There are three basic steps involved in getting started with Zotero. They include:

1. Registering for a free account and syncing
2. Installing Zotero software and the browser plug-in
3. Saving your preferences

Follow these three quick steps, outlined below, to get yourself set up to start using Zotero. From there, you will be able to easily save and organize citations as well as cite your sources and create bibliographies for papers. 

You'll should start by registering for an account at http://www.zotero.org. If you click "Log In" in the upper-right corner, you'll see the option to "Register for a free account." Fill out the fields with your information and save. Doing this allows you to access your Zotero account from any computer, sync your library (which can serve as an online backup), and to participate in groups (share libraries). As you can see, there are many reasons to create and sync your Zotero account, but it is not strictly necessary to use Zotero. Click "Web Library" at the top of the screen to view the web version of your Zotero library (where your citations are stored). 

Once you have created a free account, follow these steps to sync your Zotero standalone and web libraries:

1. Open the Zotero Standalone application on your computer and click the "actions" icon (which looks like a gear). 
2. Then click "Preferences."
3. At the top of the screen, click the "Sync" tab.
4. Enter your Zotero username and password on the Sync settings page to allow automatic login and uploading of libraries to your online account at zotero.org.

Here is additional support from Zotero on syncing: https://www.zotero.org/support/sync.

​Zotero is a stand-alone program that works in coordination with a browser connector (or plug-in). You must download both the stand-alone program and the browser connector to get started. The browser connector is available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. 

To download, click the the download link below and follow the prompts to get Zotero for your operating system and preferred browser. 

Now that you have an account, have Zotero installed on your computer, and have it connected to your primary browser, you're ready to save your preferences. For our purposes, this involves adding the Microsoft Word plug-in and selecting your primary citation style. Follow the instructions below to do this now:

1. Open the Zotero application on your computer and click the "actions" icon (which looks like a gear).
2. Click "Preferences."
3. In preferences, click the "Cite" tab.
4. Under "Word Processors," add the Microsoft Word plug-in (or your preferred word processor).
5. Under "Styles" in the same tab, you can select your preferred citation style (APA, MLA, etc.). You can also set your default style under the "Export" tab.