Upgrade StorageStrip out all citations from a document with one click
I would like to see a feature in Zotero that allows the removal of all citations with a single click. Ideally, there would be an option to strip out only superscripts, an option to strip out only the full citations (e.g. endnotes), and a third option to strip out both. Now let's look at why this feature would be so useful to writers.
One reason for stripping out citations is to prevent plagiarism. If I'm sending out a book for blurbs before it's published, I don't know who actually ends up with my manuscript in their hands. It's entirely possible that one could copy my entire book and claim it as their own or sell it to an unscrupulous literary agent who gives the project to another writer.
One way I can protect myself from this is to leave out the citations from review copies of the book. This way, if someone wants to steal my work, they will have no idea what sources I cited. This has two effects. First, it greatly increases the difficulty of simply copying my book outright. They would have to find every single source I used or their equivalents. The extra effort required may discourage them from plagiarizing in the first place. Second, if the case goes to court, I can produce the actual citations, on file with a neutral third party, as evidence that I was the one who authored the book.
If my manuscript is done, I'd really appreciate being able to save one copy with citations, strip out all the citations, then save a second copy. Right now, I have to delete every single citation by hand to accomplish the same thing. While it is ironic that stripping out citations can help prevent plagiarism, I believe it is nonetheless true in certain situations.
A second reason for stripping out citations is to improve the readability of a book. Some books don't include any parenthetical citations, superscripts, or any kind of in-text indicator of the use of outside sources. I may want a detailed bibliography at the very end of the book, but I may not want distracting notations within the text itself. It's convenient of course to have those notations when I'm drafting the manuscript, but I might want them gone for aesthetic reasons later.
One reason for stripping out citations is to prevent plagiarism. If I'm sending out a book for blurbs before it's published, I don't know who actually ends up with my manuscript in their hands. It's entirely possible that one could copy my entire book and claim it as their own or sell it to an unscrupulous literary agent who gives the project to another writer.
One way I can protect myself from this is to leave out the citations from review copies of the book. This way, if someone wants to steal my work, they will have no idea what sources I cited. This has two effects. First, it greatly increases the difficulty of simply copying my book outright. They would have to find every single source I used or their equivalents. The extra effort required may discourage them from plagiarizing in the first place. Second, if the case goes to court, I can produce the actual citations, on file with a neutral third party, as evidence that I was the one who authored the book.
If my manuscript is done, I'd really appreciate being able to save one copy with citations, strip out all the citations, then save a second copy. Right now, I have to delete every single citation by hand to accomplish the same thing. While it is ironic that stripping out citations can help prevent plagiarism, I believe it is nonetheless true in certain situations.
A second reason for stripping out citations is to improve the readability of a book. Some books don't include any parenthetical citations, superscripts, or any kind of in-text indicator of the use of outside sources. I may want a detailed bibliography at the very end of the book, but I may not want distracting notations within the text itself. It's convenient of course to have those notations when I'm drafting the manuscript, but I might want them gone for aesthetic reasons later.
This discussion has been closed.
https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/46896?page=1#Item_6