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Zotero

Zotero is software that helps you create citations and bibliographies. It's free and easy to use.

About this guide

This guide is based on a guide created by Jason Puckett at Georgia State University. The original guide, which you can view here, is licensed by Georgia State University Library under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License. Simpson Library thanks Jason for sharing his excellent work.

Adding styles to Zotero

Zotero comes with more than twenty citation styles, including popular styles such as MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian. You can add additional styles to your personal copy of Zotero.

If you have Zotero 5.0 or later, follow these instructions to add additional styles.

If you have Zotero 4.0 or earlier, follow these instructions to add additional styles.

Adding styles in Zotero 5.0 or later

Follow these instructions if you have Zotero 5.0 or later.

Step 1: In Zotero, go to the Edit menu and choose Preferences. Go to the Cite tab. You'll see something like this:

Screenshot of the Cite tab in Zotero preferences, including the Get Additional Styles link

Select "Get additional styles..." You'll see a list of available styles. Locate the style you want, either by searching or by scrolling down. Click on it, and it will be immediately added to your copy of Zotero.

Adding styles in Zotero 4.0 or earlier

Follow these instructions if you have Zotero 4.0 or earlier.

​In this example, we're adding CSE (Council of Science Editors) Style, but you can add any style you like.

Step 1: Go to the Zotero Style Repository. Search for your chosen style by typing it in the box. You'll get a list of search results.

Screenshot of the Zotero Style Repository

If you hover over a style in the search results, you'll see a preview of a bibliography in that style. 

Step 2: Click on your chosen style to download it to your computer.

Step 3: Open the file you just downloaded. Zotero will ask you if you want to install the style. Click "Install." 

Screenshot of Zotero dialog box requesting confirmation before installing a style