incomplete metadata from pdf files

Trying to import pdf files, variously named, into a Zotero library (Windows 2007), I find that where multiple authors are indicated by "first author et al" the Zotero version very often does not find the other authors or even include "et al" in the library entry.
examples that work : Germier Biophysical Journal 113, 1383–1394.pdf ;
Hanai et al (1996) JBC 271, 17469-17475 SopB dissection.pdf
examples that don't : Radnedge et al (1998) EMBO J 17, 6076-6085 Homologue
specificity scanning.pdf
Lukaszewicz et al - Jagura-Burdzy (2002) NAR 30, 1046-1055
Dissection of KorB.pdf
The metadata search is clearly finding the right information but failing to transcribe it.
Any ideas ?
  • Can you upload examples of the "working" and "not working" PDFs to an online storage and share the download link?

    The PDFs that are not working - do they have a DOI in them? What happens if you copy that DOI and use it in the "Add Item(s) by Identifier" tool? That tool is on the right side of the icon with a big green +
  • Right, so @dabeed, when you see Crossref in the Library Catalog field, it means that Zotero is using data from Crossref. If you check the DOI for both of those items (10.1093/emboj/17.20.6076 and 10.1093/nar/30.4.1046) in Crossref, you'll see that the data doesn't include the other authors. (You'll get the same results from Add Item by Identifier for this reason.)

    We're considering functionality for an upcoming version that will check the publisher page as well for more complete metadata, for cases where the data submitted to Crossref is incomplete.
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