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Zotero: Citation Manager

Accessing the PDF Reader

The PDF reader is part of Zotero as of version 6.0.  Double clicking on any pdf stored in Zotero will open it in the reader.  You can see quickly which sources have a pdf attachment and which do not:

Zotero PDF attachment

Double clicking on the pdf symbol will open the pdf in the built-in reader.

 

Using the PDF Reader to Create Annotations

 

There a handful of basic tools for marking up a pdf. In order they are:

Options in Zotero's built in PDF reader.

  • Use the highlighter to select specific text.
  • Use the underline to underline specific text.
  • Use the Note Notation tool to add your sticky notes.
  • Use the Add Text tool to add your own text.
  • Use the Select Area tool to capture an image, table, formula, etc.
  • Use the Draw Tool to draw directly on the PDF freehand.
  • The Pick a Color tool gives you color options to apply to the highlighter, a note, or a selected area.

These tools create Annotations, which show up in the left pane.

 

Converting Annotations to Notes

To incorporate Annotations into a Word document or Google doc, they must be added to a Note, which shows up in the right pane.  

Click on the next to the last icon on the far right hand side of Zotero to open Notes, then click the plus sign icon where it says "Item Notes" to add new ones.

A screenshot of how Zotero handles notes and annotations.  

 

The Add Item Note choice opens a blank note.  Type a note directly into the space OR drag and drop one or more annotations from the left pane into the blank note.  To add all the annotations into a single note, choose the Add Item Note from Annotations option.