Virgilio Data Science

# Index

# Installation

Zotero tool was originally an extension for the Firefox (opens new window) browser which has since been adapted for Chrome (opens new window) and Opera (opens new window) as well as in a standalone version for Windows (opens new window), OS (opens new window) and Linux (opens new window).

# Windows

Launch the setup program that you have downloaded.

# OS

After opening the .dmg file that you have downloaded, drop Zotero in the Applications folder. You can then launch Zotero from Spotlight, Launchpad or the Applications folder, and add it to your Dock like any other program.

# Linux

To start Zotero, download the tarball, unzip it and open Zotero from the repository.

After installation, make sure you also install a Zotero connector suitable for your browser.

# Features

The strength of Zotero lies in its many options for classifying saved pages or sections, in which you can add keywords as well as a category (article, blog post, book chapter...). It is also possible to highlight sentences and add annotations as a note on pages. A dynamic search engine (the results are displayed as you type) is finally on board. The tool is relatively easy to learn and use in relation to its capabilities, and has become a classic used in many universities, engineering schools and research centres.

# Add references into your bibliography

There are many hundreds of sites and databases that are compatible with Zotero, and this number is steadily increasing. In order to check if the website you are visiting is Zotero compatible, you just have to verify the presence of one of the Zotero icons in the browser's address bar. In practical terms, there are several ways and options for adding bibliographic references:

# Automatic insertion

Once a website is compatible, in order to add a reference in your bibliography, you just have to click on the icon in the address bar:

  • If you are on the page dedicated to the resource notice: Zotero will then import this notice into your bibliography;
  • If you are on a page that displays a list of resources (menu, search result, etc.), Zotero will then suggest that you select, from all the resources listed on the page, the one(s) you want to import into your bibliography

# Manual insertion

It is possible that you may want to import references into Zotero that are not available on compatible sites. In order to do this, you will have to fill in the various fields yourself and create a record manually. Afterwards, you must create an empty record and fill in the fields, then select the type of document among those proposed. Finally, all you have to do is fill in the fields.

# Tips and Tricks

A few tips and tricks as well as some small options not developed in this guide.

  • If you want to know to which collection(s) a reference belongs, select it in the middle column and press Crtl (PC) or Alt (Mac). Collections containing this reference are then highlighted in yellow;
  • If you perform the handling described above by holding down the Shift button, you will generate a citation instead of a bibliography;
  • You can generate a chronology of your collections or library via the tool menu (gear icon) Create a chronology;
  • You can generate a report of one or more references by right-clicking and then Generate a report. It is an html page that you can then save, print, convert to pdf and so on.

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