You can organize the items in your Zotero library by using the library's viewing options and by creating collections (or folders). Watch the video and/or read the instructions below to learn more.
You can view your collection of items in many ways. At the top of the middle panel, different fields are listed: Title, Creator, Date, etc. You can click on any of these fields to view them in a different order: Title A-Z, Title Z-A, Date Newest to Oldest, Date Oldest to Newest, etc. Click the bar above the items (after the Creator field) to access a list from which you can select other fields. For example, below, "Date Added" was selected.
At the top left of your Zotero program is a folder button with a green plus sign. Click this to create a new "collection."
Create collections to organize your references. Collections are like file folders on your computer, but a reference can be in more than one collection at a time. In other words, a book on the Civil War could be filed in your "Civil War" collection, your "Alabama History" collection and your "19th Century America" collection without having to make three copies of the reference.
Within a folder, you can further organize your items by adding subcollections (or subfolders). In the left panel, click on the folder you want to add a subfolder to. Then right click the folder, and select "Add Subcollection" from the menu. (Note if you are on a Mac, hold down the control key while clicking to access the right-click menu).
