Short Description:
This self-guided, active learning exercise for Zotero was originally created for a 1–1.5 hour standalone online workshop. Zotero is a free, open-source tool that helps users collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share references. It is easy enough for students to learn quickly, yet powerful enough to support dissertations, theses, and capstone projects. Zotero also provides a practical way to engage with the conceptual goals of the ACRL Framework, transforming abstract ideas such as “giving credit” and “joining a scholarly conversation” into concrete research practices.
The lesson plan focuses on importing sources related to “food insecurity” and “college students” into Zotero, correcting citation metadata, creating a quick bibliography, and generating a formatted bibliography in Microsoft Word using Zotero’s Word add-in. Students are provided with step-by-step instructions and supporting resources throughout each stage of the activity.
The exercise includes the following components:
- Part 1: Practice Importing to Zotero.
- Part 2: Practice: Correcting the Metadata.
- Part 3: Creating a Quick Bibliography in Zotero.
- Part 4: Citing and Creating a Bibliography in Word.
A sample research paper for Part 4 is available in both Microsoft Word and Google Docs formats.
Answer keys are provided in APA style.
A 15-minute instructional video covering Parts 1–3 is currently available. A second video covering Part 4 is in development.
Course Context (e.g. how it was implemented or integrated):
Option 1 (Original format):
The first standalone online workshop was offered in 2022. An optional drop-in help session for Zotero installation was held at 4:00 p.m., followed by the workshop at 4:30 p.m. Students registered via Zoom and received access to the self-guided active learning exercise in advance. The session was delivered synchronously, with pauses after Parts 2, 3, and 4 for guided student practice. The workshop lasted approximately 1.5 hours.
Option 2 (Asynchronous implementation):
The Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) requested an asynchronous version of the workshop. The self-guided exercise was embedded in a LibGuide and integrated into a Blackboard (LMS) course.
Option 3 (Hybrid delivery):
The workshop was split into two one-hour sessions. The first session was an online presentation, followed by a second, in-person session in the library classroom. Students brought laptops for hands-on practice, and librarians provided installation support and Zotero troubleshooting during the in-person session.
Option 4 (Current version):
The current model is a one-hour standalone online workshop. Librarians demonstrate Zotero with brief pauses for questions rather than in-session practice activities. Students may complete the active learning exercise independently after the session or remain in the Zoom room to begin working. A second librarian provides Zotero installation support and troubleshooting in a breakout room. The optional installation help session now occurs after the workshop rather than before. This structure has improved flow, and students report preferring to see the full demonstration before deciding whether to adopt Zotero.
Additional Instructor Resources (e.g. in-class activities, worksheets, scaffolding applications, supplemental modules, further readings, etc.):
Zotero LibGuide https://libguides.lmu.edu/zotero/workshop
Create a Zotero account https://www.zotero.org/
We now demonstrate ZoteroBib https://zbib.org/ (Education students, K-12 teachers, and parents like it)
Potential Pitfalls and Teaching Tips:
This workshop format is most effective with two librarians, one to lead instruction and one to monitor Zoom chat and respond to questions. After the session, one librarian remains in the main room while the other provides Zotero installation troubleshooting in a breakout room. (Sometimes more liaison librarians attend for additional graduate student support)
While attendees are encouraged to install Zotero prior to the workshop, installation issues are common. Offering technical support after the presentation, rather than before, has proven to be more effective.
All instructional materials currently use APA style. In the future we would like to offer the self-guided active learning exercise in both MLA Style and Chicago Style.
Updates to both Zotero and the library’s discovery tool have required revisions to instructional materials.
Online workshops consistently attract higher attendance than in-person sessions. Participants often include undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. Workshops are typically scheduled between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., most often on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings.
