Workshop/Guide Materials - Useful Firefox Browser Add-ons for Your Research - Research & Technology Guides at University of Michigan Library

About the Guide

Are you a Mozilla Firefox browser user? Do you want to know about free Firefox plug-ins and add-ons that could enhance your web browsing experience, especially when working on your research? In this guide, we will highlight selected time-saving helper applications and short-cuts to assist with searching and writing/citing (for example, Proxy Server Bookmarklet, Zotero).

About Mozilla Firefox

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Finding Add-Ons

How do you find add-ons of interest to you? Below are some suggested links to sites that can help you figure out what add-ons to download and install. Note however that with Mozilla Firefox's frequent version updates, add-ons can quickly become incompatible.

Add-Ons for Firefox
Mozilla's site of Firefox add-ons. Site includes featured add-ons, as well as top rated by users and most popular (based on downloads).
Firefox Add-ons & Plugins
CNET's editor's picks.
Top 10 Best Firefox Add-Ons for Improved Browsing
From NotebookReview.com (2010).
Best Firefox Extensions and Add-Ons of 2012
From PC Magazine.

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Recommended Add-Ons

Below are four add-ons or tools we like to recommend to Firefox users.

Google Scholar Search Engine
Adds Google Scholar to the Firefox search box in the Menu bar.
Smart Keywords
Technique allows you to search specific web sites directly from the Firefox location bar.
U-M Library Proxy Server Bookmarklet
Our proxy bookmarklet lets you reload a web page through the U-M Library's proxy server. This gives current UM students, faculty, and staff immediate access from off-campus to resources for which the library has a subscription.
Zotero
Zotero is a citation management toll that helps you collect, manage, and cite your research sources.

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Add-Ons Suggested by Workshop Participants

Past workshop participants have suggested the following add-ons. If you'd like to help us identify useful add-ons, please feel free to share your comments here.

AutoPager
AutoPager automatically loads next pages when you reach the end of a page on sites such as Google and Yahoo.
Awesome Screenshot
Capture the whole page or any portion, annotate it with rectangles, circles, arrows, lines and text, blur sensitive info, one-click upload to share.
Book Burro
When you are viewing information on the Web about a book, this add-on allows you to view a list of prices for that book at other sites, as well as check if your library carries the book.
ColorfulTabs
This add-on displays every tab in a different color and makes them easy to distinguish.
DownThemAll!
This tool lets you download all the links or images contained in a webpage. It also allows you to pause and resume downloads at any time.
ImTranslator
Provides real-time translations for over 1000 languages when you simply highlight a word on a web page.
LastPass Password Manager
An online password management tool that encrypts your password locally.
Read It Later
Save pages to read later with just one click. When you have time, access your reading list from any computer or phone, even without an internet connection.
Readability
Readability makes reading web pages simpler and more enjoyable by stripping the superfluous information and showing the main content of a web page in a single column of easy-to-read text.
Session Manager
Session Manager saves and restores the state of all windows - either when you want it or automatically at startup and after crashes.
Xmarks
Xmarks keeps your bookmarks, passwords and open tabs backed up and synchronized across computers and browsers.