[URGENT] Collaboration with co-authors that use a different software

I use Zotero and Google Docs to write my papers.
My co-authors use Mendeley.

When my co-authors modify the Google Docs, the citations become "unlinked". I don't mean that they are put in red and Zotero warns about it like it would normally do, I mean they are put in normal black color, but if I click on it I don't see the "Edit with Zotero" pop-up, like I see with other citations that are "good".

What is the best way for me and my co-authors to collaborate on the same Google Docs?

If my co-authors install the Zotero add-on for their browser, although they don't have the Zotero desktop application and they don't use Zotero for their citations, will the problem be solved?
  • Even if your co-authors do not have the Zotero Connector added to their browser edits shouldn't cause citations to become plain-text. They must have manually removed those links, or used the function to remove all text formatting, or perhaps edited the text somewhere else and then pasted it back. So the first advice here is to not manually remove link formatting for Zotero citations and to not use the function to remove all text formatting whether using the Zotero Connector or not. Otherwise installing the Zotero Connector should be enough to keep Zotero citations linked to the document when copying and pasting if they authorize the Zotero Connector to edit the document when prompted upon pasting text.
  • So, to recap, for what operations is the Zotero Connector required for my co-authors?

    Can they copy and paste citations without the Zotero Connector?

    Can they cut and paste citations without the Zotero Connector?

    I need to know whether I have to ask them to install the connector
  • > They must have manually removed those links

    I don't think they would do that

    > or used the function to remove all text formatting,

    This indeed might be. Where is that function in Google Docs?

    It's likely they have changed the font, but I don't know about that function

    > or perhaps edited the text somewhere else and then pasted it back.

    They granted me they worked exclusively on Google Drive

    > So the first advice here is to not manually remove link formatting for Zotero citations

    I will say that to them, but I don't think they manually removed the citations....

    > and to not use the function to remove all text formatting whether using the Zotero Connector or not.

    Where is that function to remove all text formatting?

    > Otherwise installing the Zotero Connector should be enough to keep Zotero citations linked to the document when copying and pasting if they authorize the Zotero Connector to edit the document when prompted upon pasting text.

    So if they copy-and-paste or cut-and-paste, they would need the Zotero Connector, but _not_ the Zotero desktop application and they _don't_ need to install the Zotero desktop application and import from Mendeley, right?

    What would happen if they copy-and-paste or cut-and-paste without the Zotero Connector being installed?
Sign In or Register to comment.