Import of citations just works badly

mlacher

Hi there,

Doing my PhD, I'm using Zotero extensively. I really like many features, but import is not one of those. I very often get the message, that the file format is wrong, although I use RIS or Bibtex from very well know sources as APAnet. Also, if it works, the citation is just somewhere and not within the collection I'm in at the moment, which is very inconvenient.

So, to illustrate, I just downloaded this citation from Sage: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224 as BIBtex file which looks like this:

@article{doi:10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224,
author = {Niels A. Taatgen and Frank J. Lee},
title ={Production Compilation: A Simple Mechanism to Model Complex Skill Acquisition},

journal = {Human Factors},
volume = {45},
number = {1},
pages = {61-76},
year = {2003},
doi = {10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224},
note ={PMID: 12916582},

URL = {

https://doi.org/10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224



},
eprint = {

https://doi.org/10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224



}
,
abstract = { In this article we describe production compilation, a mechanism for modeling skill acquisition. Production compilation has been developed within the ACT-Rational (ACT-R; J. R. Anderson, D. Bothell, M. D. Byrne, \& C. Lebiere, 2002) cognitive architecture and consists of combining and specializing task-independent procedures into task-specific procedures. The benefit of production compilation for researchers in human factors is that it enables them to test the strengths and weaknesses of their task analyses and user models by allowing them to model the learning trajectory from the main task level and the unit task level down to the keystroke level. We provide an example of this process by developing and describing a model learning a simulated air traffic controller task. Actual or potential applications of this research include the evaluation of user interfaces, the design of systems that support learning, and the building of user models. }
}

When I copy this and use "import from clibboard" I get the error message that the format was not supported, but in the list of formats, although bibTeX clearly is listed there. I've tried RIS, which gives me this:

TY - JOUR
T1 - Production Compilation: A Simple Mechanism to Model Complex Skill Acquisition
AU - Taatgen, Niels A.
AU - Lee, Frank J.
Y1 - 2003/03/01
PY - 2003
DA - 2003/03/01
N1 - doi: 10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224
DO - 10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224
T2 - Human Factors
JF - Human Factors
JO - Hum Factors
SP - 61
EP - 76
VL - 45
IS - 1
PB - SAGE Publications Inc
N2 - In this article we describe production compilation, a mechanism for modeling skill acquisition. Production compilation has been developed within the ACT-Rational (ACT-R; J. R. Anderson, D. Bothell, M. D. Byrne, & C. Lebiere, 2002) cognitive architecture and consists of combining and specializing task-independent procedures into task-specific procedures. The benefit of production compilation for researchers in human factors is that it enables them to test the strengths and weaknesses of their task analyses and user models by allowing them to model the learning trajectory from the main task level and the unit task level down to the keystroke level. We provide an example of this process by developing and describing a model learning a simulated air traffic controller task. Actual or potential applications of this research include the evaluation of user interfaces, the design of systems that support learning, and the building of user models.
SN - 0018-7208
M3 - doi: 10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224
UR - https://doi.org/10.1518/hfes.45.1.61.27224
Y2 - 2024/06/26
ER -

But when I import it, it looks like this:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u5587184/m54mi4r4mmk2hq51h2ly.png

All in all the complete import procedure is not a good and up-to-date experience, I would really love to have something easier (I know there is the magic wand for DOI import, which is great, but doesn't seem to work for this article and sometimes books or older articles don't have a DOI).

Thanks a lot for your work,

Regards, Martin

dstillman

First, please skip the sweeping generalizations ("Import of citations just works badly", "the complete import procedure is not a good and up-to-date experience") when posting here and just explain the problem that you're experiencing. From the forum guidelines:

sometimes you're the only person experiencing a particular problem, or maybe you just didn't discover the best way to perform a task

Both of those apply here.

To start, you seem a bit confused about how to use Zotero. To save from almost any website, all you need to do is click the Save to Zotero button in your browser toolbar. There's absolutely no reason you would download a BibTeX or RIS file from Sage to save a single item to Zotero.

But both of the above entries also work totally fine for me. (The RIS is slightly better, and that's what Zotero itself uses when you use the Save to Zotero button on Sage.) Reset your translators from the Advanced → Files and Folders section of the Zotero settings. If importing still isn't working right, we'd want to see a Debug ID for an import attempt that doesn't work (but again, that's not what you would use in normal usage).

Also, if it works, the citation is just somewhere and not within the collection I'm in at the moment, which is very inconvenient.

It's not "just somewhere" — it just doesn't import into any collection, by design, to avoid accidentally filling up the current collection with unrelated items — but for Zotero 7, we've changed it to import into the current collection if you don't choose to create a new collection. Import from Clipboard has always imported into the current collection.

mlacher

First, my apologies for the inappropriate way of wording my problems. You're absolutely right, in fact, the short answer to my post should have been "RTFM"...

Thanks for all your tips. I installed the Zotero connector for Firefox and Chrome. In both it works like a charm, but in Firefox I don't manage to get a button for it in the menu bar. So it's just one click more, that's still ok and a lot easier than any other import solution!

The reset of translators also helped, now the import from the clipboard works.

I'm looking forward to Zotero 7 - is there a release date?

Thanks for all your work, including responding kindly to grumpy persons as myself. :(

Have a wonderful day, Martin

dstillman

in Firefox I don't manage to get a button for it in the menu bar

See No Toolbar Button for steps to pin the button.