Shuvangkar Das, PhD

2 minute read

If you’re using Obsidian for research, notes, or writing papers, adding citations becomes essential. I often get asked:

“How do you manage citations in markdown inside Obsidian?” “How do you add citations in the markdown file” How to add reference in obsidian notes? What is the automated way to add reference or citation in obsidian?

Let me walk you through three ways—starting from the simplest to the most powerful automation I use every day to add Citations in Obsidian (Simple + Automated Ways)

✅ Method 1: Manual Footnote Citation

This is the most basic method. It works for short notes or quick references.

Step-by-step:

  1. At the point where you want to cite, add: 
     This idea was inspired by Smith et al. ^[1]
  2. Then, at the bottom of the note (or under a ## References heading), add: 
     [^1]: Smith, J. (2020). *Understanding AI*. AI Press.

    It’s simple but can get repetitive if you cite frequently.

⚙️ Method 2: Fully Automated Citations Using Zotero + Plugin

If you deal with a lot of PDFs and academic papers, Zotero is a must-have.

What I Do:

  1. Store PDFs in Zotero
    I organize all my research papers in Zotero. It manages metadata, tags, and more.
  2. Use the Obsidian Zotero Integration
    • I use the the Citations Plugin.
    • Set up a BibTeX export from Zotero into Obsidian folder
    • Refer the BibTex to Citations Plugin
  3. Insert Citations with a Shortcut
    Once the plugin is configured, I can just type my predefined shortcut and pick the paper I want. It automatically generates citations and bibliography for me.

I even made a video showing the setup process:

After setup, it feels like magic. I can reference any of my 500+ papers in seconds—no copy-pasting required.

🔁 Method 3: Semi-Automated Footnote with Shortcut

This bridges the gap between manual and fully automated.

How It Works:

  • I use the Footnote Shortcut Plugin in Obsidian.
  • I configure a hotkey so when I press it, it creates a footnote block automatically.
  • I then paste the reference inside. It’s faster than manual, and works well when you don’t use Zotero or just want quick footnote-style citations. —

    Final Thoughts

    There’s no “one right way”—it depends on your workflow.
    But if you’re doing academic writing or managing lots of references:

Go for Zotero + Plugin. It saves hours over time.

If you’re writing casual notes or blog posts, the footnote method works just fine.

Let me know if you want a tutorial on setting up Zotero or Obsidian plugins. I’d be happy to share more.

Shuvangkar Das, PhD Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

☎ Connect with me

📚References

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