Question 1

Zotero vs EndNote — which is better for Chinese academic theses?

Accepted Answer

For Chinese academic theses, Zotero is usually the better choice: completely free, better CNKI and Wanfang database support than EndNote, and the Jasmine (茉莉花) plugin solves GB/T 7714 format export issues. EndNote still has an edge in journal format support quantity, but for writing 1-2 papers, Zotero is fully sufficient.

Question 2

Is Zotero sync safe? Could my references leak?

Accepted Answer

Zotero sync is secure. You can choose to sync only metadata (title, author, abstract, etc.) without syncing full PDFs (stored locally, manually sync or use WebDAV). For maximum privacy requirements, simply do not log in — use locally only.

Question 3

Reference order messed up after exporting to GB/T 7714 — how to fix?

Accepted Answer

This is the most common Chinese format export issue, usually caused by: (1) Author name field format inconsistent (some full name, some initials); (2) Journal name and publisher fields mixed; (3) Outdated Jasmine plugin version. Fix: ensure all Chinese references use "姓 名" format in Author fields with space between; update Jasmine plugin to latest version.

Question 4

How to manage large reference libraries (100+ papers) in Zotero?

Accepted Answer

For large libraries: (1) Build multi-level Collection structure, e.g., "Chapter 1 citations" under "Thesis citations"; (2) Use Tags for supplementary keywords like "methodology" or "empirical research"; (3) Regularly run Library > Report Duplicates; (4) Add notes to important references indicating core arguments and citation scenarios.

Question 5

Can Zotero export to LaTeX?

Accepted Answer

Yes. With the Better BibTeX plugin, Zotero can export in BibTeX format (.bib file), directly used in LaTeX documents with \bibliography{filename}. Better BibTeX also supports auto-generating citation keys. Install, then File > Export Library > choose Better BibTeX format.

Zotero Complete Guide | Free Reference Management from Installation to Mastery

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