Library Help

To highlight text, add comments, and extract annotations in Zotero, follow the steps below:

1. Open PDFs with Zotero’s built-in PDF reader
Zotero includes a built-in PDF reader, which is usually set as the default. However, you can change this preference to use Adobe Acrobat or another reader via Settings > General.

2. Open and annotate your PDF
Open a PDF either in a new tab within Zotero or in a separate window. You will see a toolbar with options such as:

• Highlight

• Underline

• Annotate (Add Note)

• Add Text

• Select (for diagrams or tables)

• Draw (freeform markup)

Hovering over each icon shows a brief description of its function.

In the example image below, the PDF has highlighted and underlined text, an annotation about the author’s other work, selected text (which can be saved as a quote), and a circle drawn to emphasize a key phrase. You can customize the colours of each annotation using the drop-down menu for each tool. 

3. View and manage annotations
Zotero keeps a record of your annotations in the left-hand panel. As you highlight, underline, annotate, or draw on the document, your notes will appear here. You can also add comments and tags to each annotation, making them searchable within your Zotero library.Zotero keeps a track of your activities on the left-hand side of the screen, as you highlight, underline, select text, or annote or circle key phrases. Here, you can even add additional comments and tags, which are searchable on Zotero.

4. Collating Your Annotations into a Note in Zotero

Once you've made highlights, annotations, or other markups on your PDF, Zotero allows you to collate all of this into a single note that can be saved, edited, and cited later. To do this,

1. Right-click the PDF in your Zotero library, and choose Add Note from Annotations.

2. Zotero will automatically generate a new note that includes all your highlights, underlined text, annotations, and comments. These are organized by page and include any tags or notes you have added.

3. You can edit this note freely — add headings, summaries, or additional thoughts to give context to the annotations.

4. The note remains linked to the PDF and the original item in your library, making it easy to access later when writing or citing.

5. You can also drag this note into a Zotero citation or export it to a word processor, such as MSWord, by clicking on the Add Note icon , if you have the  Zotero Word plugin installed 

6. In the pop-up window, select the relevant note from your Zotero library. The content of the note will be inserted into your Word document.

7. You can continue writing, editing, or citing sources as needed, all within Word.

Tip! The extracted annotations are searchable on Zotero.