Cannot add JSTOR Items by identifier (neither DOI nor URL)

johnlaudun
I can successfully export an RIS file from STOR and then import it into Zotero (Mac, standalone), but I don't think I have ever been able to use use the magic wand import feature with JSTOR, or at least reliably. (I think it may have worked once or twice.)

I have tried typing in the permanent JSTOR URL and I have tried grabbing the JSTOR number and adding JSTOR's DOI preface.

Is there a way to do this? I prefer it to the more cumbersome export RIS file method because I have a number of extant JSTOR documents, many of which are printed out, that I would like to include in my Zotero library, especially for the purposes of collecting diverse notes in one place, and being able to use the magic wand is far simpler.
  • aurimas
    edited May 21, 2012
    I have tried typing in the permanent JSTOR URL
    Magic wand box only takes ISBN, PubMed ID, and DOI
    I have tried grabbing the JSTOR number and adding JSTOR's DOI preface.
    I'm not sure what prefix you are adding. From a quick look I couldn't find any articles with assigned DOIs

    If you already have some papers printed out, probably the easiest thing for you would be to find them again on JSTOR and use the Zotero button in the URL bar to import the article into Zotero.

    If you have PDFs saved on your computer, you can follow the same as above, or you can try using Zotero's Retrieve PDF Metadata functionality. Depending on the PDF, this may not be possible, however.
  • johnlaudun
    edited May 21, 2012
    I'm not sure what prefix you are adding. From a quick look I couldn't find any articles with assigned DOI
    The DOI prefix for JSTOR is 10.2307. Normally the way you configure it is simply to add that prefix to the JSTOR identifier with a forward slash in between, like this:

    10.2307/455826

    This actually resolves correctly when submitted to a DOI lookup, but it's not clear to me what Zotero uses.

    By the way, this is also JSTOR's internal identifier as well. (You'll see them if you ever use the Data for Research functionality and download XML files with various kinds of metadata.)

    Here's an example:

    If I take an article sitting here on my desk, grab its JSTOR identifier -- 1498220 -- and then prepend the JSTOR prefix, I get this:

    10.2307/1498220

    I can paste this into the search bar at http://dx.doi.org/, and it takes me to the correct page at JSTOR.

    Now my problem is that unless I am on campus, or unless I have remembered to log onto JSTOR using our campus proxy (or, if I have been so unfortunate as to have that session time out), then Zotero actually offers me no functionality on this landing page.

    But yet, all I want is the metadata for the document that I already have. What is Zotero missing that can be added to give it this functionality?
  • dstillman
    edited May 21, 2012
    Both of those DOIs work fine for me via Add Item by Identifier.

    If they're not working for you, see Troubleshooting Translator Issues. (Add Item by Identifier uses translators under the hood.)
  • johnlaudun
    Dan ... there is no where I can find any information on the Translator being used by Zotero in the standalone version. I have checked the three separate places such information is kept:

    * Zotero ==> Preferences
    * Tools ==> Add-ons
    * Locate (button)==> Manage Lookup Engines

    I rebuilt the index in my Zotero file, for whatever that's worth (it was something of a voodoo fix in early versions of OS X).

    And, this is now, somewhat mysteriously working for me.

    Thing is, I don't know what fixed it.
  • aurimas
    Zotero uses CrossRef translator for looking up DOIs
  • dstillman
    The point was just to follow the steps there to make sure your translators were working in general, ending with a Report ID (which should be included with all bug reports anyhow).
    I rebuilt the index in my Zotero file, for whatever that's worth
    I don't know what that means (the full-text index?), but glad it's working for you now.
  • johnlaudun
    The point was just to follow the steps there to make sure your translators were working in general, ending with a Report ID (which should be included with all bug reports anyhow).
    Ah, I see. Unfortunately, at least from what I could tell, much of that page is oriented toward dealing with how Zotero behaves within a browser. That was/is not my problem: mine was limited to getting the Add by ID to work within the standalone version of Zotero. The only item on that page that seemed relevant to me was the advice to click the Update Now button, and so I did that and went ahead clicked the other "do this thing now" kind of buttons -- thus the tangential trip to re-build the index.
  • johnlaudun
    I should note that, if I have the time, I should definitely get involved in the documentation efforts for the standalone version. (Maybe some of that work could also contribute to refinements of the app itself -- like perhaps consolidating all the possible preferences in the list above into one location.)
  • dstillman
    much of that page is oriented toward dealing with how Zotero behaves within a browser. That was/is not my problem: mine was limited to getting the Add by ID to work within the standalone version of Zotero.
    Zotero Standalone works with browsers via plugins, and those use translators. A general problem with translators could manifest itself there.

