LaTeX

When using Zotero to produce a Reference Database (see Reference Databases and BibTeX Entries for more information) you may find inconsistencies in the citekeys produced. Further, duplicate citekeys may be created if you export articles with similar details (e.g. same first author name and year) separately. Better BibTeX (BBT) is a plug-in for Zotero that helps with these issues by creating a standard formula for how Zotero will create BibTeX entries. 

In order to use Better BibTeX, you will need to have Zotero already downloaded on your device. See the Zotero LibGuide for assistance with getting started with Zotero.

To install and activate Better BibTeX in Zotero, following this link to the download page. This page contains a link to the file download, as well as instructions for adding the plug-in into Zotero.

After downloading the Better BibTeX file to your device:

A. Open the "Plugins" option from the "Tools" dropdown menu.

B. Click on the "Settings" gear in the "Plugins Manager" window.

C. Select the "Install Plugin from File" option.

D. Choose the Better BibTeX file that you have downloaded from the website.

Open up the Zotero "Settings" panel (under the "Edit" tab). You should now see a "Better BibTeX" tab. Click on the "Better BibTeX" tab to open up your Better BibTeX options. You should see a "Citation key formula" field, such as below.

Better BibTeX will use the information stored in Zotero to create citekeys based on the formula you create. Separating different functions using addition symbols will tell Better BibTeX to create a citekey that includes each field listed. More sophisticated formulae involving conditional parameters (i.e. "If X then Y") can also be created. See the Citation Key page on the Better BibTeX webiste for more information. Common functions that be used in the formula are listed below:

auth-the last name of the first author (adding .lower will make the first letter lowercase)

title-all significant words of the title, all capitalized (see below for example of "significant")

shorttitle(n,m)-the first n significant words of the title, the first m of them capitalized

year-the year of publication of the source

shortyear-the last two digits of the year of publication of the source

For a full list of functions, see the bottom of the Citation Key page on the Better BibTeX webiste. 

This example Better BibTeX citation follows the formula shown in the image above (auth.lower + shorttitle (3,3) + year). The first three "significant" words are "Analysis," "German," and "Tidal". The words "An," "Of," and "The" are considered non-significant.