Once you've added a reference, you can add notes to the reference. To do this, click on the reference that you want to add a note to, then click on the note button and add a Child Note. You can then type the note out in the rightmost section of the Zotero pane. Child notes are attached to references. If you want to add a note to the entire library, then you can select Standalone Note. This process is demonstrated below:
To remove duplicate records, also called deduping, open your Zotero pane. Next click on the entry to the left named "Duplicate Items". This will display a listing of items Zotero believes to be duplicates. From there, you can select which version you would prefer to keep and the differences will be displayed beneath the listing of the different versions. Once you've settled on a final version, click on the "Merge Items" button and Zotero will remove the duplicate references. This is demonstrated below:
Since Zotero is open source, anyone can create plugins and addons to expand its functionality. One useful addon that adds several great features, especially if you want to read your PDFs on a tablet like an iPad or Google device. It adds the
There are fairly good instructions on the addon's website on how to set up this functionality and if you are interested in using Dropbox to sync documents, Zotero has some documentation on their page on how to set that up.
The author of the addon has tested both PDF Expert (Apple) and iAnnotate (Android and Apple) as PDF reading/highlighting apps for the iPad and they seem to work well.
There may be times when you either need to transfer your library to a new Zotero library or switch between two accounts. The process for doing this is fairly simple. Before you alter anything, it is recommended for you to back-up your library/ies to make sure nothing is accidentally lost. To do this, you need to click on the Gear icon then select Export Library. If you have citations or attachments in multiple libraries, be sure to back up both accounts. Like so:
Before we outline the steps for switching accounts you need to realize that there are two copies of your library. One copy is on your computer and there's another copy on Zotero's servers. If you are switching accounts, then when you change the account that you are using by changing the username and password in the Sync settings (Gear icon then Preferences then Sync), there will be a mismatch. If you press sync in Zotero, it will download all the citations and attachments for the newly entered account and merge them with the data on your computer to create a combined library. This may be ideal if you are transitioning to a new account. Others will want to switch fully between accounts. Follow the steps below for how to do this.
Once everything is backed up, click on the Gear icon then select Preferences. In your preference menu, select the Sync tab. There will be a sub-tab for Settings and Reset. Like so:
Settings is where you will want to enter the account information for the account that you would like to load. Reset is where you will go to force Zotero to refresh what is listed in your library from the synced data that you can view on Zotero.org.
There are two main options under the Reset sub-tab:
So to take an example to explain the process, let's say you are switching between two accounts named Primary and Secondary. You are currently logged into the Primary account and would like to load the Secondary account. Go to the Sync tab in your preferences and enter in the login information for the Secondary account then click on the Reset subtab and click on the option for Restore from Zotero Server. A message will pop-up warning you that the information in the library on your computer will be over-written by the library from the new account. It will look similar to this:
Now click Sync in Zotero and it'll load the Secondary account.
In order to search within PDFs for text, you first need to have a couple of plugins installed. You can view whether they are installed by clicking on the Gear icon then Preferences then on the Search tab. There will be entries for PDF Indexing. Like so:
Zotero will tell you whether these have been installed. If they have not, click on the button to add them. It will be located where the "Check for updates" button is located in the screenshot above.
Once they have been installed when you are in the search pane in your Zotero window, click on the drop-down icon beside the magnifying glass and search for Everything. Like so:
On your computer, click the Zotero gear menu, choose Export Library, and save the file to the desired format. From here, find the file on your computer and transfer it to your USB key. This is demonstrated with a screenshot below. On the computer you want to transfer the library to, Zotero must be installed. Once you verify this, click the Zotero gear menu, choose Import, and find the Zotero file on your USB key to import it.
It is a good idea to back up your Zotero library regularly to a USB drive. While Zotero does sync with their online storage, backing up in multiple places will make a total loss of data very unlikely.
If you're using Zotero on a public computer, once you leave the machine, anyone using the computer after you will have access to your library in Zotero. This may prove an issue for some users, especially when working with confidential items.
Also, if you are using Zotero on a public computer, any references added or edited while on the public computer will only be saved to your online account if the Synch feature is working. If you are not sure if it’s working and you want to be able to access any changes or additions that you’ve made later, follow the steps below.
To avoid these issues, there are different options:
This feature allows for users of the same or different disciplines to connect and work togther for research purposes. This feature is a good way to interact with other users.
Users can: