Upgrade StorageSelect citations in Standalone Zotero and insert them at once into Word
Hello,
it would be helpful for inserting citations if I could find them in the standalone program first ... select even multiple of them ... and then hit a button to insert those citations as a field in the Word.
Thanks!
Marek
it would be helpful for inserting citations if I could find them in the standalone program first ... select even multiple of them ... and then hit a button to insert those citations as a field in the Word.
Thanks!
Marek
This discussion has been closed.
However, when I was only working with one Word document, the Endnote method was very convenient because I could search in the reference database to find the item I wanted to cite, then immediately insert it. With Zotero, the process is (1) find the item in the main Zotero window, (2) copy the title, (3) return to Word and open the insert citation dialog, (4) paste the title and wait for the item to be found, (5) hit Enter.
As an alternative to the problematic Zotero->Word insert method, would it be possible to add a function that inserts the currently selected item in Zotero as a reference? This would cut out steps 3-5 above, as I could find the item in Zotero, then return to Word and hit one button to insert the reference. Can the Word plugin communicate with Zotero in this way to call the currently selected item?
The problem with you suggested solution is that it doesn't solve the issue. Where the plugin inserts a citation depends on the document from which it was triggered.
I think the way to go for this may be having more universal citation markers - i.e. something along the lines of what ODF-scan has, but shorter and, of course, also working in Word. One could consider adding a "live scan" to the plugin, but a) that's technically patented by Endnote (I kid you not) and b) it'd be a fair amount of work to do well, so it would really need to be worth it.
Thanks!!!
I guess I wasn't exactly clear about what I was proposing. I am suggesting a new function for the plugin itself that would insert a citation that is automatically populated with the item that is currently selected in Zotero. I am not recommending that there be a button to "shoot" references from Zotero to Word. The difference between current functionality and what I am proposing is that, rather than having to search in the quick format window (or classic dialog) for an item, the citation would be pre-filled with the selected item.
I find the classic layout very hard to use. Beyond the difficulty of doing multiple source citations baslermarek mentions, it doesn't really display enough information about items to allow me to adequately determine which source I want to reference. When I search my library for a reference, I am not typically just looking for an item by title or the first author (or any other few fields that could be displayed easily in the classic dialog). I want to be able to use tags, look at the full item information in the right pane (all of the authors, abstracts, notes, related items, etc.). Frequently, I even need to open the pdf to be sure I have the right article. Really, I often do need the full Zotero window to find a source.
It would be unreasonable and cumbersome to add full Zotero functionality to the classic dialog. But again, that's not necessary or what I am proposing. I want an option (new function, setting, or whatever) to insert a citation in Word that automatically grabs the selected item from Zotero proper.
On another note, "All fields and tags" searching in the quick format window would also be welcome.
And it isn't really that much time to do the tags, third author, notes searching I'm talking about--10-15 seconds.
Was this or a similar feature implemented in the end? I am echoing basiermarek when he writes
"I do not like about that is that to search and insert multiple citations I have to click on "Multiple sources" and then I can't even use CTRL to select for multiple citations .. I have to click on one then arrow to put it on the list and then again click .. click etc.... It's just a lot of clicking."
Would be great to be able to use Ctrl to select multiple sources for citation. Without it, referencing slows down the process hugely.
Best,
Just to calibrate my expectations, would you have any idea of when one could expect this to be implemented--if at all?
Many thanks for your guidance.
Afterward, a button in Zotero Standalone is needed to cite the selected reference to the Word Processor where the cursor is. For one open Word processor it is easy to jump back. However to prevent any mistake while having multiple Word documents open, a dialog box would open to select which document is suitable to add the selected references. This part is a bit more complex. But I believe we can achieve it either by an add-on or directly adding the code to the main Zotero program. I don't know if can wrap my head around this part but I definitely can give it a shot.
What I have said is that I think the plugin should have a button to bring Zotero to the front with the item for the citation under the Word cursor selected, since that's using the specific context from one program (the citation under the cursor) to focus something specific in another (the associated item). Just as an aside, if you find Alt-Tab painful, I would strongly recommend trying to get better at that (or switching to macOS, which shows only programs, not individual windows, in the Cmd-Tab switcher, with Cmd-` to cycle between an app's windows). Being able to effectively switch between programs via the keyboard is the most important thing one can do to use a computer efficiently — so important that we have a documentation page about it, even though it's not specific to Zotero in any way. No. There is zero chance we will do this. It's a totally broken idea conceptually — Zotero doesn't know what the active word processor document is (across potentially multiple windows of Word, LibreOffice, and browsers with Google Docs tabs), and even leaving that aside, dumping text at the current cursor position in another app would be bizarre, error-prone behavior.
As I say above, I think bwiernik's alternative suggestion, of having a button in Word to insert the selected citation(s) from Zotero, could work and could be an appropriate replacement for the classic citation dialog.
I am another member happily moving from EndNote to Zotero.
However, I direly miss to select my references I want to cite in the library and add them with one keyboard shortcut to the active Word document.
This works like a charm in EndNote and the feature would improve (my) user experience and working efficiency tremendously.
Currently, I have to manually search and insert every citation in Word that I already searched for in Zotero. This is double work.