Zotero User Guide: 11. Sharing Capabilities

Zotero Groups

Zotero's Groups feature allows you to share references with other Zotero users online. It's a great way to work on collaborative research projects.

Screenshot of Zotero library with the "group libraries" section highlighted

First, set up Zotero sync and synchronize your library (see section 10 of this guide, "Syncing Your Library").

  • To create a shared library, click the Create Groups button near the top left of your Zotero window (small blue/green button with two “people” icons, second from the left).
  • To join an existing Zotero library, search for it at zotero.org/groups or be invited by the group’s owner.
  • You must log in to the zotero.org website to create or join a group.

You now have two sections in your Zotero collections pane: My Library and Group Libraries.

Personal and group libraries are entirely separate, and changes made to items in one library do not affect the other. You can drag items back and forth between libraries to copy items.

Groups may be public (searchable, and anyone can join) or private (users can only join if invited).