A lot of academics migrated to Zotero after Mendeley Desktop got shut down on Sept. 1.

But MOST FOLKS still DON'T KNOW how to build their Zotero libraries.

Here are 4⃣ SIMPLE ways to add items to your Zotero library 👇

A step-by-step tutorial with visuals 🧵

1⃣ The simplest, and easiest, way to add items to your library is through Zotero Connector(s).

Zotero Connectors are extensions or add-ons for internet browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Start by installing the Zotero Connector for your internet browser.

After you've installed the Zotero Connector, you may see a small icon on the top right corner of your internet browser.

The red "Z" button will keep changing depending on the kind of sources displayed on a given webpage.

Sometimes, you'll see a folder, sometimes a book, a paper, etc.

Now go to your university's library, or any other online database like Google Scholar or JSTOR.

Look up what's relevant to your work.

(For illustrative purposes, I'm using "World Literature")

You will see a list of results.

Say, you found a book relevant to your project and want to include it into your Zotero library.

Press the Zotero Connector button.

Zotero will show you a small dialog box with all your folders.

Select the appropriate folder, then press Done.

Zotero will add this book to the selected folder in your library. It will also retrieve the relevant metadata.

In this case, you can see the metadata is NOT complete. You'll have to fill in the missing details manually.
NOTE: You can also add metadata automatically by right-clicking the article, selecting "Create Parent Item... " and inputting the DOI, ISBN, etc.

You can also open an article in your browser and add it to your Zotero library with the Zotero Connector.