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Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

Nov 26, 2023 • 14 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X

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Zotero is the best citation and reference management app.

It's totally free.

But many folks don't know how to use it.

Here's a tutorial on how to automate your citations and references with Zotero:

1. Go to zotero(dot)org.

Download "Zotero 6" and install the app on your computer.

2. You will also need to install the Zotero Connector. It will connect your Zotero desktop app with your browser.

Click on "Install Chrome Connector" and add it to your browser.

Once it's added. click on the puzzle-like icon and pin the Zotero Connector to your browser.

3. You will also need to create a Zotero account. Click on "Log In" and then "Register for a free account."

This will give you an online backup of your Zotero library.

4. Open your Zotero desktop app.

Click on "File" and select "New Collection."

Choose a name for your collection.

5. Go to Google Scholar or Pubmed or your university's online library and look up articles using keywords.

You will get a list of relevant search results.

Click on the Zoteor Connector in the top-right corner and it will open an Item Select.

Select the articles/books you think are relevant to your project and click "OK."

Zotero will save these items in the collection you just created.

Go to your Zotero and you will all the items in the collection.

Zotero will automatically retrieve open access PDFs of articles.

If you are signed in to your univeristy's library, it will also access paywalled articles and add them to your collection.

6. You can also items manually. To do so, simply drag and drop PDFs in your collection.

Zotero will retrieve their metadata and add it to your collection.

7. You can read an article in Zotero and also take notes on it.

Double-click the article you want to read and Zotero will open it for you.

You can highlight and annotate the article. You can also write lengthy notes in Zotero's Note Editor.

Want to learn how to supercharge your academic writing with AI apps?

I have a complete tutorial for you.

4,300+ academics including those at Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are using it.

You can get it here👇
efficientacademicwriter.carrd.co

8. Open your MS Word and start drafting your paper.

To add a citation, place the cursor where you want to add it. Open the Zotero tab and click on "Add/Edit Citation."

Zotero will open a red search bar for you. Type in the name of the author you want to cite and Zotero will prepare the citation for you.

You can add the page number if you want to.

9. Zotero is also available for Google Docs.

The interface is a little different than MS Word but the functionality is the same.

10. Once you are done drafting, place the cursor where you want to add your bibliography.

Then click on "Add/Edit Bibliography" and Zotero will add the properly formatted bibliography for you.

Found this thread on Zotero helpful?

1. Scroll to the top and hit Like on the first tweet.

2. Bookmark it so you can come back to it later.

3. Follow me for more threads on academic writing.

Want me to email you tips on academic writing?

Sign up for my newsletter. It's FREE!

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More from @MushtaqBilalPhD

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

@MushtaqBilalPhD

Jul 1

NotebookLM was already one of the best AI apps for academic work.
Now it supports 50+ languages.

• Summarize papers
• Generate audio overviews of papers
• Ask question about papers
• Prepare study guides

All this in your own language and that too for free.

1. Go to notebooklm[.]google[.]com.

Click on "Create new notebook" and upload a paper.

NotebookLM will give you its summary.

2. Click on "Settings" in the top-right corner and select "Output Language."

From the dropdown menu, select your language and click on "Save."

Read 11 tweets

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

@MushtaqBilalPhD

Jun 29

ChatGPT generates fake references to papers that don't exist.

So, researchers at Stanford built Storm.

It's an AI-powered app that generates well-researched articles with references to published sources. And Storm is free to use.

Here's how to use it:

1. Go to storm[.]genie[.]stanford[.]edu and click on "Get Started."

Create a account and log in.

2. In the search box, enter the topic you want to generate an article on.

Under the search box, type in the purpose of your article and what you want to achieve with it.

Then click on the right arrow and Storm will start researching the topic.

Read 10 tweets

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

@MushtaqBilalPhD

Jun 28

Free: Sci-Hub, a "pirate" website with access to 84M+ research papers.

Free: Zotero, a reference manager.

Free: Google NotebookLM, an AI-powered research assistant.

Download papers from Sci-Hub directly to Zotero and read them with the help of NotebookLM.

Here's how:

1. Download Zotero Sci-Hub plugin

Go to this link: github(dot)com/syt2/zotero-scipdf
Replace the word "dot" with an actual [.]

Scroll down and click on "latest release xpi file."

This will download an "xpi" file to your computer.

2. Download Zotero Attanger plugin

Go to this link: github(dot)com/MuiseDestiny/zotero-attanger/releases
Replace the word "dot" with an actual [.]

Click on "zotero-attanger.xpi"

This will download another "xpi" file to your computer.

Read 11 tweets

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

@MushtaqBilalPhD

Jun 26

Ten smart ways of using ChatGPT for academic purposes (that do not involve any plagiarism):

1. Project Management and Scheduling:

Sample Prompt:

Project Title:
Project Type:
Expected Start Date:
Expected Finish Date:
Follow very carefully the steps given below:
1. Carefully consider the scope and type of the project (if it is a journal article, conference paper, dissertation, presentation).
2. Consider carefully the primary and secondary academic fields relevant to the project.
3. Act as if you are a leading expert in the primary and secondary fields relevant to the project. You can proficiently explain the project using adequate technical knowledge and language.
4. Act as if you are an award-winning teacher who can break down extremely complex ideas into easily understandable language.
5. Keeping in mind the scope, type, and the academic field of the project, break it down in tasks that can be scheduled weekly. Do this very carefully. This breakdown should optimize for speed without compromising on authenticity of the project.
6. Breakdown the weekly tasks into subtasks that can be completed within a normal workday of six to eight hours.
7. Every subtask should be accompanied by one to two pieces of clear and actionable advice to carry out the subtask. Remind me constantly to focus on progress and not perfection.
8. While giving the schedule of the project, you must consider the importance of both mental health and the ability to meet deadlines. Strive to have a work-life balance.

2. Brainstorming Ideas

Start by asking a couple of “warmup” questions. This way you will get better suggestions. You can ask questions like, “Do you know about X?” and “Do you know about Y?”

Then ask how we can be related X with Y. After that ask ChatGPT to help you brainstorm research questions on the relationship between X and Y.

While brainstorming ideas, always start with a basic idea and build on that gradually.

Read 13 tweets

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

@MushtaqBilalPhD

Jun 25

Getting past peer review is a challenge every researcher faces.

Paper Wizard is an AI app that can help you get past peer review.

Featured in Nature, scientists are calling it "the best [tool] for spotting statistical and methodological issues."

Here's how to use it:

1. Go to and sign up for a free account.

Once you sign up, you will receive one free credit. This means you can get one paper reviewed for free. paper-wizard.com

2. Convert your manuscript into a PDF. Drag and drop the PDF in Paper Wizard, and click on "Submit for Review."

It will go through your paper thoroughly. This may take up to 10 minutes.

You don't need to hang around. You will receive an email once your review is ready.

Read 6 tweets

Mushtaq Bilal, PhD

@MushtaqBilalPhD

Jun 25

Genspark's Downlaod Agent is a great and reliable tool to outsource your academic labor.

Give it details like your topic, citation count, time period, publisher, etc. and it will download the relevant papers for you.

Here's how to outsource your labor to Genspark:

1. Go to genspark[.]ai and sign up for a free account.

2. Above the chat box, click on "Download for me."

Type in your topic and mention the time period (e.g. papers published from 2000 to 2025). You can also ask it to only download papers published in rigorous academic journals.

The Download Agent will do the needful.