When you download the Zotero word processor, you’ll get a new toolbar inside Word. This is where I think Zotero is freaking amazing. It works really well inside Microsoft Word. It also has a feature to clean up duplicate files. Their search feature seems to get better and better with time, though a more advanced search feature would be nice. You can sort documents across a ton of metadata columns.
They have a tag system, though admittedly I never use it (way too much work in my opinion). The folder (collections) system works great. Organizing and finding your references is easy. Before you just had to right click and choose to retrieve metadata.
#How to use zotero in word pdf#
When you import PDF files, it now can automatically attempt to retrieve the metadata (i.e., the reference) online. The latter option has the added benefit that, if the PDF is available, it will automatically download that into your reference management software. You can do this by importing documents such as PDFs into the Standalone software or you can do it through a browser add-on. Zotero will always be free and, because it’s open access, will always be improved. Most reference management software are owned by large companies and thus charge sometimes exorbitant fees. I am personally at 6GB storage and I imagine in a few years as I continue to collect references that are useful to me that I may need to increase to the unlimited. Up to 2GB is $20/year, up to 6 GB is $60/year, and for unlimited storage you pay $120/year. While most reference managers have pretty similar features, here are some that I personally love. I personally use Zotero as my reference manager. It will be a bit of up-front work, particularly if you wait a long time before using a reference manager, but in the end, it will save you a ton of time. If you manage a lot of references, you should have a reference manager and get one sooner rather than later.