Upgrade StorageFeature Request: Citing & Quoting Annotations
Citing Annotations:
When using Zotero and the Zotero PDF Viewer Annotation feature, I expected that these annotations would be cite-able - but unfortunately, they aren’t.
It’s quite frustrating to work in my TeX/Office document and constantly switch back and forth between the document window and Zotero just to check which page the citation I have in mind is on. Then, I have to manually enter the page number into the citation. This is cumbersome and interrupts the workflow.
To streamline this, I propose enhancing the Add/Edit Zotero Citation feature by allowing users to select annotations they’ve already made in the document. For example, there could be an additional input field in the citation edit options (where the Page/Prefix/Suffix fields currently are) that features a search bar or dropdown menu listing all annotations from the selected document!
This feature would automatically cite the annotation's page -and potentially even the line within the page -removing the need to manually add these details or constantly switch windows. It would save time and make the process far more efficient.
Quoting Annotations:
Additionally, when I first started using Zotero, I hoped for a way to quote annotations directly in my work. For example, if I’ve already made an annotation in the Zotero PDF Viewer, it should be simple to insert a quoted citation based on that annotation.
To achieve this, the Add/Edit Citation feature could be expanded to include the ability to select an annotation (as stated previously) and add a check box asking whether the annotation should be quoted infront or after the citation --> With just one extra click, this would integrate the quote into my citation seamlessly, either before or after it, depending on the context.
With these two features, Zotero would become a true powerhouse for academic work. It would enable significantly faster workflows without constant window switching, and it would provide features that are genuinely necessary for efficient referencing and annotation use.
What do you think?
When using Zotero and the Zotero PDF Viewer Annotation feature, I expected that these annotations would be cite-able - but unfortunately, they aren’t.
It’s quite frustrating to work in my TeX/Office document and constantly switch back and forth between the document window and Zotero just to check which page the citation I have in mind is on. Then, I have to manually enter the page number into the citation. This is cumbersome and interrupts the workflow.
To streamline this, I propose enhancing the Add/Edit Zotero Citation feature by allowing users to select annotations they’ve already made in the document. For example, there could be an additional input field in the citation edit options (where the Page/Prefix/Suffix fields currently are) that features a search bar or dropdown menu listing all annotations from the selected document!
This feature would automatically cite the annotation's page -and potentially even the line within the page -removing the need to manually add these details or constantly switch windows. It would save time and make the process far more efficient.
Quoting Annotations:
Additionally, when I first started using Zotero, I hoped for a way to quote annotations directly in my work. For example, if I’ve already made an annotation in the Zotero PDF Viewer, it should be simple to insert a quoted citation based on that annotation.
To achieve this, the Add/Edit Citation feature could be expanded to include the ability to select an annotation (as stated previously) and add a check box asking whether the annotation should be quoted infront or after the citation --> With just one extra click, this would integrate the quote into my citation seamlessly, either before or after it, depending on the context.
With these two features, Zotero would become a true powerhouse for academic work. It would enable significantly faster workflows without constant window switching, and it would provide features that are genuinely necessary for efficient referencing and annotation use.
What do you think?
Direct selection of annotations from the plugins is planned.
Regarding Quotes:
While your workaround for quoting annotations is a small step forward, it remains cumbersome in practice.
Using the "Add Note from Annotations" feature requires constant updates to the notes whenever annotations are changed. This involves multiple additional steps:
1. Leaving the Zotero PDF Viewer tab to switch to the Library tab.
2. Searching for the document to update, as you realisticly got multiple Tabs open and swap between those -> so you are never in the proper Library of the document you now like to note
3. Right-clicking the document to generate a new note from annotations.
4. Deleting the previous note because it doesn’t update, and a second, redundant note is created.
After this, I still need to switch back to my TeX/Office document, "Add/Edit Citation", and then "Add Note". However, instead of being able to select a single annotation, I’m forced to deal with the entire note, which includes every annotation. This requires deleting all unwanted content manually.
For large documents, such as 600-page books with 1,000 annotations, this process becomes completely unmanageable.
The ideal approach would be to allow existing annotations to be selected individually for quoting. My 2 Solutions above to have another search field or dropdown menu together with a simple checkbox within the "Add/Edit Citation" feature could enable this, bypassing the note system entirely. This would eliminate the need to update notes and avoid the hassle of managing or deleting unnecessary content.
As it stands, the most practical method is still what I outlined in my initial post: entirely manual labor. This involves copying text directly from the Zotero PDF Viewer and manually adding the quote to your Tex/Office document, and than complete it with the "Add/Edit Citation" - which again requires you to remember what page it was on, else you can swap windows again to get this information. Unfortunately, this is far from efficient or user-friendly.
"Direct selection of annotations from the plugins is planned. "
I do not understand what exactly you mean by plugin? I am not using third party plugins. Are you referring for the regular Zotero Inhouse Plugins for Office suites, that feature the "Add/Edit Citation"/"Add Note"/"Add/Edit Bibliography"?
As I stated: A Literature-Managment software without adding Citations of Annotations dynamically and quoting them is imho missing the opportunity to grant this desperate needed feature which is a necessity for academics, and a streamlined workflow.
I already said direct citing of annotations is planned — yes, in the official word processor plugins. (What else would I be talking about? The previous two sentences referred to existing functionality in "the word processor plugins".)
And I explained what you can do in the meantime. The idea is that you can start building up your document in a Zotero note, inserting annotations as you go. When you're ready to transfer it to a word processor document, you can do so and get active citations from the annotations. If that doesn't work for you, OK, but you don't need to waste explaining why we should implement the feature I've already said we're going to implement.
As English is not my first language, and with you bringing up workarounds, it is necessary for me to not lose track and precisely state the steps you propose and why they are not the solution my department or university members seek. I appreciate if you take the time of having a conversation and not being in a rush.
"yes, in the official word processor plugins."
This is a prime example of confusion, as "word processor plugin" is not something I understand right away. If you refer for Microsoft Word, thats nothing I use. I get your point that you mean "Office" in that case, right? But with other terms its not that obvious to me. As I use TeX and LibreOffice, it would help if you could be more specific and name things clearly - like, I assume, "Office Processor Plugin"?
If your term is the proper one from the documentation I am fine with it, I just need it clear so I can look it up to educate myself.
"already said direct citing of annotations is planned - yes"
May I ask for confirmation that this will skip the hassles I stated above, now that there is still a chance to provide user input on how the workflow could look? Will it allow me to never leave my TeX/Office document and "directly cite annotations"? If so, I’m glad I’m late to the game in suggesting this :)
Just so we’re on the same page: I came here to offer donations to your project or to support contributors financially to tackle this issue as my entire department desperately needs this feature. I would appreciate if we could work together without me feeling like I’m receiving impatient replies that only add to the confusion.
Thank you
EDIT:
See - now we’re both a bit confused! :)
I asked for two different features: Citing and Quoting.
Your first reply suggested using Notes for quoting, and you referred to a planned feature for citing.
In my reply, I explained why your quoting option isn’t feasible for my use case.
However, your next response only addressed the citing of annotations and seemed to mix it up with quoting annotations:
"I already said direct citing of annotations is planned—yes ... And I explained what you can do in the meantime."
So, may I ask: What about quoting annotations in the future? Will there be a similar "direct quote of annotations" feature, like the planned "direct citing of annotations"?
Thanks again for your time and clarification! :)