Exporting from Zotero to Endnote Web version

DavidGreen

I've tried to export a libary from ZOTERO to Endnote web version using RIS but although the number of references exported is OK, some of the fields are either missing or the information is misplaced. I've tried importing using different pre-defined styles in Endnote but the same thing happens. I've tried using different kinds of export file formats but had no luck. Any ideas on how to export all the information from ZOTERO?

In case anyone asks why I want to do this, the answer is that I'm working on a shared project with 3 others who don't use ZOTERO but do use Endnote, so we want a way to share all our information. However, I'm open to any ideas on better ways of sharing.

Thanks

David

noksagt

RIS is still a fairly limited flatfile format that (though it has had some some useful revisions) will never be able to transfer data with perfect clarity. That being said, EndNote Web can't import some of the richer formats & RIS is probably the best bet now.

We need a more detailed report to diagnose this, though. In some cases, we can improve RIS export. In other cases, RIS might not have a way of conveying some data. In still some others, we may already export data, but EndNote Web may fail to import it.

DavidGreen

Thanks for this.

There are several issues
1. It seems that all the exported entries from ZOTERO to Endnote Web are treated as if they were journal articles ( e.g. a book section is not recognied as such)
2. There are - inserted before information on title of article and on most other entries
3. Where a set of page references for an article have been entered in ZOTERO ( i.e. 53-71) when they appear in Endnote the initial set of pages has disappeared ( ie -71)
4. When a book has been exported from ZOTERO, the publisher and place of publication does not appear in Endnote, although there is a section 'Notes' in which the place of publication appears.


No doubt there are other elements that don't seem to translate. It seems like the issue is that the export process forces everything into a journal article format, and that some information is lost or misplaced as well.

Thanks - I really appreciate both ZOTERO (my preferred system) and your advice.

David

adamsmith

Open the RIS file that Zotero exports with a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. It should look something like this:
https://gist.github.com/4105816

Note how the "TY" field is different for Book, Chapter, and Journal article, how page ranges are given as SP - EP - and how publisher (PB) and place of publication (CY) are included in the export.
If your export looks the same way, there is nothing we can do:
This conforms exactly to the standards published by Endnote, if Endnote Web doesn't support that, it's entirely their problem and you should complain to them about it. (If at all possible, you should avoid EndnoteWeb altogether, it's an insultingly bad piece of software)

DavidGreen

Hi Adam

Thanks alot for this. When I open the RIS file the field names look different e.g.

%0 Journal Article
%T Gift giving and the emotional significance of family and friends
%V 59
%N 3
%P 747-757
%J Journal of Marriage and the Family
%A Komter, Aafke
%A Vollebergh, Wilma
%D 1997
%K Inheritance
Intervivos

%0 Book Section
%T Inheritance and inequality withinthe family: equal divisions among unequals, or do the poor get more?
%C Oxford
%I Clarendon Press
%P 79-104
%B Modelling the Accumulation and Distribution of Wealth
%A Tomes, N.
%E Kessler, D.
%E Masson, A.
%D 1988
%K INHERITANCE; INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSFERS

If at this stage, there's nothing more to do other than avoid EndnoteWeb, so be it, but I was just curious if there was a way around it. Thanks for the advice so far.

David

adamsmith

are you sure this is RIS rexport from Zotero? The format is valid and EW should be able to import it, but it's Refer/Bibix - I think RIS is going to be a better bet.

DavidGreen

Hi Adam

I checked again. I saved and exported my Zotero search in RIS format. I opened the RIS file using Wordpad and got the following

TY - JOUR
TI - Caring for the widowed spouse: the use of wills in northern Sweden during the eighteenth and nineteenth centurues
AU - Agren, Maria
T2 - Continuity and Change
VL - 19
IS - 1
SP - 45
EP - 71
KW - Inheritance
KW - Sweden
ER -

TY - JOUR
TI - When there was no male heir: the transfer of wealth through women in Catalonia (the pubilla)
AU - Alos, llorenc Ferrer
T2 - Continuity and Change
DA - 2005///
PY - 2005
VL - 20
IS - 1
SP - 27
EP - 52
KW - Inheritance
KW - Spain
ER -

TY - BOOK
TI - Inherited Wealth
AU - Beckert, Jens
CY - Princeton, NJ
PB - Princeton University Press
KW - Inheritance
ER -


etc.

I then imported this into EndnoteWeb again with the same results - i.e. loss of information - as desribed above. I tried several different options for importing into Endnote using their predefined syles

Medline
PubMed
ScFinder
Scopus
Web of Science
MIMAS

Pretty well all with the same outcome - i.e. various types of information were lost.

I appreciate your help. If this is as far as we can go, so be it. Just confirms that ZOTERO is superior!

Thanks

David

noksagt

EndNote Web suggests that you import RIS from most other tools. As you can see, Zotero exports standard RIS (Inherited Wealth is a book in your example; page numbers, publisher, and place are all handled properly).

You'll need to contact the makers of EndNote Web for support on importing this file more successfully.

DavidGreen

Thanks - guess I'll start asking Endnote Web the answer. If I get to a solution, I'll post it here!

David