Zotero 8: Reference management with new citation dialog

Contents

The non-profit Corporation for Digital Scholarship has released Zotero 8. The new version of the open-source reference management software brings numerous improvements in handling citations, annotations, and the PDF reader after over a year of development. In parallel, the project announces a faster release cycle.

The completely revised citation dialog replaces the previous three different input methods with a unified system featuring two modes. In List mode, you search across all libraries for title, author, publication year, DOI, or ISBN. Library mode, on the other hand, allows hierarchical navigation within specific libraries and collections. You switch between the two modes with a click, while selected entries and search terms are preserved. Locator information such as "line 10" or "l. 10" can be entered directly into the search bar.

Annotations become searchable

A central innovation concerns the display of annotations. Markings and notes from PDFs, EPUBs, and snapshots of websites now appear as independent entries under their respective documents in the items list. This allows annotations to be searched and filtered. In Advanced Search, you can filter by, for example, "Item Type" = "Annotation" and search for annotation text or comments. Tags can be assigned via drag-and-drop, and Zotero groups selected annotations in the item pane.

The new Reader Appearance panel offers global themes for PDFs, EPUBs, and website snapshots. In addition to the integrated color schemes "Dark", "Snow", and "Sepia", custom themes can be defined via foreground and background colors. The system automatically adjusts accent colors and allows separate settings for light and dark modes. Unlike before, images are no longer inverted but only slightly darkened in dark themes. Full-page images in PDFs, such as scans, also adapt to the selected theme.

Notes in tabs instead of separate windows

Notes open by default in tabs within the main window. Full-screen view with wide margins is designed for distraction-free work. A double-click in the items list is sufficient to open them. Those who prefer separate windows can change this via the context menu or in the settings. Tabs have their own font size setting in the View menu.

Continuous file naming automatically synchronizes attachment filenames with changes to the metadata of the parent entry. For example, if you change the title of a publication, Zotero adjusts the filename accordingly. This function was previously only available when files were first added. Existing filenames can be adapted to the current format via the settings. A new tool (Normalize Attachment Titles) facilitates migration.

Faster updates planned

In parallel with Version 8, the development team has announced an accelerated release cycle. Instead of waiting months, new versions will be released every 6 to 10 weeks in the future. Bug fixes will be released independently in maintenance updates like 8.0.1. Beta versions will continue to offer immediate access to new changes.

Furthermore, system requirements have been raised: Zotero 8 no longer supports macOS 10.14 and earlier, nor Windows 7 and 8. However, there is first-time support for ARM Linux systems. Word processor integration has been improved with a progress bar on macOS and zoom shortcuts in reports. Plug-in developers will need to adapt their extensions, as new APIs for annotations and full-text are available.

(fo)