Using Arabic Script References with Better BibTeX in Zotero

Arabic Transliteration Issues in Zotero

Suppose you have Arabic script references in your Zotero library and have previously tried using the citation keys generated by the Better Bibtex extension. In that case, you may have noticed, depending on your chosen citation key formula, that the transliteration symbols for alif, hamza and some other Arabic script characters were unsupported and resulted in bothersome occurrences of the replacement character �.

Emiliano Heyns, the BibTeX developer, has now kindly resolved the issue using another translation system: a modified version of the Buckwalter Arabic transliteration (see the chart below).

How to Start Using the New Feature in Your Zotero Library

• Download the following build for Better BibTex from GitHub https://github.com/retorquere/zotero-better-bibtex/releases/download/v6.7.54/zotero-better-bibtex-6.7.54.xpi 

• In your Zotero library, select "Tools" -> "Add-ons" -> and open the top right tool menu -> "Install Add-on From File". Select the build you have downloaded.

• Select all your Arabic script references -> right click -> Better BibTeX -> "Refresh BibTeX key".

Ensure that the language is set for your Arabic script references. Otherwise, the transliteration will not work. You can set the language by writing "ara" under the "language" line in the reference entry itself or by setting the citation key formula to "auth.transliterate(ar) + year".

If you don't like the orthographically oriented transliteration, remember that you can manually set your preferred transliteration key for each reference by right-clicking the reference and selecting "Better BibTeX" -> "Change BibTeX key". This is a good solution if you only have a few Arabic script references, but might be too time-consuming if you have many, as you can only manually set one reference key at a time.

Have You Run Into Transliteration Issues With Other Non-Latin Scripts?

If you have experiences, problems, questions or solutions regarding using non-Latin script language references in Zotero, please get in touch with us and share! We would love to hear from you! E-mail to: zotero-guru@ub.uio.no.

The Transliteration Table for Arabic Script Characters in Better BibTeX Citation Keys