There are 3 main ways to add items into your Zotero library:

• Using the browser connector (the icon will change depending on what source type is detected, with a folder icon for multiple items)
• Using the ‘Wand’ option to add by ISBN or DOI
• Manually adding items

Whichever way you add an item into Zotero, it is important to check that everything has come through correctly. It is recommended that you check all the information as soon as you add an item into Zotero, whilst you have all of the information to hand. 

Adding with the browser connector

The browser connector is a plug-in that connects your web browser with Zotero. The icon changes based on the item type that is being recognised by Zotero. 

From the item you would like to add, simply click the icon to add it to your library. You can add everything from books in iDiscover, journal articles found in databases, entire webpages, blog posts, and many more!

When you click on the icon, the connector will automatically save your item into the last collection that you had open in Zotero. You can can change this by clicking on the down arrow within the dialogue box then 'more' to show more collections. You can then add it into any one of your collections in your library.

It is important to check that the item type is correct. If necessary, edit by clicking on the item type and selecting from the list,  you may then need to add additional information to your record.

Adding with the 'Wand' option

When you know the ISBN of a book or the DOI of an item, the quickest way to add this source to Zotero is via the 'wand' option. 

In some cases Zotero will not be able to find a match. You will then need to search for the item online or enter the details manually.

Manually adding items
Click on the green plus icon to add an item manually, then select the relevant item type (click on 'More' to get the full list).

Remember to consult the relevant page of our Referencing Guide to check which components are needed for each item type, to ensure that you complete all the relevant sections of the bibliographic template (right hand side of the entry in your Zotero library).

 

Common errors

Additional information added to the bibliographic detail section:

Each section should only contain the specific information in the section title, therefore you may need to remove any unwanted information that may have been added (e.g. author information in the title section, place of publication or dates in the publisher section).

Incorrect formatting of elements:

Role for the creator of the work

You can change the information category for the elements of your reference, for example the role of the creator.

Check that the role you need to enter is correct, for example the author heading may need to be changed to an editor heading. Another common formatting error is the surname and forename/initials appearing in the same box.

 

Item type

The Item type may need to be changed if it does not accurately describe the source. Click on the 'Item type' then select the relevant type from the list.

 

Capitalisation 

Titles often come across in capitals, to change this to sentence case, right click on the title within the right hand column and then select 'sentence case'.

 

Guidance from the Zotero help pages

• Adding items to Zotero
• Adding existing PDFs

Top Tip

Remember to consult the relevant page of our Referencing Guide to check which components are needed for each source type and how to format them.

By far the quickest and most accurate way to add a book/ebook into your Zotero library is to find the ISBN. If you don't have the book in front of you, search iDiscover to find the ISBN.

You can add an ISBN into Zotero through the 'wand' option (second icon in middle toolbar).

The wand option won't work for all ISBNs. If Zotero doesn’t recognise your ISBN, try to find the book record in iDiscover and from here you can add the book into your Zotero library using the browser connector (the icon will change to a blue book or a yellow folder if multiple items are detected). 

Ebooks

Add the URL to the URL field to convert the record into an ebook. The permalink from iDiscover is the recommended URL to use, as it has no access restrictions to view the record.

Adding Books/Ebooks/Chapters in books - Video tutorial: 

Add a separate entry for a chapter(s) if the chapter(s) has a named author(s). This is the case for both edited and authored books.

The easiest way to add a book chapter is to add the book itself as a whole and then create a 'book section', which is Zotero’s term for a book chapter.

Ensure you check the book record to make sure that you have an accurate record to work with before creating your 'book section'.

To create a book section from a book, right click on the book record then click 'Create Book Section' (the book section record will be at the bottom of the list of sources. There will be some extra fields to complete and the icon will change to an open book to indicate it is a book section). 
 

There will be some extra fields that come up that need to be filled in.
 

 

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Extra fields:

• Title: this needs to be the title of the book chapter *not* the title of the book
• Author of chapter: provide an author for the chapter, even if the author of the chapter is the same as one of the authors or editors of the book (click the plus symbol at the end of the row in the author field and change role to 'author')
• Page numbers: enter the page range
• Ebook: remember to add the URL

Quick entry via the 'Wand' option using the doi

You can add an article via the doi using the wand option (second icon in middle toolbar), however no PDF will be attached to this record. This is useful when adding articles from a list of references without searching for each one individually on a database.

Article with the PDF attached

When adding articles from databases using the browser connector, Zotero will automatically download the full-text PDF if it is available.

If the PDF does not come across from the record page (on the database results list) then you will need to navigate to the article itself and then click on the browser connector at that point (the icon is a white piece of paper with lines on for an article).

The browser connector will tell you whether Zotero has detected a PDF or if it is bringing in the link to a database record when you click on the icon.
 

Link to database record when using the connector from the results list

 

PDF included from the article page:

 

 

Adding articles - Video tutorial

Selecting the correct item type

The Browser connector will not always detect the correct item type and will often save a source as a website when another more appropriate item type needs to be selected (blog post, report etc). 

Click on the item type (in the right hand column) and select from the options in the drop down menu.

Top Tip

Remember to consult the relevant page of our Referencing Guide to check which components are needed for each source type and how to format them.

Social Media posts

Please see our help sheet below for more detailed guidance on adding social media sources into Zotero.

If you already have a PDF, drag and drop this into the middle pane of your Zotero library and Zotero will create a bibliographic record and save your PDF. Remember to check these details for errors.

This may not work for all PDFs. If it doesn’t, you will need to search for the item elsewhere online and add it using the browser connector. The icon will be a white sheet of paper with lines on it for an article or a blue sheet with 2 lines at the bottom for a website. You will then need to check the source type and change it accordingly in Zotero; for example change to a blog, report etc. 

PDFs can also be added to existing items in your Zotero library using the drag and drop option and positioning the cursor on the relevant item in the middle pane.

Adding PDFs - Video tutorial 

Sources that you have not accessed online may need to be added manually. As always, remember to consult the relevant page of the Referencing Guide to check which components are needed for each item type, to ensure that you complete all of the relevant sections of the bibliographic template (right hand side of the entry in your Zotero library).

One such source would be photographs or art work that you have viewed (if you have accessed these online you can use the browser extension and change the item type as needed).

See our help sheet below for more detailed guidance on adding these sources into Zotero.

For republished works (in APA 7th) you will need to provide the original publication date as well as the republication date (the date for the source you are using). 
For your reference list provide the year of original publication at the end of the reference in round brackets with the prefix 'Original work published'
For your in-text citation both publication dates appear, with the earlier year first, separated with a slash.

Zotero will format this for you by adding Original-date: YYYY in the Extra column

Reference list: Brontë, C. (1999). Jane Eyre. Wordsworth.(Original work published 1847)

In-text: 

Parenthetical citation: (Brontë,1847/1999) 

Narrative citation: Brontë (1847/1999)