Still can't get started

Mharawiram
I must be completely stupid.. I still have no idea hope to import documents from my computer into Zotero.. for instance from my documents folders, to make it reality simple../. I have folders in my documents folders, w=th material that I would like to import into Zotero in the hope that it will assist the organization of my research and writing. especially my currently overdue book chapters. I cannot get started.. no matter ow many times I read the instructions.
I have also tried to import links from Growly notes, to no avail...
  • fbennett
    The documents on your computer are articles and books that you wish to cite in your own writing?
  • Mharawiram
    yes, and in some case, weblinks. I suspect that I have misunderstood the purpose and function of Zotero..
  • Mharawiram
    I was hoping to use it to organize my resources before I begin a project..but perhaps that's not how it actually works.
    I am wondering if it is intended more as a web browser that is used for a search and then saving the results?
    A twitter the other day led me to Zotero.. I suspect also that I am too impatient
  • fbennett
    Are your resources PDF files, or are they in some other format?
  • Mharawiram
    some of the resources I had hoped to save under collections are weblinks to reports, for example this pdf report by the IUCN:
    http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/whs_and_extractive_industries_20_jun_12.pdf.
  • Mharawiram
    not all are pdf files, sometimes they are just weblinks..

    then there are also word files, some of which I have written myself. It doesn't appear to want to import word files?
  • adamsmith
    import is for database formats - such as exports from another reference managers - not for pdfs/links/docs etc.

    You can just drag those files to Zotero from your file system.
    Note that they won't be much use in Zotero until they're attached to a Zotero item that holds their citation data.
    For PDFs you may be able to get that data automatically by right-clicking on the pdf once it is in Zotero and selecting Retrieve Metadata for PDF.

    More generally speaking - is there no one at your institution that could maybe show you some things in Zotero? A lot of this is much easier if you have 10-20mins with someone who can get you started.
  • fbennett
    It's very clear now, thanks for the additional information. Zotero is designed for what you want to do (organise research materials in advance of writing), but it will not be able to import everything automatically for you.

    For published materials, such as journal articles and books, Zotero is often able to retrieve the full citation details from the Web using various tricks. For unpublished materials (such as personal Word files) or institutional reports such as the UNESCO report you link above, the metadata are not registered anywhere, so the tricks will not work. In those cases, you will need to use the green + icon to create a record for the item, and enter its details by hand. After you have created a record, you can attach the file (or a weblink, or both) to the Zotero item.

    If you have many items that must be entered by hand, building the library will take some effort, but both organisation and referencing will be quick and pleasant once your items are on file.
  • ggthompson
    I am having the same problem. I cannot seem to be able to drag & drop a website into zotero. I cannot seen to do anything that the instructions tell me to do. I am using the standalone version, is that the wrong version? Really lost here. Are there any step by step classes out there?
  • adamsmith
    Do you have the connector installed for your browser (available for Chrome or Safari)?
    http://www.zotero.org/support/3.0#zotero_standalone
  • Eric Pement
    Recent questions about Zotero usage, here's a suggestion.

    Go to YouTube at http://www.youtube.com

    Enter "zotero" into the search box, and see over 800 results on using and managing documentation with Zotero in the Firefox plug-in and in standalone mode.

    Remember how the mantra used to be "Google is your friend"? Well, you can also say "YouTube is your friend", if you can resist watching the latest "viral video" or musical offering.

    Eric Pement
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