Implementation example: Zotero ODF Scan

[fbennett]

The group is probably fully aware of this one, but I'll point it out just in case:

http://zotero-odf-scan.github.io/zotero-odf-scan/

What the tool does is to implement drag-and-drop markers that provide (a) minimal human-readable cite details; (b) slots for adding prefix, suffix and pinpoint details; and (c) a machine-readable identifier for the full underlying metadata of the cited item.

The markers can be added to any text document, including Markdown documents. If the text is later converted to ODF format, the markers can be converted into fully linked, dynamic Zotero citations for final formatting.

There are compromises, of course: the tool is specific to Zotero; the markers link to a specific (set of) Zotero database(s); and conversion to ODF is a necessary precondition to producing final, formatted citations. In addition, the syntax used (with fields separated by pipe characters, for ease of parsing) may be awkward for some text processors to handle (specifically reStructuredText, where pipe characters are used in unrelated markup).

On the other hand, in terms of workflow it is hard to beat drag-and-drop for ease of use, and the tool is agnostic to the authoring environment -- if you can paste text into it, you can use it with Zotero.

Happy to answer questions or collab if there is interest.