Zotero is getting better and better. In a while, version 1.5 will bring synchronization, online backup of your library, +1100
CSL citation styles, and PDF metadata extraction (for the daring, a
sync preview
version is available). But even in its current incarnation Zotero is
easily one of the best bibliographic managers out there. Here are twelve
tips and tricks that help you to get the most out of it.
- Drag files from the web right into your library
Got a reference in your library, but no PDF? Or saved an item from a
repository which doesn’t provide a fulltext version? Do a quick search
for the title on Google Scholar
— it is good at finding PDFs on author’s webpages. If you find one,
just drag the link from the page onto the reference in your library.
Zotero stores and attaches the PDF for you.
- Enter a series of items by duplicating a template
Adding a series of related references to your library? Start with one
item for which you fill in the fields that are the same for all items
(e.g. editors, book title, year, publisher, place) and duplicate it
(Right-click > Duplicate item). Then fill in the particularities.
- Quick Copy a citation using Ctrl+Alt+C or drag and drop
Sending a PDF to a colleague, or mentioning a reference somewhere?
Quickly copy the citation by selecting the reference and pressing
Ctrl+Alt+C (Command+Alt+C on the Mac), or simply drag it from Zotero
onto any edit window (for example a new email). The default output style
can be specified under Preferences > Export; the shortcut key can be
customized under Shortcut keys.
- Have Zotero index your PDFs
Zotero can index your PDF attachments and make them fully searchable,
turning your library from a mere linked catalogue into a Google Books of
sorts. The option is turned off by default because it relies on an
external open source program (pdf2txt) which is not distributed with
Zotero. However, Zotero can automatically install it and enable fulltext
indexing: simply go to Preferences > Search and click on the ‘Check
for installer’ button. For more info see pdf fulltext indexing in the Zotero documentation.
- Start quicksearch with ” to trigger advanced search
By default, Zotero starts searching when you put the first few
characters in the Search box. In a large library with fulltext indexing
enabled, this can be tiresome (you wanted to look for “statistical
methods”, but Zotero locks down searching for “st”). To avoid this,
simply start your search with ” (double quote) to have Zotero wait until
you finish typing and hit enter.
- Press Ctrl to find out in which collections an item is
Looking at an item in your library and wondering whether you already
categorized it? Press Control and Zotero will highlight the collections
in which it is contained.
- Relocate your Zotero folder to a more sensible place
The default place for the Zotero database and attachments in right in
your Firefox profile, which isn’t the easiest to locate whichever OS you
are on. Go to Preferences > Advanced to customize the storage
location. You can place it in a folder that is included in your regular
backup schedule or put it on a portable drive so that your library
always travels with you (tip: combine it with Firefox Portable, which you can even use without administrator rights).
- Keep track of recent additions using a saved search
Often you add new items without worrying about tagging or putting them
in collections. Click Advanced search, select “Dated Added” > “is in
the last” > X “days/months” and fill in the desired period; then save
the search. This gives you a dynamically updated overview of your
latest additions, so that you can go back to them and do the
categorization and tagging work when it suits you.
- Tag multiple items at once
Want to tag multiple items at once? Select them, make sure the tag
selector is visible in the left pane, and drag them onto the tag you
want to use. The tag will be applied to all items.
- Tag incomplete items to find them back and fix them later
Sometimes you know an item has incomplete metadata (e.g. missing page
numbers or publisher), but you don’t have the time to fix it right away.
Make it a habit to tag such items (“needs metadata”) when you see them.
Now you can find them and fix them whenever you have some time to kill.
- Use a separate folder for files to be ingested
Someone gives you a bunch of PDFs to read; or you download a paper
somewhere without having the metadata handy. Make it a habit to save
such files in a subfolder /new/ in your Zotero folder. Then once in a
while go through that folder. Do a quick search for the title on your
favourite repository,
grab the metadata, and then drag the PDF from your filemanager onto the
reference in Zotero. Much better than having those loose PDFs scattered
all over your hard drive (or in your mailbox!) — and it helps you keep
track of your reading history too.
- Display a timeline to visualize your bibliography
Not a feature you’ll use everyday, but a neat one nonetheless: Zotero
can display your library, or portions of it, on a timeline. Select a
group of references, a tag, or a collection and click ‘Create timeline’
(in the Gear menu). This gives you an overview of the items in time. Now
you have to ask yourself: is the recency bias due to your reading
habits or is it really true that most of the research was done in the
last twenty years? (Probably a bit of both.)
