Zotero plug-in for Word

When you install the Zotero desktop application and use it for the first time, it will also install relevant word processor plug-ins for the software that it supports, including Microsoft Word.

In Word, Zotero will appear as an item in the top menu.

To use the Zotero Word plug-in, Zotero desktop must be open in order for Word and Zotero to communicate.

If you click Add/Edit Citation in the Zotero Word plug-in, you will get a pop-up window from Zotero desktop (Zotero - Document Preferences) where you will be prompted to choose the citation style you wish to use to make your citation.

Then, a red search bar will appear from Zotero desktop prompting you to search for the source that you want to cite in Word. You can search by the source’s author or title.

You can also click into the citation to add a page number or omit the author name.

After you hit enter, the citation will populate in Word in the place where your cursor was when you clicked Add/Edit Citation in Word.

You can also click Add/Edit Bibliography in Word to generate a bibliography/reference list from the citations that you have entered in the Word document.

More information on using Zotero’s Word plug-in can be found here.

If the installer does not automatically work information on adding this manually can be found here.

Zotero plug-in for Google Docs

Zotero’s Google Docs plug-in is added as a tab to the Google Docs top menu when you install the Zotero Connector browser extension.

To use the Zotero Google Doc plug-in, Zotero desktop must be open in order for Google Docs and Zotero to communicate.

To enable this right click the Zotero Connector icon  and select Options. From Options navigate to the Advanced tab scroll down to Google Docs Integration and select Enable Google Docs Integration.

When you go to access Zotero through Google Docs for the first time you will be prompted to log into your MRU email account and grant Zotero access to make alterations to your documents, this enables Zotero to add and edit your citations.

To Add/Edit Citation using Zotero select Zotero from the top bar in Google Docs and select Add/Edit Citation. OR hold Ctrl+Alt+C.

After selecting Add/Edit Citation you will be prompted to choose the citation style you wish to use to make your citations. 

After which, a red search bar will appear from Zotero desktop prompting you to search for the source that you want to cite in Google Docs. You can search by the source’s author or title.

You can also click into the citation to add a page number or omit the author name.

After you hit enter, the citation will populate in Google Docs in the place where your cursor was when you clicked Add/edit citation in Google Docs.

You can also click Add/edit bibliography in Google Docs to generate a bibliography/reference list from the citations that you have entered in the Google Docs document.

If the red bar appears but does not allow you to search in your Zotero library, you may have to re-link Google Docs and your Zotero account. To do this, quit both the Zotero desktop application and your browser, and then re-open each of them.

Within your Google Docs document, go to Zotero and then Add/edit citation, and then you will be prompted to choose which Google Workspace account you want to use to grant access to Zotero.

More information on using Zotero’s Google Docs plug-in can be found here.