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| use_cases [2009/06/17 13:02] – ahoward | use_cases [2011/12/11 14:16] – [Other Uses] adamsmith |
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| Of increasing importance at this point is [[word_processor_integration|word processor integration]]. Zotero, by itself, can generate citations and bibliographies for you, but only in response to specific commands, and once they're created, any subsequent changes must be made by hand. The Word and OpenOffice plugins, on the other hand, keep track of citations from within your document. When citations are added through the plugin, the bibliographic style of the entire document can be changed on the fly. Further, bibliographies can be created with the click of a button, without any need to go back to the Zotero client and select all the sources you used. It's all done automatically. The longer your paper gets, the more sources you're likely to accumulate and the more essential the Zotero word processor plugins become. | Of increasing importance at this point is [[word_processor_integration|word processor integration]]. Zotero, by itself, can generate citations and bibliographies for you, but only in response to specific commands, and once they're created, any subsequent changes must be made by hand. The Word and OpenOffice plugins, on the other hand, keep track of citations from within your document. When citations are added through the plugin, the bibliographic style of the entire document can be changed on the fly. Further, bibliographies can be created with the click of a button, without any need to go back to the Zotero client and select all the sources you used. It's all done automatically. The longer your paper gets, the more sources you're likely to accumulate and the more essential the Zotero word processor plugins become. |
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| Another element that becomes increasingly important is that of data backup. There are many options at your disposal, not least of which is using [[2.0 Beta]]. However, the gold standard for backup is to archive the Zotero data directory periodically. This is pretty easy to find. Simply open the Zotero preferences window and click on the [[/preferences/advanced|Advanced tab]]. In the Storage Location section, click on the "Show Data Directory" button. This will open the data directory in your file browser. Your options from here are nearly limitless. You can use some third-party software like Mozy to regularly backup your data. You can create a cron job to archive the folder and copy it to an external hard drive or network drive. You can burn the directory to DVD and store it in your freezer. Take your pick. If, for some reason, you lose your data, you can simply overwrite your data directory with the backed up copy and you'll be back in business. | Another element that becomes increasingly important is that of data backup. There are many options at your disposal, not least of which is using [[2.0]]. However, the gold standard for backup is to archive the Zotero data directory periodically. This is pretty easy to find. Simply open the Zotero preferences window and click on the [[/preferences/advanced|Advanced tab]]. In the Storage Location section, click on the "Show Data Directory" button. This will open the data directory in your file browser. Your options from here are nearly limitless. You can use some third-party software like Mozy to regularly backup your data. You can create a cron job to archive the folder and copy it to an external hard drive or network drive. You can burn the directory to DVD and store it in your freezer. Take your pick. If, for some reason, you lose your data, you can simply overwrite your data directory with the backed up copy and you'll be back in business. |
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| ===== Theses and Dissertations ===== | ===== Theses and Dissertations ===== |
| Zotero lends itself to use in many other respects. By using Zotero throughout their academic careers, grad students can have a complete repository of notes and reactions at their disposal when it comes times to take comprehensive exams. You can prepare for oral exams by tailoring searches and using the results in much the way you would use flashcards, checking your knowledge of important documents and ideas against details stored in your library. | Zotero lends itself to use in many other respects. By using Zotero throughout their academic careers, grad students can have a complete repository of notes and reactions at their disposal when it comes times to take comprehensive exams. You can prepare for oral exams by tailoring searches and using the results in much the way you would use flashcards, checking your knowledge of important documents and ideas against details stored in your library. |
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| If you are part of a small group collaborating on a project, you can share a single Zotero.org account and, using Zotero 1.5, work from a single shared library. This makes it easy to keep up on research each group member is conducting and sharing thoughts and ideas. Larger groups can integrate Zotero citations into collaborative websites, using [[/dev/making_COinS|COinS]] to create [[http://www.zotero.org/blog/bibliographies-and-syllabi-just-got-smarter/|smart bibliographies]] that collaborators can easily import into their own Zotero library. Libraries or collections can be exported, complete with files, to a variety of different formats, allowing for easy sharing and importing of large amounts of data. | If you are part of a small group collaborating on a project, you can, using Zotero 2.0, create a Zotero group to share a library between the group members. This makes it easy to keep up on research each group member is conducting and sharing thoughts and ideas. Larger groups can integrate Zotero citations into collaborative websites, using [[/support/dev/exposing_metadata/coins|COinS]] to create [[http://www.zotero.org/blog/bibliographies-and-syllabi-just-got-smarter/|smart bibliographies]] that collaborators can easily import into their own Zotero library. Libraries or collections can be exported, complete with files, to a variety of different formats, allowing for easy sharing and importing of large amounts of data. |
