When I use Zotero with Word, do I need to make all of my endnotes with Zotero?

When I use Zotero with Word, do I need to make all of my endnotes with Zotero? In other words, can I create some endnotes with Word and others with Zotero and not worry that Zotero might update my document later and wipe out something in an endnote that I entered in Word?

Additionally, if I create an endnote with Zotero and then want to add additional text to it, can I do that directly in Word or it is better to edit the endnote in Zotero?

Are there any downsides to creating some endnotes with each program, or am I better off creating all of my endnotes with Zotero?

I am using Word for Mac 16.42 and Mac OS 10.15.7

Thanks
  • You can mix Zotero and Word endnotes without any issues. If you want things like subsequent and ibid citations working correctly, you should create all notes citing the same work using the same method.

    If you generate a note with Zotero, you should only add additional text using prefix and suffix. You can, however, create a note with Word and insert a Zotero citation into it and then add additional text in Word. Note that punctuation might be tricky in some situations: all standard Zotero notes end with a period.
  • Thank you!! This is super helpful.

    I have will many citations so I just want to be sure that I am doing this correctly: I can create an endnote in Word and then add a Zotero citation into it. At that point, I can write in the endnote before and after the citation. And I don't have to worry about Zotero later updating the citation and losing the additional text I created? Is it also OK to create an endnote in Word, type some text, like an identifying phrase, add a Zotero citation, and then add additional text afterwords? If so, then I will simply create all my endnotes in Word and then add Zotero citations into them.
  • Hmm. I just tried this in an test endnote and when I tried editing the citation to change the page number, Zotero deleted all of the text after the citation. I guess that means that I need to at least generate all of the text after the citation in the Zotero suffix box. Does that sound right?
  • No, you can type after the citation. What you cannot do is edit the citation and keep typing. Zotero interprets that as part of the citation. You can turn on field shading in Word to more easily see what is and what isn't part of the Zotero citation.
  • Got it. Thanks!
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