Reference Manager FAQ

How do I get Zotero to work with Microsoft Word?

One common and easy fix to the problem is to make sure you use the same email address to set up both Microsoft Word and Zotero accounts. Learn more about how to use Zotero in Microsoft Word here.

Can I get EndNote for free?

Unfortunately, no. The cost is $114 for students to $219 for faculty and staff through UCSF OnTheHub. Log in with your email credentials to see what is available to you.

Why does nothing happen when I add information to EndNote?

You must set the file type in EndNote to match that of the file you are trying to import.

How can I make sure that when I add information to my reference manager, it goes into the right application?

You need to set which application opens a file type by default. The steps are similar in Mac and Windows. Make sure .ris, .nbib, .enw, .bib are all set for your chosen reference manager.

Can I use Zotero with my preferred browser, Safari?

This is a temporary problem with the current version of Safari. It does not work with the default version of Zotero. You will need to download and use the beta version.

Why does the Zotero plug-in not work with new PubMed?

For now you will need to add items from PubMed as follows.

  1. Select the items you want to add in PubMed
  2. Send to citation manager. A small file will be downloaded to your computer.
  3. In Zotero, from the file menu, choose Import.
  4. Navigate to the file you downloaded and import it.
  5. If you have set Zotero as the default to open the file type being imported, you can simply click on the downloaded file to import.
Can I add my EndNote library to Excel or Google Sheets for analysis?

You will need to create a custom export filter. See this older YouTube video for details. Zotero will allow export of a .csv file that works well with Excel or Google Sheets.

What’s the easiest way to add a Word document or PDF with a list of articles to Zotero or EndNote?

If you have a reference list, you can use a fabulous open source tool called “citation finder” to make this much less labor intensive.

  1. To start, copy/paste your reference list into Citation Finder. Make sure there is one reference per line.
  2. Choose RIS format.
  3. Have Citation Finder search for matches.
  4. Review the results. Citation Finder highlights in yellow the results it “believes” are correct. Make different choices if needed. You can then save the RIS file and export to your reference manager.
Do reference managers work with Office 365?

Yes and no.

Word installed on your computer: EndNote, Zotero, and Sciwheel work with any installed version of Word on Windows and Mac even if it is part of an Office 365 subscription.

Word Online: Neither EndNote, Zotero nor Sciwheel currently works with Word Online. The answer to this question is likely to change rapidly.

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