AMST-328/EDST-328/HIST-328 Indigenous Narratives: Creating Children's Stories about Native American History

Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free tool that collects, manages, and formats citations and bibliographies. You can attach PDFs, notes, and images to your references; arrange your sources into collections for different projects or classes; and tag them for easy searching or to jump-start chunks of your writing. Insert citations to Word or Google Docs as you write, and create a formatted bibliography or works cited page with one click!

Check out our Zotero "step by step" guide to try it out yourself, sign up for a library workshop to get started, or make an appointment with a research librarian for troubleshooting and pro tips—it's especially useful to get started with it early in a big project. Questions? Ask a librarian, at the reference desk or virtually!

Setting up a Group Library in Zotero

[Access these instructions in handout form]

For Group Library Managers: Create a Group Library

1. In your Zotero app, click on the brown file folder/New Library icon (upper left corner). Select New Group
2. The app will link you to zotero.org/groups. If you are not logged into Zotero.org, you will be asked to do so.
3. Click the link to Create a New Group 
4. Group Name: Enter a name for your group 
5. Group Type: Select the Private Membership option
6. Click the Create Group button
7. To add members, click the Member Settings link
8. On the Member Settings page, click the link to Send More Invitations
9. Enter your group mates’ email addresses, click the Invite Members button 
10. Your group mates will need to check their email for your invitation, and join the group
11. Once everyone has joined, sync your libraries so the Group Library shows up in your Zotero app. It will be listed in your collections pane, in the Group Libraries section (below My Library).

For everyone: Add items to the Group Library

1. Once you have joined the group, sync your libraries so the Group Library shows up in your Zotero app. It will be listed in your collections pane, in the Group Libraries section (below My Library).
2. Click on the name of the group library to add items directly to the group library
3. Add citations the same way you do for your own library. As long as you have selected your group as the destination, citations will be added there.
4. To share sources from your personal Zotero library with the group library, drag and drop items or folders from your library into the group library. Zotero doesn’t maintain a connection between the two (if you add or remove things from your personal library, they won’t automatically show up in the group library).

After set-up

• As you work with the group library. your group could use Tags to keep track of who adds what to the library and/or to code sources for themes or topics.
• You may want to create a folder system within the library to organize your sources.
• Follow up with any of the Research & Instruction Librarians for help!

Citation is an important element in research and creating new knowledge: crediting the scholarship and community ideas that you're building on, and creating a path for your readers to follow your process. The basic principle is to include all information necessary to track down a resource, but different citation styles format that in different ways:

• Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide online; also consult the print manual at REF Z253 .U69 2017 [humanities & some social sciences]

• MLA Style Quick Guide and MLA guidelines from the OWL at Purdue; also consult the print manual at REF LB2369 .G53 2016 [humanities]

• APA guidelines from the OWL at Purdue; also consult the print manual at REF BF76.7 .P83 2010 [social sciences]

• ACS Style Guide basics from UW-Madison [chemistry] 

Citation management

There are several tools that can help you keep track of and organize your sources, and format notes and bibliographies in your papers. Zotero is the freely available tool we recommend, developed specifically for academic research, that helps you collect, manage, annotate, and cite your sources. It's available in all computer labs on campus, and you can download it on your own computer.

Need to hone your writing or oral presentation skills? Amherst College's Writing Center Associates are available to meet with you to discuss your specific class assignment, honors thesis, application essay, creative writing project, or speech.