    In any case, if it's fixed, no need to worry about it. If it happens again, provide a Report ID.
    I should note that, if I have the time, I should definitely get involved in the documentation efforts for the standalone version.
    That'd be great.
    I have checked the three separate places such information is kept:

    * Zotero ==> Preferences
    * Tools ==> Add-ons
    * Locate (button)==> Manage Lookup Engines
    Maybe some of that work could also contribute to refinements of the app itself -- like perhaps consolidating all the possible preferences in the list above into one location
    No, those are all pretty unrelated things—the latter two wouldn't be merged into the general preferences (the same way that Tools -> Add-ons isn't part of the Firefox preferences).

    Also, none of those locations have anything to do with the translator address bar icon. It sounds like you're possibly just not using Standalone with a browser plugin.
  • johnlaudun
    Ah, I didn't realize that the standalone version still works through a browser. Interesting. (It does make me wish that somewhere that was made more clear to the user -- so I guess I'll have to follow through on my offer to help with documentation so that I can help make that happen.)

    I do have a the Zotero plug-in installed in Safari, but I rarely use it there -- in part because it does not work with JSTOR unless I have the full connection. If I am in my university office, that's great. If I am at home, then it means I have to be logged on through a proxy connection which times out regularly. And if you are not logged on to JSTOR, then apparently it doesn't make metadata available: the Zotero button on the Safari toolbar remains grayed out.

    I'll keep experimenting to see what works and what does not. If I think I can delineate a repeatable bug, the I'll report it.

    I don't know that I agree with you about where preferences go. This may be, however, simply a difference between the Mac interface and other interfaces. On the Mac, preferences can accommodate a wide range of matters. It has to make for a lot of difficult decisions (and compromises) when doing cross-platform development.
  • dstillman
    It does make me wish that somewhere that was made more clear to the user
    This is mentioned right on the download page: "Zotero Connectors allow you to save items to Zotero from within browsers other than Firefox, using Zotero's site translators." (A better downloads page is coming, though, and the connectors will likely be bundled with Standalone at some point.)
    I don't know that I agree with you about where preferences go.
    There's nothing to disagree with. I pointed out that we do exactly what Firefox does on all platforms: add-ons are managed through the add-ons pane. (And search engines are managed through the search engine drop-down, which is exactly equivalent to what we do for lookup engines.) There's no cross-platform difference here.
  • johnlaudun
    Thanks for the response, Dan. I really appreciate you taking time to correspond with a user.

    I think of myself as a reasonably advanced user -- e.g., I write Python scripts to do natural language processing on various kinds of texts -- but that doesn't mean that I necessarily read all of a Downloads page. Like many, I tend to seek out the link I want and click away. So, yeah, my bad there. (And so, bundling = good.)

    So the Connectors dimension wasn't necessarily obvious to me.

    And, like I said before about the whole preferences thing ... I haven't used Firefox in a while, and so I don't know where Firefox puts things and so I am not habituated to it as a platform. I know that it’s the birthplace of Zotero, but, in all honesty, I didn't really embrace Zotero until it went standalone -- the only time I did use firefox was to use Zotero, and, again in all honesty, that was a barrier. So when I say cross-platform, I am not referring to Firefox but to the operating systems -- Windows, Mac, and Linux.

    I promise to roll up my sleeves now and go look at the documentation. I hope to be able to add to the conversation.
  • adamsmith
    (we greatly appreciate help updating the documentation and it needs updating for Standalone in a number of places. If you see parts that have been orphaned or neglected for a long time, edit away. The only thing I'd ask is that if you see things that have been written or heavily edited more recently, please check back on the forum on any ideas to re-write those - most people writing documentation have been working with Zotero for many years - you may still have ideas to improve those bits, but as I said, better to check that other people agree with you on those).
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