Show last author in Zotero thanks to ‘Zotero Better Authors’ plugin

In der wissenschaftlichen Forschung spielt die Reihenfolge der Autor*innen eine entscheidende Rolle. Zotero zeigt aber standardmäßig nur den ersten Autor an. Mithilfe des Zotero-Plugins „Zotero Better Authors“ kannst du jetzt aber in deiner Zotero-Bibliothek den letzten Autor eines Papers anzeigen lassen und gezielt nach bestimmten Labs und Forschergruppen suchen.

What does ‘Zotero Better Authors’ do?

Particularly in the natural sciences, the last auth or of a paper usually is of particular importance, as this is usually the person in charge, the Principal Investigator (PI). This person often represents the labfrom which the publication originates, and provides important insights into the origin and the key areas of a research paper.

The ‘Zotero Better Authors’ plugin adds an extra column to your Zotero library, displaying the last author(s) of each entry. This feature is particularly useful if you are searching your literature database for publications from a specific laboratory or wish to identify connections between the work of a research group.

Installation and use of “Zotero Better Authors”

Installation and use of “Zotero Better Authors”

  1. Download the plugin from the GitHub page Zotero Better Authors .
  2. Open Zotero and select “Plugins” from the “Tools” menu.
  3. Click on the gear icon in the top right corner and select “Install Plugin from File” and add the downloaded plugin file.

After installation, you can now view and change the Zotero Better Authors settings in the Zotero settings (Edit > Settings), which are very self-explanatory. Under "Display content settings" you have the important setting "Last Author“.

To enable the column in your library, right-click on the column headers in Zotero and select ‘Last Author’.


GitHub Seite des Zotero Better Authors Plugins mit Markierung des Latest Release
Step 1: On the plugin page, go to "latest release" to get the latest version of the plugin.
Download der XPI Datei des Zotero Plugins
Step 2: Download the .xpi file by right-clicking
Zotero Plugin Manager Installation von Datei
Step 3: Go to Tools > Plugins to access the Plugin Manager and click the cog icon to install the new add-on.
Zotero Einstellungen für Better Authors Last Author Option
Step 4: In the Zotero settings you now have the new "Better Authors" setting available. Activate the box for "Last Author".

Summary

With the plugin “Zotero Better Authors” you get important information about the origin of a scientific work at a glance – and thus bring a little more order and clarity to your library! Together with other useful Zotero plugins macht es das Literaturmanagement noch flexibler.

If you want to further optimise and customise your Zotero experience, you can find customised citation styles on  citationstyler.com and many other customisation tips in my blog.


Further reading

Blog - Using Zotero and AI together - plugin for Zotero - Citation Styler
AI and Zotero: an overview of the best plugins
AI plugins can add valuable functions to Zotero - from optimised literature suggestions to interactive PDF analysis. Find out how ARIA, ZoteroChat and other tools can support the scientific workflow.
Deutsche Zitierweise Zitierstil für Zotero Mendeley Papers. Zitieren Zitierweise
German citation style: Cite correctly with Zotero
Literature research and citation according to German citation style done right, thanks to Zotero and CSL citation template. Here I show you how to do it.
Wie richtige Zitierweise finden | citationstyler.com
How do I find the correct citation style?
Citation styles under control: Your comprehensive guide to academic references and citation styles
Blog - Zotero Better Authors - Zotero Plugin to show last author
Show last author in Zotero thanks to ‘Zotero Better Authors’ plugin
With the Zotero plugin ‘Better Authors’ you can display the last author/PI in your library. Find out how this function makes your scientific research for specific labs easier and provides a better overview.

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