Subject Guides: Zotero Citation Management Tool: Adding Items to Zotero

Adding Items to Zotero

When searching the NIC Library databases, you may see a yellow banner asking if you wish to redirect through ezproxy.nic.bc.ca:2443. Click Accept and Add Proxy.

Zotero automatically redirected your request to search.ebscohost.com through the proxy at ezproxy.nic.bc.ca:2443

It is most straightforward to open Zotero prior to starting your search.

Search the NIC Library databases:

ADD items of interest to your FOLDER
Go to FOLDER VIEW
Select all the items to EXPORT
Select Direct Export in RIS Format (includes Zotero)
Click Save
A pop-up will appear in the top-right of your browser
Select the Collection of your choice, or, save in the general My Library
If you save in the general My Library, items will be filed in the Unfiled Items folder
You can then create a new Collection and move the item(s) to your new Collection
- In some cases, you may be prompted to "import the file delivery.ris?"
  - Click OK
  - These items will go into a Zotero folder entitled "delivery(#)"
  - You can create a new Collection for them or move them to an existing Collection
  - If this does not work, then open Zotero and go back to export your items.

Lots more help at: ADDING ITEMS TO ZOTERO

Do a search in your browser of choice.
From your results, choose the webpage of interest.
To save to Zotero use the Zotero save icon at the top right of your browser.
It will look something like one of these two images:

Start your search at https://scholar.google.ca/

From your search results list, click the Quotes/"Cite button.
Select the citation style that meets your needs.
Choose the RefMan option.
On the Zotero pop-up window at the top right of your browser, click Open.
Zotero will automatically add the source to your Zotero Library or say "OK" to import.
If you do not yet have a Collection title for your item(s), save it in My Library.
1. When you then go into Zotero it will be in your Unfiled Items folder.
2. Move it from Unfiled to the Collection of your choice.
Always check the "Item Type" for each record to ensure you will create a reference for the correct type of item (e.g. journal article, book)

Click the green “New Item” () button at the top of the middle pane.
Select the desired ItemType from the drop-down menu (e.g. book, document, journal article, etc).
An empty item of the selected item type will appear in the right-hand column.
Manually enter the item's details (title, author, date, etc).
- Note: webpage is not provided as an option in the drop-down menu because if the item you are adding is a webpage, it is more reliable to add it directly from the web browser by using the Save to Zotero at the top right of your screen.

Note: If you really want to create a webpage item by hand, you can create an empty item of another type and switch the item type to Web Page in the right-hand pane

To add documents such as PDFs or Word documents to Zotero:

Click on the title of the item.
Click on the small paperclip item at the top.
Select “Attach Stored Copy.”
Select the PDF or Word file to attach.

A small icon will appear to right of the Zotero record in the centre pane.

OR, you can DRAG and DROP a document into your Zotero record.

COOL TIP: to quickly find a PDF for a record:

Go to a specific Collection
Ctrl-A to highlight all items
Right-click and select Find Available PDFs
- Note: this searches the URL field in your records and therefore only finds PDFs available in the Library databases. If you have records from other sources such as Google Scholar, you can add the URL or PDF manually. This "quick find" does not search your local files for documents.

If you do not have a Zotero record for an item you wish to attach, you can manually create a new (brief) record and then attach the PDF or other document by following the steps above.

*Note that the URL included in your Zotero record usually provides a link to full-text documents which were found in the Library databases. Items found via Google Scholar or other sources may not have a URL in the Zotero record. You can add the URL manually.