BibTeX import / @unpublished note field

sgehlbach
edited April 23, 2023
Longtime LaTeX / BibTeX user here, new to Zotero. I have a number of entries in my .bib file that take the following form:

@unpublished{frye2022putin,
author = {Frye, Timothy and Gehlbach, Scott and Marquardt, Kyle L and Reuter, Ora John},
note = {PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo No.\ 773},
title = {Is Putin's Popularity Still Real? A Cautionary Note on Using List Experiments to Measure Popularity in Authoritarian Regimes},
year = {2022},
}

After importing to Zotero (using Better BibTeX), the note field appears as a Zotero note. That's fine for exporting back to BibTeX, but it seems inconsistent with the intended (and my desired) use of notes in Zotero.

I see the Type field for Manuscripts in Zotero, but that's not a standard field for @unpublished in BibTeX.

A related issue is that the note field is stripped from the entry when linking Zotero to Overleaf. Thus, if I want to use Zotero with Overleaf, I need to export the library in (Better) BibTeX format, and then import the .bib file to Overleaf. It's not a deal breaker, but it is an extra step.

Perhaps obvious, but I have not made the transition to BibLaTeX. May or may not matter.

Grateful for any thoughts on what I could be doing better. I would like to be able to incorporate Zotero into my workflow.
  • bwiernik
    You should change these items to Report in Zotero and put that information in the Report Type and Number fields
  • sgehlbach
    That seems to generate a @techreport item on export, which at least in the .bst style I am using (apsa) compiles differently, with no quotes around the title.
  • adamsmith
    Can I step back and ask what your goal is for using Zotero? Zotero can effectively be used as a BiBTeX frontend, but if you are expecting lossless roundtripping bib--zotero--bib, I'm not sure it's the ideal tool. There's going to be some friction between data models.
    FWIW, (lI think preprint, rather than report, with series is the correct metadata for a.working paper in Zotero, but I don't know how we currently export that to bib. Might be worth testing with Better BibTeX, which is what you'll want if you're using LaTeX (or MD) for writing anyway
  • sgehlbach
    My goals are well summarized by the first two of three "problems" discussed here: https://www.andrewheiss.com/blog/2023/01/08/bibdesk-to-zotero-pandoc/.

    I should say that I have looked at Zotero over the years but never felt like there was a good iPad option. The new(ish) iOS/iPad app is exactly what I was looking for, so thanks for that! (Like some others, I am hoping for a more standard blue pen ink. Or completely customizable colors.)

    As to the question at hand, I think I figured out how to do this: Use the Manuscript item type and include

    tex.note = TEXT

    in the Extra field. Then export with Better BibTeX, leaving the option to export notes unchecked.
  • emilianoeheyns
    As a side note: if you use tex.note = what follows must be valid LaTeX, as BBT will just pass it out unchanged. If you use tex.note: BBT will escape as necessary.
  • sgehlbach
    Yes, thanks!
  • emilianoeheyns
    My goals are well summarized by the first two of three "problems" discussed here:

    .....

    These fields are preserved and transferred to Zotero when you import the file, but they show up in the “Extra” field and aren’t easily filterable or sortable there:

    tex.date-added
    The tex.date-added and tex.date-modified can be used to set the items' own added/modified dates, restoring the dates from the imported file: https://retorque.re/zotero-better-bibtex/installation/preferences/hidden-preferences/#patchdates
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