Integration with Text Editors and References

Integration and Usage in Writing

Zotero features native integration with various text editors. It is capable of both managing in-text citations (in (Author, Year) or numerical formats) and automatically generating the bibliographic references list at the end of your document, pre-formatted according to your chosen style guide (ABNT, APA, Vancouver, etc.).

In this section of the course, we recommend focusing only on the text editor you use on a daily basis. Select your tool below:

Microsoft Word

1. Zotero must be open: Open your document in Microsoft Word and ensure the Zotero application is running in the background.
2. Inserting a citation: Click on the exact location in your text where the citation should be inserted.
3. In the top Word menu, click on the Zotero tab and then click the Add/Edit Citation button.
4. First time in the document? Zotero will open a window asking you to select the citation style (e.g., Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas - ABNT). Select the style and click OK.
5. A search bar will appear. Type the author’s name, title, or year of the article you wish to cite; you can also cite multiple authors.
6. Select the correct article from the list that appears and press the Enter key. That’s it! The citation will appear in your text formatted.
7. Generating the Bibliography: Go to the end of your document (where the references list will be placed). In the Zotero tab in Word, click the Add/Edit Bibliography button. All works cited in the text will appear as a reference list.

Made a mistake in the citation?

Never delete or modify the text of a Zotero-generated citation by typing over it in Word! If you need to correct the year or author’s name, fix the error in the Zotero application and then click the Refresh button in the Word tab.

Google Docs

1. Zotero must be open: Open your document in Google Docs in your browser and ensure the Zotero application is running in the background on your computer.
2. Menu: Notice that, in the top menu bar of Google Docs (alongside File, Edit, Insert…), there is now a dedicated menu called Zotero.
3. Inserting a citation: Click on the exact location in the text where the citation should be inserted.
4. Click on the Zotero menu and then on Add/edit citation.
5. First time? Google will request permission to connect Zotero to your account. Choose your Google account and click “Allow”. Then, choose the citation style (e.g., ABNT).
6. The search bar will appear on screen. Type the author or title, select the correct article, and press Enter.
7. Generating the Bibliography: Go to the end of your document. Click on the Zotero menu again and choose Add/edit bibliography. The reference list will be built automatically!

Attention

Since Google Docs runs online, Zotero communicates with it through your browser extension (the Zotero Connector). Because it relies on an internet connection, the search bar may take an extra second or two to appear compared to Word.

LibreOffice

1. Ensure Zotero is open: Open your document in LibreOffice Writer and make sure the Zotero application is open in the background.
2. Locate the tools: Zotero usually creates a small toolbar with icons right below the main menu in LibreOffice.
   • Tip: If you do not see this toolbar, go to View > Toolbars and ensure “Zotero” is checked.
3. Inserting a citation: Click on the exact location in the text where the citation should be inserted.
4. Click on the first icon on the Zotero bar, named Add/Edit Citation.
5. First time in the document? A window will appear asking you to choose the formatting style (e.g., ABNT). Make your selection and click OK.
6. The search bar will appear. Type the author or article title, select the correct option from the list, and press Enter.
7. Generating the Bibliography: Go to the end of the document (where the references list will be placed) and click on the third icon on the Zotero bar, named Add/Edit Bibliography. Your references will appear formatted!

Requirements Warning

The Zotero plugin for LibreOffice requires Java (JRE) installed on your computer to communicate with the document. Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Advanced and ensure the option to use Java is enabled.

What if the toolbar does not appear? (Manual Installation)

Depending on your operating system, automatic integration might not occur. If the toolbar does not appear in LibreOffice, you can force the installation directly through Zotero:

1. Open the Zotero application.
2. Go to the Edit > Preferences menu (on Mac, click Zotero > Settings).
3. Access the Cite tab and then the Word Processors sub-tab.
4. Click the Install (or Reinstall) LibreOffice Add-in button.
5. Follow the on-screen steps. If Zotero cannot install it automatically, it will open a window asking you to save a file named Zotero_LibreOffice_Integration.oxt. Save it in your Downloads folder.
6. Return to LibreOffice Writer, go to Tools > Extension Manager…
7. Click Add…, select the downloaded file, and confirm. Restart LibreOffice!

