BIOL 404/405/406: Undergraduate Research

Please use one of the library's computers or your own device for this workshop. Find the Zotero application shortcut on the desktop. 

Zotero is a powerful citation manager that you can download for free. For your own devices, download the Zotero application and the browser extension for your preferred browser (works with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari). In this workshop, we'll be using Zotero on the lab computers or your own device if you already have it downloaded and Chrome.

Follow along throughout the workshop and don't be afraid to ask questions. Let me know if I need to slow down! 

1. Click on the Zotero shortcut on your desktop. 

2. Go to Edit > Preferences > Sync.  Later, you can register for a Zotero online account. This is where you would enter your Zotero username and password to sync your desktop app to the online version. Don't worry about doing this today. 

3. In your preferences settings, go to Advanced.

In the Open URL box copy and paste this link: https://uofl.on.worldcat.org/atoztitles/link

Then click, OK.

You're all set up! 

1. Go to My Library in the menu on the left. 

2. At the top, go to New Item > Journal Article. 

Screenshot of Zotero.

3. Go to this article. Find and enter the following information in the new item panel on the right: Title, Authors, Publication/Journal, Volume, Pages, Date/Year, and DOI. Note: To add a second author, click on the plus button next to the first author entry. 

4. Right click the item in your library, then click on Find Available PDF.

The PDF will automatically attach to the item from a library database.

If Zotero can't find the full text, you can also add a PDF saved on your desktop by clicking on the paperclip icon and selecting Attach Stored Copy of File. 

You now have 1 reference in your library! 

1. Open Google Chrome. Go to library.louisville.edu. 

2. Go to Quick Tools > All Databases A-Z. 

3. Click on S > ScienceDirect. 

4. Enter the keyword zebrafish. 

5. Click on the first article. Now, you should see a small paper icon in the top right corner of your browser at the end of the URL bar. 

Screenshot of ScienceDirect.

6. Click on the paper icon to Save to Zotero. You can now find the reference with an attached PDF in your Zotero library! 

7. Go back to the search results. Now, click on the folder icon. 

Screenshot of ScienceDirect.

8. In the Zotero Item Selector pop-up window, check the box next to the first 5 articles, then click OK. 

Screenshot of Zotero.

You now have 7 items in your Zotero library! 

Oh  no! You have two duplicate references. No worries. 

1. Go to your Zotero library > Duplicate Items in the menu on the left. 

2. Click on the article (it will automatically select both duplicate articles), then click on the Merge 2 items button.

Screenshot of Zotero.

You're now back to 6 unique items. 

You can also add references to your Zotero library by downloading a .ris file.

1. In ScienceDirect, check the box next to any article you want to add, then click on Export > Export citation to RIS.

Screenshot of ScienceDirect.

2. You should see a ScienceDirect_citation...ris file download to your Downloads folder. 

3. Open your Zotero library, then go to File > Import. 

4. Choose A file > then Next. 

5. Select and open the .ris file you just downloaded from your Downloads folder. 

6. Uncheck the box for "Place imported collections..." and select "Link to files in original location" > then Next. 

You now have imported files in your library!

Each database will look a little different, but look for options to select articles and buttons like Export, Cite, Citation Management, etc., and look for Zotero or .ris download options. We'll look at a few more examples at the end of class. 

1. Right click on My Library in the menu on the left. 

2. Select New Collection and name your folder "Zebrafish."

3. Go back to My Library. Drag and drop references from the library into the Zebrafish folder, or right click a reference and go to Add to Collection > Zebrafish.

You can organize references in multiple groups and create subcollections within a folder.  

When you click a reference in a folder/collection and press the Delete button on your keyboard, this will remove the reference from the folder but will not delete the reference from your library. You can also right click and Remove Item from Collection.

To delete a reference and remove it from your library all together, right click and select Move Item to Trash. Your items will remain in the trash unless you right click and Empty Trash. 

1. Double click an article in your library, or right click and select Open PDF. 

2. Select the Highlight Text button in the middle of the PDF viewer and highlight a piece of text. 

3. You can also click on the Add Note button and add a sticky note with comments. 

Screenshot of Zotero.

If you want to remove a highlight or note, right click and select delete. 

In your library, you can also right click and Add Note to write more notes that appear under the reference in your library and in the right panel. In this section, you can also add links and references. 

Screenshot of Zotero.

If you have Microsoft Word downloaded on your device, your Zotero download files will automatically add a Zotero tab in Word. 

1. Find Microsoft Word on your computer. You may have to search for it in the tool bar at the bottom of the screen. 

2. Go to the Zotero tab at the top. 

Screenshot of Microsoft Word.

3. Go to Document Preferences > for Citation Style select American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition, then OK.

4. Click on Add/Edit Citation.

5. In the pop-up search bar, type a keyword like zebrafish or an author's name and select a reference, then press the Enter key on your keyboard. 

You should now see an in-text citation on your Word doc. 

6. Then, click the Add/Edit Bibliography button. 

You should now see a reference list citation at the end of the document. 

Now, let's change the style. Go back to Document Preferences > Choose Modern Language Association 9th edition.

Your reference will automatically update to the new style!