There are two ways to cite references using Zotero: Quick-Citing and the Word Plug-In
Word Plug-In
This Zotero feature requires Microsoft Word (if the computer you are using does not have Word installed, skip to Quick-Citing below)
- Open Word, or restart Word
- Once you install Zotero, the Word Plug-in will cite automatically)
- Locate the plug-in in Microsoft Word
- Look for a toolbar, similar to the ones below
- Depending on your version of Microsoft Word, this might be in different places—look either under Add-Ins, under Tools, or for a small pop-up window


- Start citing
- Create an in-text citation using the insert citation button [#1 in figure above]
- Select a citation style
- Search or select the citation in your Zotero Library
- Generate a bibliography [#2 in figure above] (this requires at least one in-text citation)
- To change the style you cited in, click on the Doc Preferences [#3 above]
- If you need additional styles you can download them at the Zotero Style Repository: https://www.zotero.org/styles
Quick-Citing
- Right-click or Control click on a source in your Zotero Library (use shift to select multiple sources)
- Select “Create a Bibliography from Item” from the drop-down list
- To create an in-text citation, use the Citations output
- To create a reference list, select the Bibliography output
- Choose an output method (Copy to Clipboard is easiest for pasting directly into a document)
- Paste into a document or open the document (if output was RTF or HTML)
ZoteroBib
ZoteroBib is a interactive web tool that lets you create citations using a title, URL, ISBN, DOI or other identifiers to create citations and bibliographies.
Go to zbib.org to use the tool.