Zotero Better Notes User Guide: Workflow

Welcome to Zotero Better Notes ! This note helps you quickly learn how to use this addon in 3 min! Let’s start now. View full documentation with images on GitHub: User Guide(EN) | User Guide(CN)

1 What is Better Notes

Better Notes is an extension of Zotero’s built-in note function. Zotero’s note is much like a markdown/rich-text editor. You can edit the format with the tools above⬆️.

1.1 Workspace Window

The knowledge workspace window contains an outline area(left side⬅️), the main note area, and the preview area(right side➡️). |---------------||----------------||----------------| |                  ||                  ||                  | |    Outline    ||  Main Note  ||   Preview    | |                  ||                  ||                  | |------------ —||---------------||----------------| Open workspace by clicking the ‘Open Workspace’ line above the ‘My Library’ line in Zotero main window. Alternatively, open it with the ‘🏠home’ button on the top-left of note editors. Most functions are integrated in the upper left menu bar of the workspace window (in MacOS, the upper left of the screen), which will be described in subsequent chapters.

1.2 Main note

This addon uses a Zotero note item as the main note. It will show up on the main area of the workspace window. All links will be added to the main note. Click File Open Main Note in the workspace window to select a note as the main note.

2 Gather Ideas to Main Note

2.1 From Note

Select a note outside the workspace window(in Zotero items view or PDF viewer), you may realize a button with the addon’s icon on the top of the note editor toolbar. Click it, the current note link will be inserted into the main note’s cursor position; Select a heading, the note’s link will be inserted into the end of this heading.

💡 Try it now!

Open a PDF and open/create a note(in the right side bar of PDF viewer). Add a link below.

2.1.1 INSERT HERE

You can insert the link here. In this study, the computing time using the ANN was up to 50% lower, than in the case of the FEM simulation. However, th

2.2 From Annotation

You can find a button with the addon’s icon on every annotation(in the left sidebar of PDF viewer). Click it, and a new note with this annotation will be created under the PDF item. You can also add the link to the main note in the note editor.

💡 Try it now!

Open a PDF and open/create an annotation(in the left sidebar of PDF viewer). Add a link. 가중치에 초기값을 부여하는 것.

3 Check Linked Notes in Workspace Window

3.1 View Linked Notes

Suppose you have added a lot of links to the main note. Now, it’s time to view what you’ve got. Go back to the workspace window. Click links, the linked note will show up in the preview area(right side➡️).

💡 Try it now!

Open a note link.

3.2 View Linked Note’s PDF

Click the ‘📄PDF’ button on the top-left of the preview area.

💡 Try it now!

Open a linked note’s PDF.

4 Outline Mode

Switch the outline mode with the ‘📊mode’ button on the bottom of the outline area.

💡 Try it now!

Try different outline modes.

5 LaTex Support

Removed since v0.7.0. Click the ‘TEX’ button on the tool bar of note editor to switch between LaTex view and editor view.

6 Export

Click the ‘⬆️export’ button on the top-right of the main note area. Choose a format to export, e.g. MarkDown. If you are using MS Word/OneNote, export to clipboard and paste there. You can also choose to keep the notes in Zotero, and the contents of the notes will be synchronized through Zotero synchronization settings.

💡 Try it now!

Export this main note!

7 Start a New Job

After the export, you may want to start a new job with a new empty main note. Create a note and right-click to set it as the main note, or just create a new main note. Switch between different main notes with the File Open Main Note/Create New Main Note.

✨ Hint

Create a new collection and save all main notes there is the best way to manage them.

The user guide should have done this for you. Congratulations! You can select a new main note and start working with Zotero Better Notes now. Have fun! <img alt="" data-attachment-key="YLTTMX7E" data-annotation="%7B%22attachmentURI%22%3A%22http%3A%2F%2Fzotero.org%2Fusers%2F10857963%2Fitems%2FBPYR4RVW%22%2C%22annotationKey%22%3A%223NKQCZKL%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22%23ffd400%22%2C%22pageLabel%22%3A%223%22%2C%22position%22%3A%7B%22pageIndex%22%3A2%2C%22rects%22%3A%5B%5B35.132%2C398.175%2C174.079%2C421.069%5D%5D%7D%2C%22citationItem%22%3A%7B%22uris%22%3A%5B%22http%3A%2F%2Fzotero.org%2Fusers%2F10857963%2Fitems%2FM3ITGFYW%22%5D%2C%22locator%22%3A%223%22%7D%7D" width="232" height="38" src="attachments/YLTTMX7E.png" ztype="zimage">
(Liu 등, 2023, p. 3) In this study, the computing time using the ANN was up to 50% lower, than in the case of the FEM simulation. However, th