Make each reference in the "My library" numbered

alireza5969
Hey there,

I'm a former EndNote-enjoyer guy! I mostly do systematic reviews, so I've got to deal with a fairly large number of references (sometimes up to 500!).

So I had to come up with an idea to manage this huge load of references.
I found out that EndNote asigns a unique number (chronologically, from 1 to n [the last reference added]) to each reference added to the library (easily findable by adding the column for it by right-clicking on the library columns). So I could use that number to cross reference between data extraction spreadsheet, word processor, EndNote, and my collaborators.

So, I was looking for similar capability in Zotero. Interestingly, I found that Zotero actually has a "number column" similar to EndNote, BUT, it's empty!

Anyone knows how to overcome this problem?!
  • dstillman Zotero Team
    No, that doesn't make sense in Zotero. Zotero is a local tool that syncs data between devices — it couldn't just assign a number, because there's no guarantee that it would be unique across your devices (e.g., if you created an item 25 on two computers before you synced each device).

    It's possible to create links to select items in your local Zotero (zotero://select links), and you can embed those into other programs. There's not currently an easy built-in way to generate those for regular items, but there are plugins that can help (e.g., Zutilo for Zotero 6).

    Each item in Zotero also has an 8-character key that's stable across devices (and those form the basis of the select links). Those aren't exposed, but again, plugins could help.

    The Better BibTeX plugin can also create a Citation Key for each item that you could use.

    The Number column in Zotero is a bibliographic field — nothing do with this.
  • alireza5969
    edited March 15, 2024
    Thank you dstillman!

    Do you happen to know anything about 'Better BibTeX for Zotero'?

    Can it come in handy in such situations?
  • dstillman Zotero Team
    I can't help with plugins, but if you have specific questions on BBT, others might be able to help.

    https://retorque.re/zotero-better-bibtex/
  • alireza5969
    Many thanks
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