Import from Zotero
Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 12:02 pm
Hi everybody,
the problem I am dealing with is Zotero's fault rather than bookends, but I was wondering whether anybody had some experience with this anyway. I've been having some trouble with importing some (>200) citations from Zotero (no attachments). I couldn't use Bookends in the first place, because for some reason I just can't get Internet access in our library with Bookends (no luck with proxies).
The main problem is that Zotero's data is all over the place. Authors who should be listed as "Smith, JD" are sometimes read as "Smith,J,D", "Smith, John" and all sorts of variations. Most journal names are also not stored as abbreviations. My best strategy so far is to export the library from Zotero as a RIS-file and then make use of the great "autofill" feature. Since I get most citations from Pubmed, Zotero does store the PMID number in the database (in a field called Extra), but it is not exported in the RIS format. Some entries have a DOI-number which also does the trick, but for the vast majority I end up importing just the name of the paper (and some other fields such as keywords), then copy/paste the PMID number by hand and then use the "autofill"feature.
This feels very stupid. Does anyone have a better idea how I could get the PMID numbers out of Zotero and into Bookends? Or any ideas how I might be able to get Bookends to access the Internet next time?
Thanks!
Kai
the problem I am dealing with is Zotero's fault rather than bookends, but I was wondering whether anybody had some experience with this anyway. I've been having some trouble with importing some (>200) citations from Zotero (no attachments). I couldn't use Bookends in the first place, because for some reason I just can't get Internet access in our library with Bookends (no luck with proxies).
The main problem is that Zotero's data is all over the place. Authors who should be listed as "Smith, JD" are sometimes read as "Smith,J,D", "Smith, John" and all sorts of variations. Most journal names are also not stored as abbreviations. My best strategy so far is to export the library from Zotero as a RIS-file and then make use of the great "autofill" feature. Since I get most citations from Pubmed, Zotero does store the PMID number in the database (in a field called Extra), but it is not exported in the RIS format. Some entries have a DOI-number which also does the trick, but for the vast majority I end up importing just the name of the paper (and some other fields such as keywords), then copy/paste the PMID number by hand and then use the "autofill"feature.
This feels very stupid. Does anyone have a better idea how I could get the PMID numbers out of Zotero and into Bookends? Or any ideas how I might be able to get Bookends to access the Internet next time?
Thanks!
Kai