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| Teachers instructing students in the process of conducting research can evaluate their progress by having them generate Zotero [[reports]] of the sources they have compiled to that point. | Teachers instructing students in the process of conducting research can evaluate their progress by having them generate Zotero [[reports]] of the sources they have compiled to that point. |
| There are many different ways and many different places Zotero can be adopted at your institution. The ultimate goal, of course, is for students to embrace it, but in order for that to happen, they must know about it. Fortunately, most schools already have the perfect forum for introduction to Zotero: freshman composition courses. Either a simple introduction to Zotero or its regular use in the class can provide students with a tool that will aid them throughout their college careers. Any subsequent writing-intensive or research methodology courses could expand beyond a simple introduction, demonstrating how to route their entire workflow through Zotero. By the time students are enrolled in graduate or doctoral research seminars Zotero becomes a truly invaluable tool. Time spent demonstrating Zotero in these classes could be earned back a hundredfold. | There are many different ways and many different places Zotero can be adopted at your institution. The ultimate goal, of course, is for students to embrace it, but in order for that to happen, they must know about it. Fortunately, most schools already have the perfect forum for introduction to Zotero: freshman composition courses. Either a simple introduction to Zotero or its regular use in the class can provide students with a tool that will aid them throughout their college careers. Any subsequent writing-intensive or research methodology courses could expand beyond a simple introduction, demonstrating how to route their entire workflow through Zotero. By the time students are enrolled in graduate or doctoral research seminars Zotero becomes a truly invaluable tool. Time spent demonstrating Zotero in these classes could be earned back a hundredfold. |
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| Students are not the only ones at your institution who can gain by adopting Zotero, however. In earlier versions of Zotero, it was necessary to bring your library around on a USB stick to use it in a school library. With Zotero 1.5 Sync Preview, however, it is now a simple matter to sync libraries from online servers. Having Zotero pre-loaded on every library computer would allow students to sit down anywhere and pick up their research right where they left off by simply entering their Zotero.org and WebDAV credentials. Writing centers can use Zotero much as it would be in a freshman writing course. It's simply a good habit to get into and can contribute significantly to improving a student's writing. | Students are not the only ones at your institution who can gain by adopting Zotero, however. In earlier versions of Zotero, it was necessary to bring your library around on a USB stick to use it in a school library. With Zotero 2.0, however, it is now a simple matter to sync libraries from online servers. Having Zotero pre-loaded on every library computer would allow students to sit down anywhere and pick up their research right where they left off by simply entering their Zotero.org and WebDAV credentials. Writing centers can use Zotero much as it would be in a freshman writing course. It's simply a good habit to get into and can contribute significantly to improving a student's writing. |
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| Centers for Teaching Excellence can show teachers the value of Zotero in a classroom setting. Apart from being good for students, generally, teachers instructing students in the process of conducting research can evaluate their progress by having them generate reports of the sources they have compiled to that point. This same feature can be used by assessment groups to track trends in students' research habits. An entire school's worth of such data would give a very good idea of how students are performing and how they can improve. | Centers for Teaching Excellence can show teachers the value of Zotero in a classroom setting. Apart from being good for students, generally, teachers instructing students in the process of conducting research can evaluate their progress by having them generate reports of the sources they have compiled to that point. This same feature can be used by assessment groups to track trends in students' research habits. An entire school's worth of such data would give a very good idea of how students are performing and how they can improve. |
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| Campus installs of Zotero are quite easy. It is simply a matter of including Zotero in the master disk image. The Word and OpenOffice plugins can also be distributed in the same manner. Many schools provide network storage to their students. If it is configured to support the WebDAV protocol, students can make use of it to sync their files, in addition to using their Zotero.org account to sync their library data. | Campus installs of Zotero are quite easy. It is simply a matter of including Zotero in the master disk image. The Word and OpenOffice plugins can also be distributed in the same manner. Many schools provide network storage to their students. If it is configured to support the WebDAV protocol, students can make use of it to sync their files, in addition to using their Zotero.org account to sync their library data. |
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