ENR 2367 - Communicating Environmental and Natural Resources Information

Citation management software like Zotero and ZoteroBib saves your time by helping you keep track of the articles, books and other resources you use, and helps you instantly format your bibliographies into the citation style of your choosing. 

Why does my bibliography look weird?

Zotero saves a lot of work, but you still need to double-check to make sure it's doing what you want.  Here are some common reasons your paper might not look right:

Q. Why doesn't this look like APA 6th?

A. First, make sure you've selected the right style under Document Properties on the Zotero toolbar:

If you're pasting a citation or bibliography entry in from the Zotero desktop or browser tool, be sure to select the right style from the menu:

Q: Why is strange text showing up in my bibliography?

A: Sometimes the source of the citation information contains incorrect or miscoded data that gets imported by Zotero.  If you see something that looks amiss, correct it in Zotero, then click Refresh on the Zotero toolbar in Word.  Don't make the corrections in the Word document: they'll be overwritten the next time Zotero refreshes. 

Q: Why is the capitalization in my article title wrong?  It's showing up in title case, rather than sentence case.

A: If the source for your citation stored the article in title case, it can be imported that way by Zotero.  Like most citation managers, Zotero doesn't recapitalize article titles to sentence case for styles like APA 6th.  If an article title displays in title case in your bibliography, change it to sentence case in Zotero, then click Refresh on the Zotero toolbar in Word.  Don't make the corrections in the Word document: they'll be overwritten the next time Zotero refreshes. 

Q: I cited a book chapter.  Why doesn't it look right in the bibliography? 

A: If the information Zotero imported was for the whole book rather than the chapter you're using, you'll need to revise the entry in Zotero.  Change your item type from Book to Book Section:

Then add relevant information, e.g., your page numbers; the chapter title, if there is one; the chapter author if it's different from the book editor; etc.

Q: I cited a report.  Why doesn't it look right in the bibliography?

A: When you find a report on the internet, it does not always contain the information Zotero needs to identify it as a report.  In that case, it typically imports as a web site rather than a report, and you'll need to revise the entry in Zotero.  Change your item type from Web Site to Report:

Then add relevant information about the report, particularly author(s), publication date, and the institution that published the report and its location, if available. 

Questions about Zotero?  Check Zotero's documentation page and forums:

Questions about ZoteroBib? Try the FAQ and Troubleshooting pages: