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adding_items_to_zotero [2023/07/06 01:24] – [Add Item by Identifier] dstillmanadding_items_to_zotero [2024/04/11 04:29] (current) – [Verify and Edit Your Records] dstillman
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 =====Via your web browser===== =====Via your web browser=====
  
-//To use Zotero properly, you need to install the Zotero Connector for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, in addition to the Zotero desktop app. See [[/download|Downloads]].//+**To use Zotero properly, you need to [[/download|install the Zotero Connector]] for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari, in addition to the Zotero desktop app.**
  
 The Zotero Connector's save button is the most convenient and reliable way to add items with high-quality bibliographic metadata to your Zotero library. As you browse the web, the Zotero Connector will automatically find bibliographic information on webpages you visit and allow you to add it to Zotero with a single click. The Zotero Connector's save button is the most convenient and reliable way to add items with high-quality bibliographic metadata to your Zotero library. As you browse the web, the Zotero Connector will automatically find bibliographic information on webpages you visit and allow you to add it to Zotero with a single click.
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 ===== Adding PDFs and Other Files ===== ===== Adding PDFs and Other Files =====
  
-As noted above, when possible, we recommend saving items [[#add_via_your_web_browser|using the Save to Zotero button]] in your browser from the primary webpage (e.g, a journal article's abstract page) rather than adding PDFs directly. The Save to Zotero button will usually save high-quality metadata and also automatically download the relevant PDF if you have access to it.+As explained above, when possible, we recommend saving items [[#add_via_your_web_browser|using the Save to Zotero button]] in your browser from the primary webpage (e.g, a journal article's abstract page) rather than adding PDFs directly. The Save to Zotero button will usually save high-quality metadata and also automatically download the relevant PDF if you have access to it.
  
-If there's no main webpage, you can click the Save to Zotero button while viewing the PDF in your browser to save the PDF directly. +If there's no primary webpage, you can click the Save to Zotero button while viewing the PDF in your browser to save the PDF directly.
- +
-In cases where you find yourself with a local PDF or other file on your computer — for example, if you received a file via email — you can drag it to Zotero, either onto an existing item to create a child attachment or between items to create a standalone attachment. You can also add an attachment to an existing item by clicking the paperclip button in the Zotero toolbar and selecting "Attach Stored Copy of File…" or "Attach Link to File…", or you can add a standalone attachment by clicking the green plus sign ({{:add.png?nolink&|}}) and choosing "Store Copy of File…" or "Link to File…".+
  
 +If you have a local PDF or other file on your computer — for example, if you received a file via email — you can drag it to Zotero, either onto an existing item to create a child attachment or between items to create a standalone attachment. You can also add an attachment to an existing item by clicking the paperclip button in the Zotero toolbar and selecting "Attach Stored Copy of File…" or "Attach Link to File…", or you can add a standalone attachment by clicking the green plus sign ({{:add.png?nolink&|}}) and choosing "Store Copy of File…" or "Link to File…".
 ==== Standalone Attachments and Parent Items ==== ==== Standalone Attachments and Parent Items ====
  
 Attachments can be either child items or standalone attachments. Standalone attachments can't have bibliographic metadata or child notes, so in most cases you'll want to convert them to child items under regular parent items. Attachments can be either child items or standalone attachments. Standalone attachments can't have bibliographic metadata or child notes, so in most cases you'll want to convert them to child items under regular parent items.
  
-When you add a PDF directly, Zotero will initially save it as a standalone attachment, and then it will automatically attempt to [[retrieve_pdf_metadata|retrieve metadata for it]] and create a parent item. This should work well for most academic PDFs (though it may sometimes yield lower-quality metadata than using the Save to Zotero button on the article page). For other documents, while Zotero can sometimes extract basic information (title, author), you shouldn't expect that — anything can be distributed as a PDF, but that doesn’t mean there’s any standard metadata available for it.+When you add a PDF directly, Zotero will initially save it as a standalone attachment and then automatically attempt to [[retrieve_pdf_metadata|retrieve metadata for it]] and create a parent item. This should work well for most academic PDFs (though it may sometimes yield lower-quality metadata than using the Save to Zotero button on the article page). For other documents, while Zotero can sometimes extract basic information (title, author), you shouldn't expect that — anything can be distributed as a PDF, but that doesn’t mean there’s any standard metadata available for it. 
 + 
 +If Zotero isn't able to retrieve metadata for the PDF, you'll be left with just the standalone attachment. You have a few options:
  
