Literature management with Zotero
Installing Citation Styles
The citation style determines the appearance of the source references in the text and the bibliography. This includes whether literature references are in brackets or appear as footnotes, whether the author's name is formatted in small caps or the title is in italics, whether commas or periods separate individual elements, and more.
In the default installation, Zotero brings several citation styles, including Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition (author-date) and Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition (note). These two multilingual citation styles are suitable for many subjects. However, you can install additional styles from Zotero's citation style database, which now includes many thousands of styles, or create your own.
To install a new citation style, go to Zotero's preferences, switch to the Cite tab, and select the Styles option. Below the style manager, click Get additional styles… . This opens the Zotero Style Repository, which allows you to search for new styles (Figure 5).
Type a search term in the box at top left, or click on one or more of the keywords you see on the right. Below that, Zotero lists the styles it found. Mouse over one of the styles, and you will see a preview of the citation style. Click on the desired entry to apply the style.
You can preview the installed citation styles directly in Zotero. Select multiple entries that represent different publication types, for example, a journal article and a book. Then, in Zotero Settings, switch to the Cite tab, and click Style Preview. In the preview window (Figure 6), click Refresh in the upper left corner to create the preview.
Customizing Citation Styles
If you can't find a citation style that exactly suits your needs, find a similar style and edit it, for example, by pulling in elements of another style. Zotero uses the Citation Style Language (CSL) to describe citation styles; this is a variant of the XML markup language that is also used by other literature management programs. For experienced programmers, CSL is a largely self-explanatory programming language. However, with a little application, you can edit citation styles, and even create new ones, without any knowledge of programming or XML. The CSL documentation and command reference can be found in the specification [7].
Conclusions
The advantages of Zotero are obvious: The free tool makes it easier to keep track of your research and eliminates a lot of typing and formatting work. Support for some catalogs is not yet perfect, and creating a new citation style can be challenging. Nevertheless, Zotero comes across as a professional, mature, and easy-to-use literature management program that stands up well against its commercial competitors.
Infos
- Zotero: https://www.zotero.org
- Jurism: https://juris-m.github.io
- Register account: https://www.zotero.org/user/register
- Zotero Storage: https://www.zotero.org/storage
- Zotero Connector: https://www.zotero.org/download/connectors
- JSTOR: https://jstor.org
- CSL 1.0.1 Specification: https://docs.citationstyles.org/en/stable/specification.html
« Previous 1 2 3
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Adds New Deployment Option for Enterprise Linux Platforms
Red Hat has re-imagined enterprise Linux for an AI future with Image Mode.
-
OSJH and LPI Release 2024 Open Source Pros Job Survey Results
See what open source professionals look for in a new role.
-
Proton 9.0-1 Released to Improve Gaming with Steam
The latest release of Proton 9 adds several improvements and fixes an issue that has been problematic for Linux users.
-
So Long Neofetch and Thanks for the Info
Today is a day that every Linux user who enjoys bragging about their system(s) will mourn, as Neofetch has come to an end.
-
Ubuntu 24.04 Comes with a “Flaw"
If you're thinking you might want to upgrade from your current Ubuntu release to the latest, there's something you might want to consider before doing so.
-
Canonical Releases Ubuntu 24.04
After a brief pause because of the XZ vulnerability, Ubuntu 24.04 is now available for install.
-
Linux Servers Targeted by Akira Ransomware
A group of bad actors who have already extorted $42 million have their sights set on the Linux platform.
-
TUXEDO Computers Unveils Linux Laptop Featuring AMD Ryzen CPU
This latest release is the first laptop to include the new CPU from Ryzen and Linux preinstalled.
-
XZ Gets the All-Clear
The back door xz vulnerability has been officially reverted for Fedora 40 and versions 38 and 39 were never affected.
-
Canonical Collaborates with Qualcomm on New Venture
This new joint effort is geared toward bringing Ubuntu and Ubuntu Core to Qualcomm-powered devices.