Detecting duplicate items when they are saved to zotero

z8080 · September 3, 2015

It happens often that I save a certain paper in my library, only to realise - after a certain time - that the paper already existed in my library. This means wasted time making notes on a paper that I had already made (other) notes on, many years ago.

The Duplicate Items category under My Library is useful, however its use is limited as long as it only detects duplicates once they exist. Would it be possible to receive a warning that an item that's about to be imported into Zotero already exists? Thanks!

skjonesjr · September 3, 2015

Maybe one way this could be done is by making the color of the "Save to Zotero" button change to reflect if the page is already in one's library.

adamsmith · September 3, 2015

See this thread for a partial solution & lots of technical details: https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/42379/warn-user-if-browser-importing-citation-from-journal-website-that-already-exists-in-library/

tl:dr; there is an add-on that works for Firefox only; it's likely not possible to change the detect icon; there are no short-term plans for a full Zotero implementation.

darrask · June 11, 2020

I second that feature request. Instead of changing the icon color, it would also be feasible to "simply" run a duplicate search upon import of the reference. The dialog for merging items could then open, so that only existing Zotero functions are re-used to implement this feature.

z8080 · June 11, 2020

I also second my initial suggestion :) I am still having to manually check whether I didn't already have the paper, on some imports where I have the feeling of the paper being familiar. Thus, having an automatic heads-up about an existing duplicate would be nice, although I realise this may slow down imports quite a lot.