Export annotations to Atlas.ti - workflow integration

alflamingo

I am interested in using annotations from my literature review I did from Zotero reader and continue coding from Atlasti.

It implies exporting pdfs from Zotero / importing from atlasti working environment.

However for now I could only export what I have highlighted (the colored text), not the comments neither the tags.

If there is no way to do that for now, I would like to share that is "in the air" as for my workflow-research. If there is a way...how to do it?

There is a nice example of what would be the end result and workflow case in atlas.ti documentation:
https://atlasti.com/research-hub/make-use-of-comments-and-annotations-in-word-and-pdf-files

Previous discussions about exporting annotations from zotero:
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/95787/export-pdf-with-annotations
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/91314/export-annotations/

PS: One might like to reflect on the intersections between the new reader (amazing) features from 6.0 with QDA tools and services. To make more clear what to expect and what not to.

adamsmith

I haven't tested this in Atlas, but going by that blogpost, if you just export Zotero items with files (in any format, but using RIS may actually allow you to also import the metadata into Atlase) and select "Export Files" and "Include Annotations", that will include the annotations in standard PDF format that Atlas would then read.

alflamingo

I tried two ways : file->export and export on RIS format. In both cases I could get the highlighted text in atlas (appears in yellow). However, neither the written comments nor the tags were exported (not displayed).

adamsmith

Tags are not a feature of standard PDF annotations, so they can't export. What exactly do you mean by "written comments"? Do you see them when you open the exported PDF with a PDF reader like Acrobat or Preview? If so, that'd be something to report to Atlas.ti

alflamingo

Allright, so by written comment I meant every text you add after highlighting something in the reader. I can see it by opening the file with Okulus and Nitro pdf, so I'll report that on Atlas.ti side. Thanks!

alflamingo

Solved: I Had to upgrade from Atlasti 9 to Atlas 22, and you could do that only from their website and not from the desktop 9 version itself.

From Atlas 22 Desktop interface then, the highlighted text appears with the code "imported annotation" on the right margin (green lozenge) . To see comments I wrote in Zotero reader (aka annotation) I have to right-click on the green lozenge and "edit comment".

But comments appears in Atlas only If I did "export element" in Zotero (and ticked "include annotations", RIS format in my case). I couldn't retrieve my comments when I did "file -> export pdf".

Highlights colors match , that is appear in blue in Atlas if highlighted in blue in Zotero 6.+ reader.

adamsmith

But comments appears in Atlas only If I did "export element" in Zotero (and ticked "include annotations", RIS format in my case). I couldn't retrieve my comments when I did "file -> export pdf".

huh -- I'm pretty sure those should be equivalent. Did the annotations appear in Nitro/Okulus when you used export?

alflamingo

Ah, ok, seems I did it wrong.
Comments are actually displayed on a left pane in Atlas 22.
Right-click on green lozenges does something else.

So yep everything is fine, the two ways mentioned work!