Online Bibliographic Tools: Importing References

Many online databases allow you to automatically export citations to Zotero so you don't have to manually enter them. However, it's important to know how to enter and edit citations, as you'll need to double-check that any automatic imports are correct, and make sure they conform to the capitalization standards of your citation style.

1. Ensure the Zotero desktop app is open before importing a citation.

2. From the article page, click the Zotero Connector button in your browser toolbar.

Zotero will generate a citation in your library and attach the full text, if available.

For JSTOR: In order to save the full text, you may need to click the full text PDF link and accept the terms and conditions. Then go back to the article page and use the Zotero Connector.

The above process does not work with Gale databases, such as Academic OneFile and Gale Virtual Reference Library. To import citations from these databases:

1. In the Tools menu on the right-hand side of the database page, click Citation Tools.

2. In the pop-up window, choose "Reference Manager" from the dropdown menu at the bottom, and click Export.

The database will save a .ris file to your computer.

3. In Zotero, open the File menu and choose Import.

Navigate to where you saved the file and open it. Zotero will add the citation information as a new reference.

4. If the full-text PDF is available and you would like to attach it to the record, you may do so manually.

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