your preferences here, but the instructions below may be helpful as well. Note the information on Zotero's hidden preferences.
Here is a one-hour video I did for WSU's Global Campus Connections in 2017 that walks you through the process for Firefox (you can skip around to the parts that are most useful for you, but it includes the basics of setting up your Zotero preferences and getting items (books, articles, etc.) into your Zotero library.
Although the recent update to Zotero 5.X eliminated the embedded-in-Firefox-browser version of Zotero in favor of a standalone application for Firefox, Safari and Chrome, the settings I show in this video are more or less the same, however I will be updating it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTCdsB5iSRw
12/17 Note: this page and associated tabs has not been updated for Zotero 5.X. Most of this still works, but there are some changes - I will be updating this page. Most of the rest of this library guide has been updated.
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Correctly setting up your Zotero preferences is the most important part of Zotero. The nice thing about that is once done, you rarely have to worry about them and you can focus on actually using Zotero!
To set up your preferences, click on Edit in the Zotero tool bar and select Preferences. A small separate window with a number of icons will open. You do not need to click on OK until you are finished setting your preferences (Mac uses will not see a OK button; you can just close the window and your preferences will be saved). Look below to see my suggested preference settings for each preference icon. |
For more information about General preferences, see _____
For more info
Annotated screenshot coming soon, but install the PDF Indexing application by clicking on the broad bar in the middle of the screen.
Annotated screenshot coming, but this where you select your default style (you can change it at any time, both within Zotero and also in the Microsoft Word/Open Office plug-ins). If you drag a citation out of the Zotero window into a blog post, email, Google Doc, Word document, etc, it will be formated in the default style. As noted below, the version you are using might not be the most up-to-date; to check on its date, update it, or add a default style that is not on the list of styles, see below.
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UPDATE: ZOTERO IS AUTOMATICALLY UPDATING STYLES NOW SO YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO CHECK TO SEE IF THERE IS AN UPDATED VERSION
UPDATE: ZOTERO IS AUTOMATICALLY UPDATING STYLES NOW SO YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO CHECK TO SEE IF THERE IS AN UPDATED VERSION
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Under the Files and Folders tab:
Backing up your Zotero folder (if the image is too small, you can right-click on it to open it at a larger size in another tab)
For more on this, see the Zotero documentation on Backing Up and Restoring your Zotero Library (note the importance of making sure your Zotero instance is closed when you copy and back up files...)
Under the General Tab:
Open URL
Type in the URL below - be sure not to make any mistakes! If you leave WSU, you will need to get the resolver for your new institution (talk to your librarian). WSU Vancouver students - you have your own resolver, and your own How to Use Zoter library guide (link forthcoming).
Miscellaneous (Editing Citation Styles)
tba...
See the Home tab in this guide for a schedule of classes