Zotero Notes
This plugin adds references and citations functionalities (in a wikipedia-like style) from a Zotero account.
Consider an alternative
Zotero Notes shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (20+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in over a year
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.6 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Zotero Notes stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| citation | #99 |
| comments | >100 |
| footnotes | #24 |
| reference | >100 |
| zotero | #2 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
About Zotero Notes
From the official readme · v1.2.3Description
This plugin allows references and citations in your posts. If you find issues or if you think it lacks some features, please contact me.
To use it, simply add your reference using a shortcode you can choose (‘zref’ by default), and a item ID (a reference ID from a Zotero library you have to declare in the admin part if the plugin).
Because it’s a minimal implementation, you need to add the reference ID manually in the code. Maybe later I’ll do better 😉
Then a list of all references will be added automatically at the end of the post.
Here are some examples:
- [zref]VP5PKI56[/zref]
- [zref name=’numref’]VP5PKI56[/zref]
- [zref name=’numref’ /]
You can optionnaly add a name to the citation, so you can reuse it in your post. Important note: the displayed attributes will be the attributes of the FIRST reference with that name. Any other attribute will be ignored.
Installation
Just get the plugin and activate it. You can choose in the admin section the text of the shortcode you’ll use for your citations. By default it’s ‘zref’.
Remember that when you change it, all posts written with the old shortcode won’t be parsed anymore.
You need a Zotero account to use the plugin. That implies that you have a user ID (of your Zotero account) and a private KEY (for using the Zotero’s API). Just fill the form (in the admin page, below the shortcode) with those credentials.
Changelog
1.2.3
Securing the plugin (sanitazing, escaping, etc.)
1.1.1
Display rules modified.
1.0.3
Language parameter updated
1.0.2
Added to pages (not only posts)
1.0.1
Some caching added (to prevent too frequent curl calls).
1.0.0
- First public release
- Minimalist settings and features but fully functionnal (I hope)
Screenshots
For developers
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Best Zotero Notes alternatives
All citation plugins →
FAQ
Zotero Notes: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is Zotero Notes free?
Yes. Zotero Notes is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Zotero Notes safe to use in 2026?
Zotero Notes shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 34/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Zotero Notes?
Zotero Notes is active on 20+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,607 times since it launched in January 2019. It was downloaded 48 times in the last 30 days.
Does Zotero Notes work with WordPress 7.1?
Zotero Notes is officially tested up to WordPress 6.6.9, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Zotero Notes last updated?
The latest version, 1.2.3, was released on October 13, 2024 (2 years ago).
Who makes Zotero Notes?
Zotero Notes is developed and maintained by janiko.
What are the best alternatives to Zotero Notes?
The most popular alternatives to Zotero Notes are Citations (200+ installs), Cite (100+ installs) and ImpactPubs (100+ installs).
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