🐧 Using NixOS or is the “Manual” button grayed out?

On Linux systems with immutable directories (such as NixOS), Zotero cannot inject the plugin automatically, prevents saving the file, and disables the installation button. To resolve this:

1. Open your terminal and run the command below. It will locate the integration file on the system and copy it to your Downloads folder:

   find "$(dirname "$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$(command -v zotero)")")")" \
     -type f -name 'Zotero_LibreOffice_Integration.oxt' \
     -exec cp -- {} "$HOME/Downloads/" \;

2. Open LibreOffice Writer.
3. Go to Tools > Extension Manager…
4. Click Add…, go to your Downloads folder, and select the newly copied file (usually named Zotero_LibreOffice_Integration.oxt).
5. Confirm the installation, restart LibreOffice, and your toolbar will be available!

Overleaf / LaTeX

For those who write articles in LaTeX, Zotero eliminates the need to type BibTeX entries manually. The integration method depends on where you write your code and your account type.

Overleaf (Online)

The way to connect Zotero to Overleaf varies depending on your platform plan:

Option A: Free Accounts (Manual Upload) If you use the free version of Overleaf, the direct integration feature is locked. The process is done via a file:

1. Open the Zotero application on your computer.
2. Right-click on the collection (folder) containing the references and select Export Collection…
3. In the “Format” field, choose BibTeX or BibLaTeX and save the .bib file on your computer.
4. Open your project in Overleaf, click the Upload icon (in the upper-left menu), and send the .bib file.
5. In your .tex document, call the references using the appropriate commands (e.g., \addbibresource{filename.bib}) and cite within the text using \cite{author_key}.

Option B: Premium or Institutional Accounts If you subscribe to Overleaf or your university provides Premium access, the integration is native and very intuitive; look for the integrations tab in the side menu and follow the instructions.

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Local LaTeX (TeXstudio, VSCode, etc.)

If you write and compile your LaTeX documents directly on your computer, the process is identical to the Overleaf Free Account method.

1. In Zotero, export your collection in BibTeX or BibLaTeX format.
2. Save the generated file (e.g., references.bib) inside the exact same folder where your main .tex file is located.
3. In your LaTeX editor, call the bibliography file and use the \cite{author_key} command to cite.

Automation with Better BibTeX

If you use LaTeX, we strongly recommend installing the Better BibTeX for Zotero plugin.

When exporting a collection with this plugin activated, you can check the Keep updated box. This way, every time you add or modify an article in Zotero, your .bib file saved on your computer will be updated automatically, without needing to export everything manually again!

Obsidian / Markdown

Community

Since Obsidian works with plain text files (Markdown), integration is not native, but accomplished through community-developed plugins.

The integration workflow requires configuring two tools:

1. In Zotero: You will need to install a plugin called Better BibTeX for Zotero. It is responsible for generating unique “citation keys” for each article (e.g., @silva2023) and creating a background data bridge.
2. In Obsidian: In settings, disable “Restricted Mode” to access Community Plugins.
3. Search for, install, and enable the plugin named Zotero Integration.
4. Configuration: In the Zotero Integration options, set a keyboard shortcut to invoke Zotero from within Obsidian.
5. Pressing the shortcut opens a search bar in Obsidian. Upon selecting the article, the plugin extracts the data from Zotero and creates a complete note in your Vault containing metadata (authors, year, links) and even annotations made in the PDF!

Learning Curve

Customizing exactly how the imported article text will appear in Obsidian requires creating Templates (formatting templates). Since this involves more advanced logic, we recommend looking for specific video tutorials on the “Obsidian + Zotero Integration” pairing to set up your templates step-by-step.

Notion

Community

If you use Notion to organize your academic life, you can synchronize your Zotero library directly with your tables and pages.

Because Notion is a cloud-based tool, this bridge is not native, but achieved via a community-created plugin called Notero.

Where to find: Initial setup requires creating an API key (Integration) inside Notion to allow Zotero to send data. You can find the plugin, download the latest version, and follow the official step-by-step installation tutorial on the project page: Notero on GitHub.