Throughout my studies, I have been struggling with writing essays. After analysis of the process, I realised that one of my biggest weaknesses is not writing text – it is actually being confident in the sources provided and the citation process. There have been numerous cases where I’m confident and highly interested in the topic, however, when it comes to finding credible sources I begin to stall and doubt whether the content is valid enough and my citations are correct despite years of practice.

As a third year student, we have been receiving information on thesis creation, which includes essay writing time, searching for relevant information and using credible sources and citation. This is when we were introduced to Zotero, which has already helped a lot.

Zotero is a free, open-source reference management software designed to help researchers collect, organize, cite, and share research sources. It was initially developed by the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and is now used largely around the world.

Zotero allows users to save citation information from various sources, such as books, articles, websites, and more, directly into their personal library. It integrates with web browsers, word processors, and other tools to facilitate the citation process.

Among other features, it is possible to generate citations and bibliographies in various citation styles, collaborate with others, and access their library from multiple devices. The true appeal lies in the UX: while it may look a bit outdated, the platform is simple to use, easy to understand and easier to navigate with the citations being generated in a matter of seconds.

Zotero has already helped a lot in my personal citation process, which is also the reason why I felt compelled to write an essay on it: looking back, if I had realised that studying in general means you also have access to the most recent academic research, I would have used more of my time to really get accustomed to the information and research available to us and been more open to the process of essay writing and sharing the knowledge with my teammates.

Overall, Zotero is a valuable tool for academics, students, and researchers to streamline their research workflow and manage their references effectively.

Source:

Zotero, https://www.zotero.org/