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Useful features

Easy step-by-step Zotero guides from download to format citations for STM students.

How to Update your library in Zotero Application with PDF highlight & Note features

Note: If you need to see the screenshots in larger sizes, please click the screenshots. It will open up the magnified view.

Highlight Texts

  1. Save a PDF file resource to your Zotero library.
  2. Open the PDF file by double-clicking the item or by right-clicking the file, and then select "Open PDF."
  3. The PDF file will be opened in a new tab in the Zotero App.
  4. Highlight the texts you want to keep in your references. You can manually highlight texts by left-clicking and dragging the mouse or clicking the highlight icon highlight icon  in the menu bar. highlight pdf pdf highlighted
  5. Go back to your collection folder and find the PDF file you just added highlighted texts.
  6. Right-click on the title of the PDF file.
  7. You will see the menu options. add note from annotations
  8. Click “Add Note from Annotations.” 
  9. You will see the annotations are added to the item in your Zotero library. annotation foldersannotated note

 

Add Notes

Add Note from Zotero:

If you also want to add notes to the highlighted texts, follow the following steps.

  1. Click on the texts or click the “New Note” icon new note icon in the pdf  in the menu bar. add note icon
  2. Click the display note option icon. display note icon
  3. You will be able to add notes on the left-side panel. highlights and notes displayed
  4. Go back to your collection folder and find the PDF file you just added highlighted texts. annotations in separate notes
  5. Right-click on the title of the PDF file.
  6. You will see the menu options. 
  7. Click “Add Note from Annotations.” add notes from annotations
  8. You will see annotation files are added to your Zotero library.annotation notes with saved timestamps
  9. If you click one of the annotations files, you will see the note added to the annotated texts on the right-side panel. annotations displayed on the right panel

Edit Citations and Bibliographies


Zotero allows you to edit citations and bibliographies after you add them to your documents. The Zotero application should run on your computer.

For example, you have added a citation and a bibliography for St. Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, First Part (Prima Pars) in your assignment. 

To add or edit a citation and bibliography in your document, follow these steps:

Edit Citation:
  1. Click the Zotero menu.
  2. Put the cursor on the citation you want to edit. 
  3. Click the "Add/Edit Citation".
  4. The Zotero citation bar will appear, containing the existing citation. 
  5. Click the Zotero emblem on the left side of the bar to see the "Classic View" popup. 
  6. Click the Classic View to see the popup window, allowing you to change the default setting "Page" to other options. 
  7. Select one of the appropriate options for your source and click the "OK" button.
  8. Your citation and bibliography will then be updated. 
  9. If you want to add another item to the same citation, repeat the step #3 and #4.
  10. Add the new item to your citation. 
  11. Put the cursor on the new item in the Zotero bubble. You will see an edit popup for the newly added item.
  12. Change the "Page" to the other option, add the page number, and click the "Enter" button twice.
  13. Then you will see the citation has been updated with the new item. 

 

 

Edit Bibliography
  1. In the document, click the bibliography that you want to edit.
  2. Click the "Add/Edit Bibliography" from the Zotero menu. The Zotero popup bubble will appear to edit the bibliography. 
  3. Add more bibliographies to the right side panel by clicking the green arrow. 
  4. Click the "OK" button. 
  5. The newly added item will be added to your bibliographies.