Using journal article annotations with Zotero to improve scientific literacy in course-based undergraduate research experiences

Journal Article Annotations with Zotero (JAAZ) is an activity designed to help undergraduate life science students develop essential skills for critically engaging with research articles while building proficiency in reference management. This structured, multi-part assignment introduces students to Zotero, a free reference manager, and guides them in actively engaging with scientific literature. Students use Zotero to read and annotate journal articles, which provides them with experience in evaluating scientific literature. Articles are first annotated independently with notes that define terminology, explain complex concepts, and identify the main points of the study. Then, in reading groups, students discuss the article and their independent annotations, working together to produce a consensus group-annotated version that is shared with the class. By making the annotation process a collaborative resource, JAAZ makes research articles more accessible, enabling students to engage with a greater number of articles in less time while improving overall comprehension. Students also build skills in critically evaluating whether an article is relevant and should be cited in their own research writing. We find that this activity helps undergraduate life science students enrolled in bioinformatics research courses become more confident in navigating scientific literature and managing references.