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Zotero - English

Guide to Zotero for students at BI Norwegian Business School

Video: How to add references to Zotero

Add a reference to a webpage

The easiest way to import references to Zotero is using the the Zotero button (Connector) in your browser.

The icon changes dependent on your browser and what you're trying to import:  

  • several references from a result list
  • journal article
  • web page
  • book 
  • PDF 
  • encyclopedia

 

1. Go to the web page you would like to import and click the Zotero button. This example shows the web page "Sustainability" from Equinor.

                                                                                                               

2. Always take a look at the imported reference to see if all information needed has been imported. Metadata from web pages are often insufficient and you may have to correct the information manually. To see what information is needed when saving a reference to a web page, have a look at our Comprehensive guide to APA 7th edition.                                                                                                                                                              

Oria

Oria gives you an overview of articles and books available in Norwegian libraries, and it's possible to import references to Zotero.

  1. Go to Oria.
  2. Perform a search. We have searched for the subject "Open innovation" in this example. 
  3. Click the Zotero button, which now looks like a folder. A list with tiles will appear, and you may choose which references to import. If you search for a specific book or article, you do the same thing. The only difference is that the Zotero button now looks like a book. The reference will be automatically added to Zotero when you click on the book icon.  
  4. Choose the references you want to save, here the two first references, and click OK.  

                                         

    5. Go to Zotero to check that the item type is correct, and that you have all the information needed in the reference.  

Google Scholar

  1. Go to Google Scholar and perform a search. We have searched for "Product innovation management" in this example. 
  2. Click the Zotero button which should now look like this:(this means that you can choose references from a result list). 
  3. Choose the references you want to save and click OK.                                                    
  4. Go to Zotero to check that the item type is correct for all references, and that you have all the information needed for all references.

Library Databases - Business Source Complete, Web of Science, and Idunn

The library subscribes to a number of article databases and it's possible to import references from these to Zotero. Here are some of our most used databases:

Click the Zotero button in your browser to add references. The icon changes dependent on what you're trying to import:

  • several references from a result list
  • journal article
  • web page
  • book 
  • PDF 
  • encyclopedia

Take a look at the appearance of the Zotero button when you want to import a reference. Not all databases support saving several references at the same time. If this is the case, you must import one reference at a time.

 

Adding references from the reading list - Talis

1. Open Zotero.

2. Search for the reading list for the course you want to add references from. You find the reading lists for all courses here: http://readinglist.bi.edu/index.html.

3. Choose "View & Export" and then "RIS".

 

4. Click OK when this dialogue box appears:

 

5. Voila, then you have added all your course readings to your Zotero collection. 

 

Adding a reference manually

If you can't find a source in any database or on the Internet, you could add references manually.

  1. Open Zotero and click the green plus-icon.
  2. Choose the type of source you want to add, for example book, journal article, etc.
  3. Fill in the mandatory fields. The fields necessary change according to the item type. Find more info on the library's web pages about citing and referencing.

 

You can also add references by using DOI or ISBN.

  1. Click on the "Magic wand".
  2. Fill in the identificator, for instance a DOI.
  3. Zotero will now make a reference based on the DOI.
  4. Check the reference to see if it has all the needed information.

Adding a PDF from your computer

PDFs saved on your computer can be added with a reference in Zotero by dragging the file in to Zotero.

Zotero will try to retrieve metadata from the file automatically and add the information to the reference. You can also right-click the reference and choose "Retrieve metadata" if this doesn't happen automatically. 

It might be easier and quicker to add the reference by using a DOI if Zotero is unable to retrieve metadata, if the PDF is e.g. a research article with a DOI. Right-click and choose "Add attachment" and "Attach Stored Copy of File" to add the PDF.

 

PDFs without metadata

If Zotero cannot retrieve metadata from the PDF, you could insert metadata manually in this way:

  1. Right-click on the PDF and choose "Create Parent Item".


     
  2. Choose "Manual Entry".


     
  3. Insert information about the document.

 

Add PDF to an existing reference

If you have a PDF on your computer and want to add it to an existing reference in Zotero, you can drag it in to Zotero and drop it over the reference. The same can be done with other types of files that you have stored on your computer, e.g. Word documents.

Video: Adding references to Zotero