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To use Zotero properly, you need to install the Zotero Connector for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, in addition to the Zotero desktop app. See the Zotero Downloads page to install the Zotero Connector.
The Zotero Connector's save button is the most convenient and reliable way to add items to your Zotero library. As you browse the web, the Zotero Connector will automatically find bibliographic information on web pages you visit and allow you to add it to Zotero with a single click.
For example, if you are reading a journal article online, the save button will change to the icon of a journal article (outlined in red):
On a USM Library catalog entry for a book, the save button will show a book icon (outlined in red):
Once you've clicked on the Zotero icon, a new reference will be added to your library. When the reference is recognized by Zotero, it should add the full citation information for the article to your library, but it's a good idea to double-check the reference to make sure it was properly imported. This way, you do not discover faulty citations when it comes time for you to cite documents.
On many sites, Zotero will also save any PDF accessible from the page or an open-access PDF that can be found for the saved item.
Some web pages don't provide any information that Zotero can recognize. On these pages, the save button will show a gray webpage icon (outlined in red).
If you click the save button on these pages, Zotero will import the page as a “Web Page” item with a title, URL, and access date. See Zotero's Saving Webpages section for more information.
If you are viewing a PDF file in your browser, the save button will show a PDF icon (outlined in red).
Clicking this button will import the PDF file alone into your library and then automatically attempt to retrieve information about it. While this will often produce good results, it is usually better to use the save button from the publication's abstract page or catalog entry (demonstrated below).
If you save a PDF directly and Zotero isn't able to retrieve any information, it will leave the PDF as a standalone attachment. To add additional information about a PDF, you will need to create a parent item by right-clicking on the PDF, choosing to Create Parent Item, and entering an identifier such as a DOI or ISBN. If all else fails, you can click Manual Entry after selecting Create Parent Item and manually enter information for the item.
Zotero will open PDFs with your computer's default PDF viewer. You can annotate PDFs with a variety of programs, including Adobe Reader/Professional, FoxIt, Nuance PowerPDF, PDF-XChange, macOS Preview, Microsoft Reader. So long as the program saves the annotations to the PDF file, the annotations will sync with zotero.org and your other devices.
On some web pages that contain information about multiple items (e.g., a list of Google Scholar search results), the save button will show a folder icon (outlined in red).
Clicking this folder icon will open a window where you can select the items that you want to save to Zotero.
