Using Zotero at Princeton

https://www.zotero.org/support/google_docs

Using Zotero with Scrivener as of Sept 2024 (Courtesy of Cornell University)

Scrivener is writing software that has become increasingly popular with academics. It helps organize long pieces of writing. Affordable, cross-platform, and can be installed on multiple computers of the same platform. There is a  generous 30 opens (not 30 consecutive days) free trial.

Currently Scrivener has no Zotero plugin (as there is for Word), but there are a number of workarounds.

Two easy but un-dynamic methods

1. Recommended:
   Drag and drop citations from Zotero into Scrivener (or manually type) footnotes and citations. Use Zotero to generate a bibliography which can be copied and pasted  into the Scrivener project or a compiled Word document. Caution: The connection to Zotero is no longer dynamic and footnotes/citations and the bibliography become static and simple text.
2. Draft in MS Word using the Zotero Plugin for Word to create footnotes and bibliography. Export the document along with its footnotes/citations and bibliography into Scrivener in order to further organize using import  or import & split.  Caution: The connection to Zotero is no longer dynamic and footnotes/citations and the bibliography become static and simple text.

Two less easy but more dynamic methods:

1. Less Recommended by Zotero as slightly less reliable but often problem-free: RTF Scan (works with Zotero 7)
   1.  Detailed instructions: Zotero RTF Scan Help 
   2. In Scrivener, drag and drop or copy & paste a citation in the body of a document. Note that you should insert the citation in the body of the document, and not in a Scrivener-style footnote.
   3.  In Scrivener, insert {Bibliography} in the body of the document, in the spot where you would like the Bibliography to appear (assuming you want the references at the end)
   4.  In Scrivener, compile the document, using *.RTF as the output format.
   5. In Zotero, go to Tools > RTF Scan. Zotero will prompt you to select input and output files. Select the RTF file that you created in the previous step. You can also select an output file, or you can accept the default file created by Zotero. Click Next.
   6.  Zotero will display a table and ask you to confirm any ambiguous references.  Ensure that every citation listed in the table has a corresponding Item Name. i.e. if the "Item Name" field is blank, you must select a citation. Once you have done this, click Next.
   7. Zotero will prompt you to select a citation style, e.g. MLA or APA. Select a style and click Next.
   8. Zotero will confirm that your document has been scanned. Open the document and confirm that the formatting is correct.
2. ODF Scan Plugin   Alert!!!!!  not currently compatible with Zotero 7
   1. Detailed instructions: Zotero ODF Scan Help 
   2. This method requires installing add ons. Expect to encounter some challenges with the downloads-- Macs may have problems with Java; PCs may have problems installing Scannable Cite.
   3. After successful installation, insert placeholder citations into Scrivener from Zotero (e.g., by setting your default export format to RTF Scan and dragging from Zotero into Scrivener).
   4. When you are done writing, export from Scrivener in the format *.ODT.
   5. In Zotero, click Tools -> ODF Scan and select your document to have Zotero convert the placeholders to dynamic Zotero citations.
   6. Open the document in LibreOffice (free, open source Office) to finish formatting

To use Zotero Integration with Overleaf, please follow these steps. For more information visit Overleaf's Bibliography management in LaTex page. Contact Willow Dressel (wdressel@princeton.edu) with questions about using Overleaf.

1. Make sure you have created a Zotero account online and that it is synced with Zotero Standalone.
2. Log into Overleaf and navigate to 'Account Settings.'
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the settings page to find 'Zotero Integration.
4. Click on 'Link to Zotero' and you will be prompted to log into zotero.org. Enter the username and password you used when creating your Zotero account online
5. Once you have logged into Zotero, you will be prompted to create a 'New Private Key.' The 'Key Description' defaults to a word or phrase associated with the third party application that would like to access your Zotero library (in this case Overleaf).
6. Click on 'Accept Defaults' and you will be automatically returned to your Overleaf account settings page. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find 'Zotero Integration' again. You should see both 'Account is linked' and 'Unlink Zotero.'
7. Scroll back up to the top of the account settings page and click on 'Projects.' Then, from your 'Projects' page, select the project you want to connect to Zotero.
8. Add a bibliography package such as bibtex, natbib, or biblatex to the preamble of your project using the \usepackage{} command.
   
9. Once you are viewing a specific project, select 'New File' from the top left menu.
10. You will be prompted with a number of choices. Select 'From Zotero' and you will be prompted to name your file and to choose a format  to match your package (BibTeX or BibLaTeX). Once you have named your file and picked a format, click on 'Create.'
    PLEASE NOTE: Your filename must end with .bib for it to work properly.
    
11. Add your Zotero file (as a bib resource) to header of your main.tex file using the \addbibresource{} command. 
    
12. Insert a Zotero citation as you would any other citation from a .bib file using the \cite{} command.

13. PLEASE NOTE: If you add new citations to Zotero and want to update your Zotero-integrated .bib file in Overleaf, select the .bib file, and then click on the 'Refresh' button at the top of the page.

*Note:  This method imports your entire Zotero library including all folders. To import a single folder from your Zotero library, manually export it from Zotero as .bib and use the upload button to add to your Overleaf project.