Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Oct 17, 2022 23 tweets 8 min read Read on X
Zotero's inbuilt Note Editor can REVOLUTIONIZE your note-taking and writing processes.

But most academics don't know much about it.

Here's how to supercharge your writing using Zotero's Note Editor 👇

A step-by-step guide with visuals 🧵
Let's start by adding a PDF to our library.

You can add a PDF using its DOI, or you can simply drag it into your Zotero library. A screenshot of Mushtaq's Zotero library. A yellow arrow poi
Once added, double click on it to open the PDF in Zotero's PDF reader. A recently added PDF in Mushtaq's Zotero library. A red box
Zotero will open the PDF in a new window.

To your left, you will see an Annotations pane, and to your right, the PDF's metadata.

You will also see Annotation Options on the top of the PDF.

In the top right corner, you will see a small Notes button. Zotero's inbuilt PDF reader showing a PDF. To the left is th
Let's add a couple of annotations before we start taking notes.

Here I have added two annotations using the "Highlight Text" button.

You can also add your own comments under these annotations. Two annotations added using the "Highlight Text" o
Now to the Notes Editor:

Clicking on the Notes button in the top right corner will open the Note editor for you.

Click on the "+" sign under the Notes Button and in front of "Item Notes."

Select "Add Item Note." Zotero's inbuilt Notes Editor displaying two options: "
Zotero will open its Note Editor with a toolbar on top. There are six tools in the toolbar:

1. Format text
2. Highlight text
3. Clear formatting
4. Insert Link
5. Insert Citation
6. Find and Replace A screenshot of Zotero's inbuilt Notes Editor. A yellow arro
Let's start with the basics - formatting text: The "Format Text" menu box open in Zotero's inbuil
Here I am composing a note with a heading (Heading 1) and a one-line paragraph. A note composed using Zotero's inbuilt Notes Editor.
Now I am adding a numbered list of three sources that I should read to take my project further.

I have used the "Numbered List" function here.

And I highlighted this part in purple using the "Highlight Text" option to remind myself to read these sources. A list of three sources composed using the Notes Editor's &q
I obtained the three sources, added them to my Zotero library, and read them.

I selected one relevant quote from each source, and manually added them to the note.

I also highlighted the word "national" because it's crucial to my project. Three quotes from three sources added to a note composed in
In the Note Editor you can also insert an in-text citation.

Click on the "[+]" (Insert Citation) button, and Zotero will open a search bar.

The search bar shows "Orsini and Zecchini, 2019" because that's the source currently open. Click on the "Insert Citation" button and Zotero w
I am going to delete "Orsini and Zecchini, 2019" and instead write "Damrosch," the author whose book I obtained the first quote from.

Zotero shows me all items by Damrosch in my library.

I select the relevant source: "What is World Literature?" Zotero showing all items by Damrosch in Mushtaq's library.
Zotero prepares the citation for insertion. It also lets you edit it to suit your requirements.

To edit, click on the citation in the search bar.

Here I'm adding the page number of the relevant quote. An in-text citation prepared by Zotero for insertion in the
Here you can see the three citations I added along with page numbers, which I manually added.

The in-text citations in Zotero Note Editor is a really POWERFUL feature.

I'll show you why: Three in-text citations added in Zotero's inbuilt Notes Edit
If you click on an in-text citation, Zotero will give you three options:

1. Go to Page
2. Show Item
3. Edit Citation

Click on "Go to Page" and Zotero will take you to the page in the original source from where you lifted the quotation 🙀 Clicking on an in-text citation gives you three options: Go
Here you can see Zotero opened page 283 of Damrosch's book "What is World Literature?" after I clicked on the in-text citation in the Note Editor.

This is something that can SUPERCHARGE your note-taking and referencing. Zotero opened page 283 of Damrosch's book "What is Worl
Now that we have taken a bunch of notes, it's time to start composing a draft of our paper.

Open a blank document MS Word, and click on the Zotero tab.

Then click on "Add Note." A blank document in MS Word with the heading "Location,
Zotero may or may not open "Zotero - Document Preferences" with a list of available citation styles.

If it does, select the citation style you want to use.

I am going with MLA 9th edition. "Zotero - Document Preferences" menu open in MS Wo
After you choose a citation style, Zotero will open a yellow search bar with a list of all your notes.

Select the note relevant to your current project. Zotero's "Add Note" search bar open in MS Word.
Click on the relevant note and Zotero will import the note into your Word document.

Notice, the citations are all correctly formatted according to the MLA 9th editon.

Now, you have your notes and citations in MS Word.

Start writing. A note imported into an MS Word document from Zotero's Notes
Do a couple rounds of writing and editing and you will have a decent draft.

Below is the first page of one of my forthcoming articles.

