Zotero
Free open-source academic research organizer and citation manager
Zotero is an open-source reference management tool that helps researchers collect, organize, cite, and share research materials. It functions primarily as a desktop application with browser integration and cloud sync capabilities.
What we love ❤️
- Open-source with active development and community support
- Integrates with Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs
- Can automatically add publication data by DOI or ISBN
- Browser extension captures references from websites instantly
- Has a built-in PDF reader letting you mark up PDFs
- Retracted item notifications
- Supports over 10,000 citation styles
Worth noting 💡
- Free cloud storage limited to 300MB; additional storage requires paid plans
- Initial learning curve can be steep for new users
- Alternative web-only tool (ZoteroBib) available for simple citation needs
Zotero delivers comprehensive reference management capabilities with full-featured local functionality that doesn't require registration. While cloud sync has storage limits, the unlimited local storage and robust feature set make it a truly free solution for research management. Best suited for researchers, students, and academics managing long-term projects with collaborative needs; those needing a quick bibliography should consider ZoteroBib instead.