Blinding a Reference in a Bibliography for an author of a manuscript under review?

mragab73

Hi
Please, how I could blind a Reference in a Bibliography (using Zotero) for an author of a manuscript under review? This is the request of the editorial board for a double-blinded review process.

I'd be appreciated if one can inform me about a simple way to do it. I found an old thread from 2013 that I could not understand.
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/32927/anonymize-authors
Thanks in Advance.

adamsmith

There's nothing automated. You'd unlink citations in the submission copy & then manually remove/replace your citations.

bwiernik

You can also edit your item in your library. I've done that a few times. This is the workflow I use to make it easy to reverse later:

1. Install the Zutilo plugin. This adds a bunch of shortcuts to the right click menu.
2. Select the item, right click, and choose Copy Creators to Clipboard from the Zutilo menu.
3. Paste the authors to a note attached to the item.
4. Delete the authors from the item and then make the first author [Author Blinded] in single-field mode.
5. Refresh your document.

When the paper is accepted or you need to cite it elsewhere:
1. Delete the [Author Blinded] author from the item.
2. Copy the authors from the note.
3. Right click on the item and choose Paste Creators from Clipboard from the Zutilo menu.
4. Refresh your document.

mragab73

Thanks for the prompt reply.
Kindly, How I unlink the citation without affecting other references, for those who don't know?

mragab73

Thanks, bwiernik for this advice. I'll try it and would extend my gratitude for your help.

mragab73

Hi
It seems that the link for the Zutilo plugin is not working. It says could not be downloaded from the site because it is corrupt!!
Any alternate sources?

adamsmith

You're likely just clicking on it in Firefox. You need to download (Save link as...) and the install in Zotero.

mragab73

Please, It did not show up in spite I installed it in the Zotero files?
How it could be seen in Word 2007 as a plug-in with the Zotero?

mragab73

This Zutilo is not easy to install?!

adamsmith

You'll need to spend some time familiarizing yourself with the add-on. It works in Zotero, not in Word.

bwiernik

Please re-read my instructions above. They concern editing the items in your Zotero library, not in Word

mragab73

Dear bwiernik and adamsmith
I followed the rules and your advice yet I have been faced with that the plugin could not be downloaded because it is corrupt and there is no XPI extension for it.
However, I tried on the original Zotero to edit the metadata of the reference and deleted all of them except for the title *Blinded* and it worked. I don't know if it would be reversed if the manuscript would be accepted or not.
Thanks for this fruitful discussion. I had learned something new.

bwiernik

The plugin definitely works and there is an xpi on the release page:
https://github.com/wshanks/Zutilo/releases/download/v3.9.0/zutilo.xpi

Right click on that, choose Download File or Save Link Target As, save the file, then drag it onto the Add-ins window in Zotero