---

And that's how you can use Zotero's Note Editor to conceive, develop, and execute a project. The first page of Mushtaq's forthcoming article. Four citati
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More from @MushtaqBilalPhD

Jul 5
Zotero is the best citation management software. It's free and doesn't monetize your data.

But many folks have a hard time starting out on it.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial to get you started on Zotero:
1. Go to zotero[.]org and click on the "Download" button.

Download the app and install it on your computer.
2. Click on Zotero Connector and add it to your browser.

Zotero Connector is available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.

Pin the Zotero Connector to your browser by clicking on the puzzle-like icon in the top-right corner.
Read 14 tweets
Jul 1
NotebookLM was already one of the best AI apps for academic work.
Now it supports 50+ languages.

• Summarize papers
• Generate audio overviews of papers
• Ask question about papers
• Prepare study guides

All this in your own language and that too for free.
1. Go to notebooklm[.]google[.]com.

Click on "Create new notebook" and upload a paper.

NotebookLM will give you its summary.
2. Click on "Settings" in the top-right corner and select "Output Language."

From the dropdown menu, select your language and click on "Save."
Read 11 tweets
Jun 29
ChatGPT generates fake references to papers that don't exist.

So, researchers at Stanford built Storm.

It's an AI-powered app that generates well-researched articles with references to published sources. And Storm is free to use.

Here's how to use it:
1. Go to storm[.]genie[.]stanford[.]edu and click on "Get Started."

Create a account and log in.
2. In the search box, enter the topic you want to generate an article on.

Under the search box, type in the purpose of your article and what you want to achieve with it.

Then click on the right arrow and Storm will start researching the topic.
Read 10 tweets
Jun 28
Free: Sci-Hub, a "pirate" website with access to 84M+ research papers.

Free: Zotero, a reference manager.

Free: Google NotebookLM, an AI-powered research assistant.

Download papers from Sci-Hub directly to Zotero and read them with the help of NotebookLM.

Here's how:
1. Download Zotero Sci-Hub plugin

Go to this link: github(dot)com/syt2/zotero-scipdf
Replace the word "dot" with an actual [.]

Scroll down and click on "latest release xpi file."

This will download an "xpi" file to your computer.
2. Download Zotero Attanger plugin

Go to this link: github(dot)com/MuiseDestiny/zotero-attanger/releases
Replace the word "dot" with an actual [.]

Click on "zotero-attanger.xpi"

This will download another "xpi" file to your computer.
Read 11 tweets
Jun 26
Ten smart ways of using ChatGPT for academic purposes (that do not involve any plagiarism):
1. Project Management and Scheduling:

Sample Prompt:

Project Title:
Project Type:
Expected Start Date:
Expected Finish Date:
Follow very carefully the steps given below:
1. Carefully consider the scope and type of the project (if it is a journal article, conference paper, dissertation, presentation).
2. Consider carefully the primary and secondary academic fields relevant to the project.
3. Act as if you are a leading expert in the primary and secondary fields relevant to the project. You can proficiently explain the project using adequate technical knowledge and language.
4. Act as if you are an award-winning teacher who can break down extremely complex ideas into easily understandable language.
5. Keeping in mind the scope, type, and the academic field of the project, break it down in tasks that can be scheduled weekly. Do this very carefully. This breakdown should optimize for speed without compromising on authenticity of the project.
6. Breakdown the weekly tasks into subtasks that can be completed within a normal workday of six to eight hours.
7. Every subtask should be accompanied by one to two pieces of clear and actionable advice to carry out the subtask. Remind me constantly to focus on progress and not perfection.
8. While giving the schedule of the project, you must consider the importance of both mental health and the ability to meet deadlines. Strive to have a work-life balance.
2. Brainstorming Ideas

Start by asking a couple of “warmup” questions. This way you will get better suggestions. You can ask questions like, “Do you know about X?” and “Do you know about Y?”

Then ask how we can be related X with Y. After that ask ChatGPT to help you brainstorm research questions on the relationship between X and Y.

While brainstorming ideas, always start with a basic idea and build on that gradually.
Read 13 tweets
Jun 25
Getting past peer review is a challenge every researcher faces.

Paper Wizard is an AI app that can help you get past peer review.

Featured in Nature, scientists are calling it "the best [tool] for spotting statistical and methodological issues."

Here's how to use it: A screenshot of a Nature article featuing Paper Wizard.
1. Go to and sign up for a free account.

Once you sign up, you will receive one free credit. This means you can get one paper reviewed for free. paper-wizard.com
2. Convert your manuscript into a PDF. Drag and drop the PDF in Paper Wizard, and click on "Submit for Review."

It will go through your paper thoroughly. This may take up to 10 minutes.

You don't need to hang around. You will receive an email once your review is ready.
Read 6 tweets

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