Upgrade Storage[Word] Citation numbering resets to 1 after collaborator returns Word document (originally started i
I am having an issue with Zotero in Microsoft Word while collaborating on a document, and I'm hoping someone can help me diagnose what's going on.
The Problem:
After my collaborator (presumbaly does not use Zotero) edited and returned a Word document, all my Zotero citations seem to have become unlinked. When I try to add a new citation, the numbering restarts from 1, as if the document has never been linked to Zotero before. Refreshing the document does not fix the issue.
Additional Context (Important):
This document originally started as a Google Docs file. I created it there, inserted all my Zotero citations using the Zotero plugin for Google Docs, and shared the Google Docs link with my collaborator. They made their edits in Google Docs and then downloaded the file as a .docx and sent it back to me.
Here's where it gets strange: when I open the returned .docx file in Microsoft Word with the Zotero plugin installed, the citations appear to be partially working. When I right-click on a citation and select "Toggle Field Codes", I can see that the field code contains a link that points to https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/... (i.e., it's still referencing the Google Docs integration rather than the Word processor format).
The citations display correctly in the text, and the bibliography at the end is present. However, despite this, any new citation I add starts numbering from 1, as if Zotero doesn't recognize the existing citations as part of the same document.
Steps to Reproduce:
Create a document in Google Docs with several Zotero citations (using a numbered style like IEEE).
Share the Google Docs link with a collaborator who does not use Zotero.
Collaborator makes edits in Google Docs and downloads the file as a .docx.
Collaborator sends the .docx file back.
Open the .docx file in Microsoft Word with Zotero running and the Zotero plugin installed.
Existing citations display correctly, and toggling field codes shows they still point to zotero.org/google-docs/... URLs.
Click "Refresh" – existing citations do not update.
Attempt to add a new citation – the new citation is numbered '1' instead of continuing the sequence.
What I've Tried:
Clicking the "Refresh" button in the Zotero tab multiple times.
Checking "Show field codes instead of their values" in Word Options (it is unchecked, and the citations display as formatted text).
Toggling "Field Codes" to inspect the underlying links (as noted above, they point to Google Docs URLs).
Closing and reopening both Word and Zotero.
I have not tried the "Switch Word Processors" option yet, as I'm unsure if that is the correct step for this situation.
My Questions:
Is the fact that the field codes still point to zotero.org/google-docs/... the root cause of the numbering reset issue? Does Zotero for Word treat citations with Google Docs-style field codes as "foreign" and therefore not count them when adding new citations?
What is the correct procedure to properly convert this document from Google Docs format to Word format so that Zotero recognizes all citations as active Word citations and numbering continues correctly?
Is there a way to repair these citations without having to delete and re-insert them all?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
The Problem:
After my collaborator (presumbaly does not use Zotero) edited and returned a Word document, all my Zotero citations seem to have become unlinked. When I try to add a new citation, the numbering restarts from 1, as if the document has never been linked to Zotero before. Refreshing the document does not fix the issue.
Additional Context (Important):
This document originally started as a Google Docs file. I created it there, inserted all my Zotero citations using the Zotero plugin for Google Docs, and shared the Google Docs link with my collaborator. They made their edits in Google Docs and then downloaded the file as a .docx and sent it back to me.
Here's where it gets strange: when I open the returned .docx file in Microsoft Word with the Zotero plugin installed, the citations appear to be partially working. When I right-click on a citation and select "Toggle Field Codes", I can see that the field code contains a link that points to https://www.zotero.org/google-docs/... (i.e., it's still referencing the Google Docs integration rather than the Word processor format).
The citations display correctly in the text, and the bibliography at the end is present. However, despite this, any new citation I add starts numbering from 1, as if Zotero doesn't recognize the existing citations as part of the same document.
Steps to Reproduce:
Create a document in Google Docs with several Zotero citations (using a numbered style like IEEE).
Share the Google Docs link with a collaborator who does not use Zotero.
Collaborator makes edits in Google Docs and downloads the file as a .docx.
Collaborator sends the .docx file back.
Open the .docx file in Microsoft Word with Zotero running and the Zotero plugin installed.
Existing citations display correctly, and toggling field codes shows they still point to zotero.org/google-docs/... URLs.
Click "Refresh" – existing citations do not update.
Attempt to add a new citation – the new citation is numbered '1' instead of continuing the sequence.
What I've Tried:
Clicking the "Refresh" button in the Zotero tab multiple times.
Checking "Show field codes instead of their values" in Word Options (it is unchecked, and the citations display as formatted text).
Toggling "Field Codes" to inspect the underlying links (as noted above, they point to Google Docs URLs).
Closing and reopening both Word and Zotero.
I have not tried the "Switch Word Processors" option yet, as I'm unsure if that is the correct step for this situation.
My Questions:
Is the fact that the field codes still point to zotero.org/google-docs/... the root cause of the numbering reset issue? Does Zotero for Word treat citations with Google Docs-style field codes as "foreign" and therefore not count them when adding new citations?
What is the correct procedure to properly convert this document from Google Docs format to Word format so that Zotero recognizes all citations as active Word citations and numbering continues correctly?
Is there a way to repair these citations without having to delete and re-insert them all?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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dstillman Zotero Teamedited today at 1:25pmhttps://www.zotero.org/support/kb/moving_documents_between_word_processors No, sorry. Only by going back to the Google Doc before it was downloaded.