Zotero for reference management

Sign-up for Zotero and setup Zotero reference management software

Get Zotero account

  1. Open https://www.zotero.org/user/login/
  2. Click on Register for a free account
  3. Chose username, email, and password
  4. Click Register
  5. Open your email and verify your account

Join the rbtl-fs24 group library

  1. Login into Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/user/login/
  2. Open rbtl-fs24 group Library: https://www.zotero.org/groups/5487140/rbtl-fs24
  3. Click on Join button
  4. Wait for group admin to confirm your membership (note: you won’t receive an automated confirmation after access is enabled)

Install Zotero desktop client

  1. Open https://www.zotero.org/download/
  2. Download Zotero for your operating system
  3. Install Zotero
  4. Log in to your Zotero account by opening Settings -> Sync and typing the Username and Password you have previously set up
  5. Click on the green refresh button in the top-right corner of the Zotero window

Install the Zotero Connector for your browser

  1. Open https://www.zotero.org/download/
  2. Download the Zotero Connector for your browser
  3. Install the Zotero Connector
  4. Log in to your Zotero account

Setup Add-ons and the citation key format

  1. Go to https://retorque.re/zotero-better-bibtex/installation/
  2. Click on the latest release so you are redirected to github
  3. Find the .xpi file and right-click it. Click on Save Link As… and choose your location for saving the file.

  1. Open Zotero -> Tools -> Add-ons -> (Gear icon) -> Install Add-on From File… -> choose the .xpi file you have just saved

  1. Restart Zotero

  1. Wait until the database fully loads. Only the first time is long; the next interactions with Zotero will be much faster.

  2. You may need to restart Zotero the second time. Please do so if you see a prompt after Better BibTeX is installed.

  3. Go to Zotero -> Settings -> Export -> Default Format and change the default format to Better BibTeX Quick Copy:

  1. In the same setting window, go to Better BibTeX -> Open Better BibTeX preferences…

  1. In the Citation keys tab, use the following Citation key formula for Better BibTeX: [auth:lower][year][veryshorttitle1_0:lower]

The line above means that the citation key will be build from:

  • First author’s last name in lowercase
  • publication year
  • The first word from the title in lowercase, not including the connectors such as “the” or “a”

  1. Go to Export -> Quick-Copy in the Better BibTeX preferences. Select Pandoc citation.

Change the setting for the citekey autopin delay

  1. Open Zotero advanced preferences (Zotero -> Settings -> Advanced)
  2. Open the Config Editor under the Advanced Configuration section

  1. Click I accept the risk!
  2. In the search bar, search for autopin

  1. Double-click into the field under Value
  2. In the new window called Enter integer value, change the existing 0 to 2

  1. Click OK
  2. Close all setting windows

Create a collection

  1. In the rbtl-fs24 group library, create a new collection with your GitHub username