Zotero is an Open-Source reference manager that allows you to manage, read, share, annotate and cite your research papers.
Zotero has online, desktop and mobile app versions. This guide to the Desktop version will take you through the installation process and building and organising your library, as well as selecting different referencing styles. See the official guidance on setting up Zotero, and how it works on different platforms before using this guide.
You can choose to back up your data and files to the Zotero server, or to the cloud, e.g. Onedrive, Dropbox, Google drive. There is no limit to the amount of bibliographic data you can store but if you store PDFs and other files Zotero has 300MB of free storage and you can buy additional storage for $20 a year.
If using your own device: Go to Zotero and select Login to register for a free account and then download Zotero.
If using a staff or university device: Go to Zotero and select Login to register for a free account. Contact IT service desk and ask them to help you install Zotero on your device. You will need your computer tag number to do this (see the Leeds Beckett sticker on your computer).
If you are using a Mac issued as a staff device you currently cannot use Zotero but we are working to change this soon in 2024.
After downloading:
