Problem with syncing!!!

Julia_Rudolph
I keep getting this message:
The creator name “Campis, Collin-Vezina, Collings, Cossar, Crisma, F…” in one of your items is too long to sync. Shorten the field and sync again.

If you receive this message repeatedly for items saved from a particular site, you can report this issue in the Zotero Forums.


I have tried deleting the editor for about 40 papers now..... it won't stop!!! Lol!
  • dstillman
    edited June 11, 2021
    (Please try to use a more descriptive thread title — it helps us help you more effectively.)

    The message means what it says: there's a creator name that's too long. You can click the button in the error message to jump right to the item in question. As long as you're getting the message, there's an item that you haven't fixed.

    This would happen due to a problem with some data that you imported. If you tell us how you imported these items, we may be able to fix it. Generally speaking, you shouldn't get this when using the Save to Zotero button in your browser, but if you export from somewhere to RIS/BibTeX/etc. and import that into Zotero, there's more of a chance something will give you bad data and this would happen.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    I know what the message means... I am contacting you because the second part of the message says:

    If you receive this message repeatedly for items saved from a particular site, you can report this issue in the Zotero Forums.

    So, I am reporting the message.

    And yes, I imported using RIS/BibTeX, which is an acceptable way to do it.

    You are saying I should address every item on an individual basis? I have downloaded over 2000 papers from various databases!!!!
  • adamsmith
    And yes, I imported using RIS/BibTeX, which is an acceptable way to do it.
    Right, but the RIS (or bibtex, but more likely RIS) you imported was almost certainly incorrectly formatted. If you let us know where you got the problematic RIS from, we may be able to say more, but for now either fixing the items or deleting them and fixing the (broken) RIS are the only ways to go, yes.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    I got them from PsycInfo, Scopus and Web of science
  • dstillman
    We'd need specific steps to reproduce — e.g., go to this specific article on this specific site, export in this specific format, import into Zotero, and end up with an item with an invalid creator field.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    Like I said, I downloaded 2000+ articles, so this is not possible.
    I will delete them all and start again.
    It is a shame that this cannot be fixed by Zotero - I can't be the only person that this has happened too. Further disappointing as I am a paying member.
    Please tell me how I can avoid this happening again. I am using PsycInfo, Scopus and Web of science.
    Its impossible to fix every single one on an individual basis, so if it happens again I would have to use a different research management tool.
  • dstillman
    edited June 11, 2021
    You seem to be misunderstanding this.

    We can't tell you any more about this unless you actually tell us how to reproduce the problem. We don't know what you did to get these items into your library.

    You have example items in your library where this happened, and you should be able to figure out where you downloaded them from and tell us exactly how to reproduce the problem with a single item. If you can do that, we can advise you further. If you can't, there's no way for us to help you or work around the problem for others.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    Could you let me know how I avoid this happening in the future when i download from PsycInfo, Scopus and Web of science.
  • dstillman
    We can't help you if you don't respond to the things we say.
  • adamsmith
    FWIW, I think PsycInfo is the most likely culprit here -- WoS and Scopus generally have pretty clean export -- but as dstillman says, we really need more details here, in particular because PsycInfo is provided by several vendors, such as EBSCO, APA, I think ProQuest, and Ovid, and the issue is very likely with the database, not Zotero.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you want for me. I have decided to redo the download. Is there some advice you could give me to make sure the export goes smoother this time around?
  • adamsmith
    Just doing the same thing is likely going to have the same results.
    We need to know from which database you downloaded the items that cause this issue, and how exactly you imported them into Zotero -- if you can provide 1-2 examples, that'd be ideal.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    I access psycInfo from my university library and I believe it is through Ovid.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    Web of Science is with Clarivate Analytics.
    I don't know about Scopus.
  • dstillman
    edited June 13, 2021
    We really can't be more clear here. If you don't tell us how exactly to reproduce the problem, with specific items and export formats, we're not going to be able to help you.

    If you're having trouble understanding us, I would recommend asking someone from your university library to read this thread and help you provide the information we're asking for, but otherwise there's no point in continuing to post here.
  • Julia_Rudolph
    Cheers! I have worked it out.
  • Aublou
    Hello, I have the same problem with an .RIS file imported from PsycInfo/PsycArticles (OVID).
    It imports a batch of empty documents with the good ones AND put an "Editeur" subfield in the creator field (sorry, french interface, don't know if it is editor and creator in english). This subfield is too long (it has seveval names in it) and the sync is refused by Zotero. I had to go through the whole batch of notices to delete this subfield in every one of them.
    If you could tell us how to avoid this, it would be very appreciated. I can send you the .RIS file if you need.
  • dstillman
    @Aublou: You can upload it somewhere and provide a link (preferred) or email it to support@zotero.org with a link to this thread, but it's likely just a problem with the file, and your main option would be find/replace in the file.

    Is there a reason you're using RIS instead of the save button? Many translators correct known errors in the data provided by sites, so unless you're hitting site access limits, you'd want to use the save button.
  • Aublou
    Hello @dstillman ,

    I import .RIS files because I manage results of several searches in different databases and deal with numerous items, I don't wanna go through all that and save them one by one!
    As I saw the person in this thread had had the same problem but couldn't give more precise informations about the database she used, I though this would be the right place to ask my question.
    I made other tests since and found that if I import with CITAVI format rather than .RIS there was no problem, so I this is what I'll do from now on.

    Thank you for your help!
Sign In or Register to comment.