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Zotero

An in-depth guide to using Zotero.

Step 1: Download an Annotated style

There are currently 2 annotated styles available from the Zotero Style Repository: APA and Chicago. 

Add the desired style to Zotero by clicking on the link and adding to Zotero. Make sure you have Zotero open on your computer.

The steps to create a bibliography vary for each style, so follow the subsequent instructions based on your style.

Step 2: Annotate your references in Zotero

APA

NOTE: The APA annotated style pulls its annotation information from the Abstract field. So, you must delete the original Abstract text in order to add your annotation. (If you're worried about deleting the abstract, you can still see the text of the abstract in the PDF attachment of the article.)

  1. Replace the text that appears in your Abstract field with your annotation.

Chicago

1. Select a citation to annotate by clicking on it.

2. Type in the text of you annotation in the "Extra" field.

Step 3: Select the citations to include in the annotated bibliography

This step is the same for both APA and Chicago style.

  1. Select the citations you'd like to include in your annotated bibliography.
  2. Right click and choose "Create Bibliography from Items."

Alternatively, if all of the citations you need to include in your bibliography are in one Collection, simply right-click on the Collection name and choose the Create Bibliography  from Collection:

Step 4: Export the bibliography from Zotero

APA

Select the "American Psychological Association 6th edition (annotated ...)" option from the pop-up box. Choose Bibliography as the Output Mode and the RTF output method. (NOTE: the Copy to Clipboard method does not work well with the annotated bibliography styles). Press OK.

Chicago

Select the "Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition (note, annotated bibli...)" option from the pop-up box. Choose Bibliography as the Output Mode and the RTF output method. (NOTE: the Copy to Clipboard method does not work well with the annotated bibliography styles). Press OK.

Step 5: Final bibliography

APA

Below is the final product. Please note that your instructor may require a different format than that automatically created by Zotero. As this APA blog post mentions, the style manual itself is silent on annotated bibliography format. 

Chicago

Below is the final product. Please note that your instructor may require a different format than that automatically created by Zotero. 

Credit

This page was adapted from Erin Mooney's Emory University Library's Zotero guide.