Double-Checking & Editing Your CitationsComputer generated citations make errors, and Zotero is no exception. You will need to double-check your citations before submitting your paper to ensure the citations are correct. Some of the most common errors include:
Sentence vs Title Case: MLA format uses Title Case for article titles, while APA format uses sentence case. Sentence case means that only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized, as well as the word following a colon -- so the way that you would format a regular sentence. If you have citations that use the incorrect case, rather than editing your bibliography directly, it is recommended that you edit the citation in your Zotero library instead.
Find your reference in your Zotero Library, and click into the metadata panel. You can quickly switch to Title Case or sentence case by right-clicking on the article title and selecting the correct option.
If you are switching to sentence case, remember to manually change any proper nouns or words directly following a colon to be capitalized.
Once you've made edits in your Zotero library, go back to your word document and click on the Refresh button in the Zotero menu; this will apply any changes you made in your Zotero library to your paper.
Changing Citation StylesIf you need to change the citation style on your paper, you can do that at any time by clicking on the Document Preferences button in the Zotero menu, and choosing another citation style. This will change the formatting on your entire paper, both in-text citations and your reference list.
Zotero comes pre-installed with the most common citation styles, but if you need to use a citation style not available in your Document Preferences, you should be able to download and install it from the Zotero Style RepositoryLinks to an external site.. For example, students in Human Physiology who are using Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (MSSE) style can search for MSSE in the Style Repository. Hovering over the link will give you a preview of what the style looks like. Click on the link to download the new style format; once it is installed, it will then show up in your list of available citation styles in your Document Preferences.
