How to fix wrong metadata

thewinterbard
Hi, I'm new to Zotero and am trying to import all my old PDFs, which of course I have to do manually. Occasionally, it mis-identifies a book and uploads all of the wrong metadata, but once it's done this I can't figure out how to tell it to update the metadata by inputting the correct ISBN. Is this an option, or do I have to correct it all manually (which seems like an unnecessary hassle given that I do have the correct ISBN to hand!)? Thanks for your help.
  • dstillman
    Drag the PDF out into a top-level item, delete the incorrect item, right-click on the PDF, Create Parent Item, and enter the proper ISBN.
  • zestyzapus
    This process involves a bit too many operations, and it is not uncommon when metadata retrieval fails. Would it be possible to have an "update parent item" option when right-clicking the pdf?
  • dstillman
    If you're unhappy with the metadata, you can right-click on the parent item immediately after and select Undo Retrieve Metadata.
  • laurelel
    I'm here with the same question; to clarify, what happens when you Undo Retrieve Metadata? Will there be an option to re-retrieve it once we do that? Thanks! I'm having lots of issues with things missing in my metadata...
  • dstillman
    Undo Retrieve Metadata just converts the PDF back to a standalone attachment so that you can use Create Parent Item with an identifier or manual entry. See Retrieve PDF Metadata for details.
  • laurelel
    Thanks! I'm finding that multiple items are not importing the year, even though I'm using the extension and trying to create a new parent item from the DOI, which is a bummer. I'm not going through with a fine enough comb right now to know if other things are missing (like volume, etc.) bc of being short on time, but I guess I'll find out eventually. Hopefully we can get some sort of "fix metadata" button in the future, though! Thanks again for the help.
  • adamsmith
    Am I understanding this right that you're not getting the date for items where you are creating the parent item from the DOI?
    That should almost never happen. Could you copy a couple of DOIs for which it does here?
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