Zotero Framework
From ETS
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Contents |
Overview
Zotero is a Firefox extension that helps users capture, organize and cite information. To download Zotero for Firefox (and for comprehensive information), visit http://www.zotero.org
Why Would I Want to Use It
Zotero scrapes information, images, metadata, video and more from the Web. It is ridiculously easy to use, and integrates quite nicely with Microsoft Word. If you have ever struggled with formatting a bibliography or footnotes properly, Zotero is for you. Quite simply, it takes all the sweat out of collecting and citing sources.
Some things you need to know about Zotero:
--It is open source and FREE. Created and maintained by Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
--It integrates nicely with Microsoft Word. Collect citations in Zotero and cite them in Word. Easy as pie.
--It allows for tagging and advanced searching of your collected citations (a la del.icio.us and iTunes)
--It integrates beautifully with many search tools, including a variety of subscription databases (ProQuest, JStor, etc..), Google Scholar, Flickr, YouTube, and more
--It can sense the type of item being viewed (book, video, article, image, etc...) and collects citation data accordingly.
--It can be used offline.
--It can export data easily to Endnote or RefWorks.
--It is Unicode-friendly. (can store citations in a wide variety of foreign languages.)
--It is portable. There are ways of using and managing Zotero via a Flash drive or a Network.
--It is moving toward being a Web-based (or at the very least, Web-sync-ed) tool. (i.e., access your Zotero citations from multiple computers)
Zotero has been described as "del.icio.us on crack,", "better than EndNote and FREE"and "a glimpse of the 21st century scholarly information landscape."
Implications for Teaching and Learning
Zotero is a rich, easy-to-use citation management tool for students, faculty and staff. Undergraduates can use Zotero to collect and cite resources, increasing students' understanding of how information is shaped, cited and shared. Use of Zotero can impact the quality of students' formatted bibliographies, and engage students more proactively in collecting citation data. Because it utilizes tagging, and browser integration, Zotero can also help students learn Web 2.0 skills. In addition to its' basic citing and organizing capabilities, Zotero's advanced functions, including on-document notetaking, web page snapshots and tagging and advanced searching make this a powerful scholarly tool.
Resources, Related Blog Posts, Miscellaneous Thinking
Zotero White Paper---7 Things You need to Know About Zotero
Rationales for Using Zotero
Zotero allows the user to capture the citation information directly from the internet, library catalog, and web pages. The tagging capability organizes researcher's information in a customized fashion. The software runs inside of Firefox at no charge to the user.
Various Blog Posts from Around PSU
Ellysa Cahoy/ Dawn Amsberry's Symposium Session on Zotero, Endnote, RefWorks
Zotero is Here-- Ellysa Cahoy's blog
Learning About Zotero
- In addition to the ETS White paper, the Zotero site lists a variety of Zotero tutorials.
