Importing library from Citation9 reference software?

bureso · October 11, 2016

Has anyone tried to import his/her library from Citation9 reference software to Zotero? When following their instructions for exporting the library (http://citationonline.net/CitationHelp/c8f05export.htm), I managed to import everything in the library in Zotero, but many entries (especially online documents) are incomplete (missing URLs, access dates etc.). Any help with this would be much appreciated!

adamsmith · October 11, 2016

I've never heard of the product and have never seen this mentioned here, so this is generic advice, but since they're exporting to standards, we should be able to help.
Once you export RIS, you can open it with any text editor (e.g. TextEdit, Notepad). Individual entries go from TY - to ER -
Find an item that doesn't import correctly and paste its RIS here and we can take a look.

bureso · October 11, 2016

Many thanks, Citation9 is an older software I got back in 2004 pending advice from my PhD supervisor, but it is no longer updated and works only with old versions of MS Word, so I want to change to Zotero - but ideally not lose my library with almost 950 items.

In the converted RIS file, most items have come out just fine, except for all online documents. These are missing almost all entries, they have only AU, PY and TI. For example:
AU - Millard, Todd S.
PY - 2003
TI - Overcoming Post-Colonial Myopia: A call to recognize and regulate private military companies%9 http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/JAGCNETINTERNET/HOMEPAGES/AC/MILITARYLAWREVIEW.NSF/0/5e0768ef1111dfc085256e5b00576d3f/$FILE/Volume176Milliard.pdfJO Military Law ReviewVL 176%8 june%4 Internet: WWW Journal or magazine article%F Millard 2003

AU - House of Commons, Foreign Affairs Committee
PY - 1999
%9 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmfaff/116/11602.htm%B Second Report Sierra Leone%8 February%S HC 116-1%4 Internet: WWW Book, report, paper, ms.%F House of Commons 1999

I have also tried to convert my Citation9 library to Endnote format - there the online documents have more entries, but still missing complete access and publication dates:
%0 Generic
%A Millard, Todd S.
%D 2003
%T Overcoming Post-Colonial Myopia: A call to recognize and regulate private military companies
%9 http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/JAGCNETINTERNET/HOMEPAGES/AC/MILITARYLAWREVIEW.NSF/0/5e0768ef1111dfc085256e5b00576d3f/$FILE/Volume176Milliard.pdf
%J Military Law Review
%V 176
%8 june
%4 Internet: WWW Journal or magazine article
%F Millard 2003

%0 Generic
%A House of Commons, Foreign Affairs Committee
%D 1999
%9 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmfaff/116/11602.htm
%B Second Report Sierra Leone
%8 February
%S HC 116-1
%4 Internet: WWW Book, report, paper, ms.
%F House of Commons 1999

So if you could try to somehow "solve" the online documents entries (called Generic in the endnote format file), that would be much appreaciated.

I can also sent/upload the original Citation file with the entire library, or the converted RIS/Endnote files.

Many thanks for your time and help!

adamsmith · October 11, 2016

Obviously it needs to be in the export so Zotero can import it.
http://citationonline.net/CitationHelp/c8f05export.htm says that you can edit the output in RIS.CF "with the custom format editor"

I'd recommend doing this in RIS, not the Endnote format (though Zotero reads both). You can find a list of tags here:
https://github.com/aurimasv/translators/wiki/RIS-Tag-Map-(narrow)
most of it should be pretty self-explanatory: e.g. DA for date, Y2 for access date, UR for URLs