There isn't really anything at the moment. There is the 'related' thing (relation?). It's a bit clunky for my purposes, but you might want to explore it if you haven't already.

I've asked for something similar (http://forums.zotero.org/discussion/6962/links-between-notes-and-to-notes-from-outside-of-zotero/), but it appears to be something current Zotero users are a bit indifferent to. Which is odd to me, as hyperlinking seems to me the Sine qua non of computer text.

No-one's said "no", but I wouldn't hold your breath. For now I use Onenote, and link from zotero to there (which only half works). Unfortunately it isn't possible to link in the other direction.

Over the decades I have seen a lot of different software projects: commercial, shareware, and now open source. It seems that every time a really good program comes along that allows a certain amount of flexibility, there will inevitably be users who want to use that program for everything short of making coffee. They continue to ask for new features, and the developers often oblige. This often leads to feature bloat and the program becomes so big and convoluted that only a core group of "experts" can manage it all in their heads and it becomes almost impossible to document properly. But worst of all, it becomes very difficult for new users to wrap their heads around so they shy away. Considering the noble purpose of Zotero, that would be a very bad thing.

I say this because I see that Zotero is getting close to the precipice of this common tendency. Not that Zotero is becoming bloated already. But I have seen many people asking for features that would allow them to keep all their personal notes and scraps of information in Zotero. I feel this would be a mistake. Zotero does one thing and it does it very well. It keeps track of actual reference material and the citation information associated with that. I feel it would lead the developers down an unfortunate path if they tried to make Zotero into a be-all-end-all information storage product.

There are many good, general-purpose note-taking programs out there. I use Microsoft OneNote on Windows. It is an outlining program with additional features such as handwriting recognition so I can take my notes directly on the screen of my Tablet PC and search for them later. OneNote does allow linking between individual notes. It allows me to store documents directly on the page and I can even paste pictures that include text and it will recognize that text and allow me to search for it later. It is certainly not perfect and I am definitely no fan of Bill Gates and OneNote also has several quirks that drive me crazy, but it is the best outlining program I have found for my needs. I am sure there must be others for other platforms. While it is really expensive at retail, I can buy it at my college bookstore for about $19 and others may be able to find an equally good deal.

I tried figuring out a way to create shortcuts between OneNote and Zotero and found that the linking features in OneNote are not as robust as I would like. So I just figured out a work-around that is probably more reliable and can be easily understood by anyone who looks at my OneNote notes. I simply paste a citation from Zotero into each OneNote page where I take notes about a particular article or book. As I take my notes, I simply put the page numbers in parentheses to keep track of exactly what page the note refers to. Now, if I want to find that article in Zotero I simply copy some of the text from the citation and paste it into the search bar in Zotero. It is only one step short of a direct link to the citation.

One of the big benefits of using an outlining program such as OneNote over a database-type program such as Zotero for notes is that all my notes on a topic are together on one long page. I can print that page out and hand it to someone else and it even has the citation info with it because of my work-around above. I can print the pages to .PDF as well. Database-type programs that have note fields - regardless of how feature rich in their formatting capabilities - always treat all the notes as individual entities. You have to dig around for each note: click the collection, click the reference item to expand it, click the individual note to expand it, then you can see what it says. In outlining programs all you have to do is scan down the page to see what you wrote. Database-type programs such as Zotero often do not allow you to rearrange notes in any order you like. They may allow you to sort them but completely manual arrangement is rarely offered. Outline programs let you put notes wherever you like.

In the end, I feel it is best not to attempt to force one program to be your be-all-end-all data storage solution. Especially one that was not designed for that from the ground up. It is better to combine multiple tools and get the best of breed for each major function of your work. Zotero is definitely the best at keeping track of citation information. However, it is not a note-taking program and I feel it is a mistake to attempt to make it into one. By making use of Zotero's drag and drop citation pasting feature, and its quick search feature, it is easy to use Zotero along with any good note-taking program you may choose.

adamsmith,

Point taken. I was not addressing this particular feature request as much as the general trend I have been seeing in the forums.

At some point in the future I will write up my super handy system for doing research and post it on my - yet to be created - personal blog. It involves Zotero, OneNote, Adobe Acrobat, an IrisPen pen scanner, and a Logitech G11 gaming keyboard. Perhaps others will find it helpful.