MLA Citation Guide: Placing Citations in a Document

Zotero supports Word and Word 365 for both PC and Mac, as well as GoogleDocs. It has traditionally supported some open source word processors as well, such as LibreOffice, OpenOffice, and NewOffice. Open Zotero, then open your word processor. Zotero must be open for the word processor to access your citations.

The Word plug-in is automatically installed with the Zotero Connector. Using Word, you should see a Zotero tab, confirming the Word plug-in has been installed. Click that tab to see the Zotero-Word buttons.

These are the Zotero-Word buttons.

Below is a quotation you have in your paper that you need to cite. With your cursor at the end of the quotation, click the Add/Edit Citation button to add the in-text, or parenthetical citation, after the quotation.

You will be asked to define the citation style of your choice. Below, the MLA style is highlighted in blue, but there are several other default citation styles included with Zotero, such as APA, Chicago, and others. You can also use the Zotero Style Repository, where there are hundreds more that can be added to Zotero.

Then you may type in the keywords of the citation you wish to use. Alternatively, you may click the down arrow next to the red Zotero Z and select Classic View. Classic View has the familiar Zotero interface and includes has a box to add the page number and the ability to add multiple sources. 

Zotero citation insert box:

Zotero "Classic View" citation insert box:

When you are finished with your paper, click the "Add/Edit Bibliography" button and the bibliography will be generated from the in-text citations and the Zotero citation database.

Always review the citations for accuracy. Any automated system will import errors and the student is always responsible for correcting these errors.