Right click > 'Cite selected item...' for author-date style documents

This is an issue shared by people writing documents requiring author-date format citations on platforms where a cite-while-you-write-like plugin does not exist. It would be nice to allow them to take advantage of Zotero to enter the citation they require, eg. (Bloggs et al., 2008) in their document by interacting with their Zotero library. A simple way to allow users to cite a selected reference from their library in a platform-agnostic way would be to add the option to copy the citation derived from a selected zotero entry to the clipboard obeying the format specified by their current bibliography style.

This would be a simple way to allow people using anything from plain text files through to google docs to add correctly formatted author-date citations, without the need to build specific cite-while-you-write plugins for every imaginable platform. With such a feature, I can imagine right clicking an entry or multiple selected entries in my Zotero library and, alongside pre-existing options to 'Export Selected Item...' etc, being able to 'Cite Selected Item...'

Maybe this only applies to my own particular situation, writing an author-date manuscript in google docs, or does this resonate with anyone else out there? The proposed scheme could also be expanded to allow latex/bibtex users to copy the \cite{bibtex citekey} command for example, like they can with most bibtex library applications.
  • Go to Zotero Preferences (gear icon)/export and select the format you want in Quick copy.

    Then, holding down the SHIFT key, drag the item from the center pane into your document.

    Does that do what you want?

    NOTE: I don't think this will generate a bibliography, so you will need to put the items you cite in a subcollection, or other wise tag them and create bibliography from "items selected"
  • Many thanks arggem! I don't know how I managed to miss that ninja move! That does the job perfectly. I can manage the bibliography in a collection and export the bibliography separately as you suggested. Best wishes, Andrew.
  • Unless I'm misunderstanding what you'd like to accomplish, you can generate a bibliography, rather than citations, simply by dragging without holding down Shift first. These are equivalent to the A and C shortcut keys.
  • I think the question was about citations in text, eg (Thoburn, Lewis, & Shemmings, 1995), rather than the full reference for the bibliography.

    Is there a way to do this other than dragging it - this option really suits the way I work. I sometimes have problems dragging items and a 'Cite selected items options or a key combination that allowed copying of just the cite would be really great . I've looked but cannot find this.
  • sirrahn: Yes, that's the Shift-drag option or the A shortcut key.
  • Sorry, this is pretty dense and I cannot find it by searching the site - how do you use the A shortcut key?

    I've tried pressing A & command & C together while highlighting the reference in zotero thinking that this might do it but it didn't work.

    Thanks,

    nathan
  • Forget that,

    I just worked it out! just Cmd + A

    Works great.
  • Cmd-Shift-A on OS X. Ctrl-Alt-A on Windows.

    All the Zotero shortcuts use the same modifier keys. You can see and change the shortcuts in the Zotero preferences.
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