Zotero: Saving Things to Zotero

You can create an item from any webpage by clicking the save button in the browser toolbar.  Sometimes Zotero can't recognize the type of resource you are viewing in your web browser. Even if Zotero can't automatically capture citation info from a certain web pages, you can still add the webpage to your library.  

For more information:

Saving Webpages in Zotero

Zotero can add items automatically using ISBN number, Digital Object Identifier (DOI), and PubMed ID. Follow the instructions below to save by any of these identifiers.

1. Open Zotero 
2. Click the "Add Item by Identifier" button.  The button looks like a wand with a green/white plus sign icon. 
   • Tip: Press Shift+Enter to make the box larger.
3. Type the ID number and click "OK". You can also paste or enter a list of such identifiers at once

If you installed the Zotero Connector for Firefox, Safari or Chrome, you are able to save books, journal articles, web pages, etc. directly from your browser to your Zotero library. 

1. Be sure Zotero is open and running.
2. Depending on the extension and browser you are using, look for the icon extension to the left or right of your browser's address bar. 
3. Click on the extension icon to save the resource. 
4. In the upper right-hand corner of your web browser, a dialog box will pop up displaying the resource information.   
5. From the drop down menu, select the collection to which you want to save the resource.

To add resources manually, follow the steps below.

1. Open Zotero 
2. Click the "New Item" button–a green circle with a a white plus sign inside.  This will open a drop-down menu.
3. Select the appropriate item type. If you don't see the type you want, hover over "More," which will give you many more options.
4. You can then add metadata in the right column.

If you have a collection of previously downloaded PDFs on your computer, Zotero can help you add citation information for them.

To add PDFs to Zotero and find their metadata, use the following steps:

1. Open Zotero
2. Click the "New Item" button–a green circle with a a white plus sign inside.  This will open a drop-down menu
3. From the drop down menu, select "Store Copy of File."
4. Select your PDF and click 'Open.'
5. You will now see the PDF included in your Zotero library. Find it in your list of items, and right click it.
6. From the menu options, select "Retrieve Metadata for PDF." 
7. Zotero will search the web to attempt to find citation information for your document. You will see a dialog box where it indicates whether it has been successful. 
8. If the search is successful, you will see your PDF is now attached as part of a regular citation in your Zotero library. Repeat as needed to get all of your old PDFs included in your Zotero collection.

For more on how this process works, read Zotero's retrieve metadata guide.