A bibliography per chapter (for a manuscript)

Johanna-Duval
Good morning everybody,

Currently, I am writting my PhD thesis and I use Zotero as reference manager.
I want to share my thesis in several chapters.
Each chapter must have its own annotated bibliography, starting from number 1.
However, the numbering does not restart from 1 and continue to improve.
I did several tests in Micorsoft Word (2016)... but nothing/no results...

Could you help me to resolve this problem?

Thanks a lot for your answer,

Regards.

A student.
  • LiborA
    I think that numbering will start from 1 if each chapter will be in a separate file. After finishing all chapter you can unlink citation from Zotero and join all chapter in one document.
  • Johanna-Duval
    Okay thanks a lot for your answer,
    So, I have separated every chapter.
  • thomasfoxley
    Does anyone know if there has been an update on this? Is Zotero able to create a separate bibliography for different document sections/chapters? It seems a bit clunky to have to store them as separate files.
  • adamsmith
    Nothing new. It's also faster working with smarter files, so would recommend this more generally
  • Mayorsmart
    Zotero really needs to look into this. This discussion has been on for several years, yet no solution. At this point of my dissertation, I have gone too far to switch to a new reference manager. Once I am finally able to submit my dissertation, it's goodbye to Zotero.
  • dstillman
    @Mayorsmart: From Etiquette:
    Different people use Zotero in different ways. Not everybody shares your priorities, sometimes you're the only person experiencing a particular problem, or maybe you just didn't discover the best way to perform a task. Avoid generalizing statements like “it's obvious that without this feature, Zotero is useless for anybody”.
    There are over 100,000 threads in these forums. Finding one mentioning the specific feature that's important to you isn't the slightest bit meaningful. I assume we'd take a patch for this, but this isn't remotely a development priority, given that, as adamsmith says, it's generally better to work with smaller documents anyway.
  • zoe_lir
    edited October 9, 2023
    However, sincerely, I do need this function as I am writing my phd thesis, I have gone so far using Zotero and I can not switch to another manage app. Sure I can, but in bad mood......
    I have cited 100+ papers in my chapter one, just one, and there will be two and three and a review......
    The most akward part if I create word.docx for each chapter there will be revision for each chapter in this thesis which may have a huge modification.
    Because it is a thesis, the changes are basically intertwined in these chapters. For example, some sections of the second chapter will be moved to the first chapter.
    And if it's true, the operation will be tedious and annoying.
    I do think this is a pain spot for Zotero.
  • aborel
    edited October 10, 2023
    I do not know how dividing a thesis into one file per chapter makes it more difficult to re-arrange content between chapters. Open the chapters simultaneously, cut and paste from one to the other, maybe force a refresh every now and then... what pain spot are you seeing?
  • zoe_lir
    Different person different habit, for me open a window is enough so no two and already 10 windows for other apps. The most discomfort i have said is frequently change after unlink, especially when writing a thesis or a long ducument including multiple chapers, it will lead repetitive work, that is refresh, copy, paste and often errors occurred when multiple tables and figures involved.
  • zoe_lir
    Plus: Instead of copying and pasting, it is generally better to use the insert function and select the file (chapter) when incorporating content. Additionally, organizing separate docx files for each chapter rather than using a single document is often a personal preference.
  • adamsmith
    I really don't think this is worth more debate. I'm also a bit surprised people feel so strongly that this is necessary, but they clearly do and de gustibus...

    Devs have said quite clearly, however, that the ability to insert separate bibliographies by section/chapter within a single document isn't a priority so it's unlikely to happen any time soon (this wouldn't be a small update by any means).
    If this is a deal breaker for you, you have two options:
    1. Find a different tool or
    2. Write a plugin or a patch that implements this

    If you want to stick with Zotero, we're happy to help you think through workflows that work for you within the existing features, but as an argument, this is pretty pointless.

Sign In or Register to comment.