"Switch Word Processor" feature in Google Docs Not Working

I am trying to convert my file (and citations) from google doc format to MS Word.
I have previously used the feature and it has worked well, until now.

My citations should look like this: “(Biagolini et al., 2017)”

But after running "Switch Word Processor" the same citation (and all others) look like this:

"ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"STXBPGBV","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Biagolini et al., 2017)","plainCitation":"(Biagolini et al., 2017)","noteIndex":1},"citationItems":[{"id":283,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/pQRyraGl/items/FHSKWTB2"],"itemData":{"id":283,"type":"article-journal","container-title":"Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology","DOI":"10.1007/s00265-017-2329-x","issue":"7","note":"number: 7","page":"101-101","title":"Does habitat structural complexity influence the frequency of extra-pair paternity in birds?","volume":"71","author":[{"family":"Biagolini","given":"Carlos"},{"family":"Westneat","given":"David F."},{"family":"Francisco","given":"Mercival R."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2017",7]]}}}]}"

I have no idea where to start fixing this issue. I have made sure Zotero is updated and have restarted both Zotero and chrome. I have also tried starting a new document with new citations added, but when using the "Switch Word Processor" tool I still see the same error.

Any help would be much appreciated as I need these documents converted over to Word for my thesis submissions.

Thank you
  • Hi,

    I have resolved the issue!

    A very simple fix and one I should have looked into before posting on here!

    I simply needed to refresh Zotero once I had opened the 'converted' document in word format, after which the citations behave as expected.
  • dstillman Zotero Team
    To be clear, that's not a "fix" — that's just how the feature works. What you were looking at was the "transfer document" this feature creates, which says this at the top:
    The Zotero citations in this document have been converted to a format that can be safely transferred between word processors. Open this document in a supported word processor and press Refresh in the Zotero plugin to continue working with the citations.
  • Apologies - the formatting caught me off guard as usually the conversion outputs the citations as originally formatted. So to clarify have i experienced an error or is everything working as intended?
  • dstillman Zotero Team
    edited June 12, 2023
    usually the conversion outputs the citations as originally formatted
    No, you're misremembering. That's absolutely not the case when using this feature, and never has been. As I say, it converts the file to a transfer document with the explanatory text I quoted and the type of codes from your first post.
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