Links between deleted Library items and document citations

archaeo_arizona
Hello

I have been updating Library items that I entered by hand or imported from old citation programs (in the Stone Age before DOIs existed). For some duplicates, I have been merging the items, but for others I have been just right-clicking and deleting the old item. For example, sometimes the DOI doesn't pull in the page number range. Rather than making that item the master for a merge, I just wrote in the missing information and deleted the old item.

I realize now that I wasn't thinking that through - have I broken all of the links in previous Word documents between these deleted items and in-text citations? If yes, when I refresh my bibliography, will Zotero tell me that it hasn't found a matching Library item?

Thanks very much.
  • adamsmith
    I realize now that I wasn't thinking that through - have I broken all of the links in previous Word documents between these deleted items and in-text citations?
    I'm afraid so (note that the items are likely still in your Zotero trash, though)
    If yes, when I refresh my bibliography, will Zotero tell me that it hasn't found a matching Library item?
    No. Zotero will rely on the data its stored in the document from the old item when you cited it (and, unfortunately, you won't be able to update that data. You'd have to delete and re-insert the citation).
  • archaeo_arizona
    Goodness, you are quick! Thanks for that. I just was doing exactly suggestion 1 - restoring items from the trash and merging them properly - when your response notification popped up.

    To clarify my understanding of point 2: so the citations in the old Word documents will still produce their original item listing in the bibliography of *that* document?

    I tested this in a blank document with fake duplicate Library items (caps in one item, lowercase in the other), and I thought that this was what was happening?

    That would be fine, because of course the information in those old items still is correct - they just aren't fancy with a DOI! As I move text from the draft to the new Word document I can check the Library items and fix them if I need to.
  • adamsmith
    To clarify my understanding of point 2: so the citations in the old Word documents will still produce their original item listing in the bibliography of *that* document?
    yes, exactly.
  • archaeo_arizona
    Great, thanks very much.

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