The University of New Mexico (UNM) University Libraries has introduced a new tutorial designed to help students and faculty use Zotero, a free citation management tool. The tutorial was developed by Associate Professor Todd Quinn, who is part of the Graduate & Faculty Engagement team at UNM.
Zotero assists researchers in collecting, organizing, sharing, and integrating literature into their writing and research processes. The self-paced tutorial is accessible to anyone interested and includes instructions on downloading Zotero, adjusting its settings, and utilizing its features. It uses text, images, and practical tasks to guide users through the process.
Quinn said the aim is to “allow researchers to quickly learn the tool so they can spend more time on analysis and writing and less on citations.”
The tutorial also supports collaboration between librarians and course instructors. Instructors can assign it before librarian-led sessions so that classroom time can focus on advanced topics such as research strategies, search techniques, methodology development, discipline-specific resources, workflow integration with Zotero, and data discovery. This approach encourages deeper instruction during class sessions and enhances individual research consultations with librarians.
This resource builds upon an earlier Zotero guide created by Quinn for the UNM community.
Zotero was first developed at George Mason University in 2006 with support from an IMLS grant. It is now maintained by the nonprofit Corporation for Digital Scholarship.
The Learning, Research, and Engagement (LRE) team at University Libraries has produced several other self-paced tutorials available online. The LRE unit provides instruction and research assistance tailored to meet the needs of students, faculty, and researchers at UNM through two collaborative teams: Undergraduate Engagement and Graduate & Faculty Engagement.