-If Zotero isn't able to retrieve metadata for the PDF, you'll be left with just the standalone attachment. If you can find a source for metadata online, you can save a regular bibliographic item using the Save to Zotero button and drag the attachment item onto the new item. Alternatively, if you have a DOI, ISBN, or other identifier, you can right-click on the attachment item, choose Create Parent Item, and enter the identifier to retrieve metadata. If all else fails, you can click Manual Entry in the Create Parent Item window to enter metadata manually.+  * If you can find a source for metadata online, you can save a regular bibliographic item by [[#add_via_your_web_browser|using the Save to Zotero button on the article page]] and drag the attachment item onto the new item. 
 +  * If you have a DOI, ISBN, or other identifier, you can right-click on the attachment item, choose Create Parent Item, and enter the identifier to retrieve metadata. 
 +  * If all else fails, you can click Manual Entry in the Create Parent Item window to enter metadata manually.
 =====Saving Webpages===== =====Saving Webpages=====
  
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 =====Verify and Edit Your Records===== =====Verify and Edit Your Records=====
  
-** When using Zotero (or any other reference manager) for citing, you should always check items for accuracy after saving them to your library. **+** When using Zotero — or any other reference manager — for citing, you should always check items for accuracy after saving them to your library. **
  
-Zotero will accurately import metadata supplied by most bibliographic databases, library catalogs, publisher sites, and webpages. It will even make adjustments to the metadata to compensate for known quirks (author names in all upper case, etc.) in what the supplier provides. That said, sometimes the metadata that Zotero receives is incomplete or incorrect. For example, one major academic search site often provides the wrong serial name with otherwise correct metadata. Another scholarly research site's metadata can omit some of the authors' names or present them in the wrong order. Even major publishers sometimes provide individual authors' first and last names in the wrong order and inconstantly within the same journal volume and issue or even within the same article. Some publishers' metadata may omit important parts (author names when there are many, journal ISSNs, DOIs, etc.).+Zotero will accurately import metadata supplied by most bibliographic databases, library catalogs, publisher sites, and webpages. It will even make adjustments to the metadata to compensate for known quirks (e.g., author names in all upper case) in what the supplier provides.
  
-Some metadata is provided with only author last names and one or two initials when the authors' full names are provided on the full text version of the article. For author names to be properly disambiguated in author-date styles, the author's name must be consistently and identically entered across all items they contributed to.+That said, sometimes the metadata that Zotero receives is incomplete or incorrect. For example, one major academic search site often provides the wrong serial name with otherwise correct metadata. Another scholarly research site's metadata can omit some of the authors' names or present them in the wrong order. Even major publishers sometimes omit important metadata fields. 
 + 
 +Some metadata is provided with only author last names and one or two initials when the authors' full names are provided on the full-text version of the article. (For author names to be properly disambiguated in author-date styles, the author's name must be consistently and identically entered across all items they contributed to.)
  
 Publishers have different conventions for the casing of titles. No software can accurately and reliably convert title case to sentence case, so you should [[:kb/sentence_casing|always store titles in sentence case]] and let Zotero convert them to title case as necessary. Publishers have different conventions for the casing of titles. No software can accurately and reliably convert title case to sentence case, so you should [[:kb/sentence_casing|always store titles in sentence case]] and let Zotero convert them to title case as necessary.
  
-Zotero users should be aware of these issues and verify that the records in their library are accurate and in the correct format so that Zotero can produce well-formed citations in the text and the bibliography of your manuscript. One of the primary benefits of using a reference manager is that, once you've corrected item data once, your citations will always be correct going forward, in any citation style, no matter how many times you cite them.+You should be aware of these issues and verify that the items in your library are accurate and in the correct format so that Zotero can produce well-formed citations. One of the primary benefits of using a reference manager is that, once you've corrected item data once, your citations will always be correct going forward, in any citation style, no matter how many times you cite them. 
 + 
 +If you do consistently receive incorrect information from a particular source, you should report it — with an example URL or identifier — in the [[/forum|Zotero Forums]], as Zotero developers may be able to update Zotero to automatically correct the incorrect data.
adding_items_to_zotero.1688621089.txt.gz · Last modified: 2023/07/06 01:24 by dstillman