Table of Contents

1. Preface

2. Video Guide

3. Text Guide

4. OMFS World

5. Stuff (App, Gear)

Preface

🌸Spring is finally here!

Last weekend we had the first warm day here since October.

Walking to the train station at 05:20 am is still freezing cold 🥶, but it's no longer the “cut-you-through” kind of cold.

🏃‍♂️ The warm weather is a great opportunity to take my jogging more seriously. Lately, I had a hard time fitting jogging into my schedule. So I played around with the idea of listening to scientific manuscripts while I jog. This way, I can squeeze a run into my literature-reading time. I've been listening to books, emails, and websites, so why not also listen to scientific manuscripts?

🐣 On the family front, thirdborn turned one month. His life revolves around eating, keeping food down, and having bowel movements. You know, the essential things in life.

He recently got his social security card in the mail. It took me an entire year of paperwork to get mine, and all he had to do was to be born 😃 🇺🇸.

That's life.

👨‍💻In today's newsletter, we'll discuss how I read manuscripts and manage references.

I call it Shay's up-to-date OS ver 2.0.

I've been using version 1.0 of Shay's up-to-date OS for some time now, but I still found myself repeating tasks that can be automated.

This is where version 2.0 comes in:

• 💻 Let computers do the work for you.

• ⚙️Automate and stop wasting time.

• 🍻Enjoy the process.

Version 2.0 precisely does that!

• In under 1 second, I import a reference and let automation do the rest for me.
  
  

• It takes me a few seconds to categorize a manuscript and take notes. After that, I'm done!
  
  

• I can resurface any manuscript whenever I need it, from any device. No more browsing my folders and opening 30 browser tabs simultaneously.
  
  

• ⛹️‍♂️My entire process of reading the literature, categorizing, and writing manuscripts is done using Notion and Zotero.

After using almost every reference manager out there, nothing comes close to the integrated Zotero-Notion duo 👫.

It allows me to save 15 hours every month. And enjoy the process.

Today I will show you how.

And there's a surprise - I made an entire YouTube video!

So you no longer need to follow a text guide to install it. You can see how it looks and follow my video. Thumb up 👍, commenting 💬, and subscribing to my YouTube channel will be greatly appreciated!

Enjoy #33!

📽️ Video Guide

🚶🏻‍♂️In this video, I will guide you step-by-step to install Notion and Zotero, and integrate the two with Notero.

By the end of this video, you will have Shay's up-to-date OS ver 2.0 on your computer, ready to work.

Since the textual and video guide are identical, pick the one you're more comfortable with.

😇If you like the video, hit the like button 👍 and subscribe.

The video has closed captions (subtitles) that can be turned on by clicking the “cc” button.

🍿 Happy watching!

Text Guide

In this guide, I will teach you how to:

1. Install the “Zotero” reference manager.

2. Install “Notion.”

3. Establish a connection between them using “Notero.”

4. Set up my Notion page on your computer and start using it immediately.

🙋‍♂️ First of all, why Zotero?

📆 I've been using reference managers since 2006.

The first reference manager I ever used was EndNote. It was cumbersome, but my PhD mentor used it, so I also had to use it.

🙌 Then I discovered Mendeley.

In 2010, Mendeley was still buggy, but I loved how it could import citation data from the web with a click of a button.

So I used Mendeley to import references into my database and exported them into EndNote to insert them into Microsoft Word.

In 2019, I felt that Mendeley had matured enough, and I stopped using EndNote altogether. For four years, Mendeley was my go-to reference manager, from importing citations all the way to submission.

😓However, with Mendeley, I always found myself messing around with the formatting of the references.

It had issues that set me back about 10 hours for every manuscript I wrote. I like total control over how the citations look, and Mendeley does a mediocre job. I also want to improve my system and introduce automation into my workflow. This way, I will use my brain for research instead of repetitive work and technicalities.

🏆 This is where Zotero and Notion come in.

I've been using Notion since 2019, which saved me hundreds of hours on research alone.

But until recently, I always had to return to Mendeley and Microsoft Word to insert the references into my manuscript and waste time.

But with Zotero and its integration with Notion, I can finally automate my ENTIRE referencing process, and I no longer waste time.

In this guide, I will walk you through the step-by-step process of installing everything you need by integrating Zotero, Notion, and Notero.

🤘Step-by-Step Guide

1. Install Notion (free)

Navigate to the Notion website and download the appropriate version for your operating system. Once the installation is complete, create a Notion account (if you haven't already) and log in. Pick the free version. You don't need the paid version to run Shay's up-to-date OS ver 2.0.

2. Install Zotero (free)

Navigate to the Zotero website and download the appropriate version for your operating system. You will need to sign up for an account during this process. Pick the free version. Once the installation is complete, open Zotero and log in to your Zotero account.

Inside Zotero, open a new collection by clicking “file” and “new collection.” For the purpose of this guide, name it “Shay.” You can delete or rename it later.

3. Install Zotero Connector in your internet browser (free)

The Zotero Connector is a browser extension that enables you to save web pages and other online resources to Zotero. Head over to the Zotero Connector download page.

Depending on your browser, Zotero will guide you on how to install Zotero Connector.

For example:

• If you're using Chrome, you will click an “install” button.

• If you're using Safari, the “Zotero Connector” was already installed when you installed “Zotero.” You need to enable it under the “Extensions” menu: Safari menu → Settings → Extensions → tick the box next to “Notero Connector.”

4. Create integration between Notion and Zotero (free)

Go to https://www.notion.so/my-integrations

1. Click “+ New integration.”

2. Name your integration “Zotero.”

3. Under “associated workspace,” choose your Notion's workspace name.

4. Under “Content Capabilities,” check the boxes “Read content,” “Update content,” and “Insert Content.”

5. Under “Comment Capabilities,” leave the boxes unchecked (no V).

6. Under “User Capabilities,” choose “No user information.”

7. Click “Submit.”

8. Now you will have access to your internal integration token. Click “show” and copy-paste the Token into a place you can copy it again later. Write “token” next to what you've just copied so you will know what it is later.

5. Copy my Notion Page (free)

I prepared a Notion page you can duplicate into your “Notion.” You are free to use it and share it.

1. Click this link: Shay's up-to-date OS ver 2.0. If you get a message starting with “Continue to external site,” that's OK. Just click the link you see there.

2. On the top of the page, click “duplicate.” This will copy my page into your Notion. You'll be prompted to log in if you're not logged into your Notion account.

3. Go to your Notion, and click "Shay's up-to-date OS Version 2.0.”

4. Click the three dots on the top of the page → “Add connections,” and search for “Zotero.”

5. Click “Zotero” and click “Confirm.”

6. Click “share” on the top of the page.

7. In the box that has just opened, enable “Share to web.”

8. Copy the link in the box into a place you can copy again later.

Now pay attention!

The link you just copied has the “Database ID” in it.

For example, suppose my link is:

https://www.notion.so/something/fdf8aeb4903744a3bb9f4509102f1ccb?pvs434343

The Database ID is the part BETWEEN the last “/” and the “?”

I highlighted it here:

https://www.notion.so/something/fdf8aeb4903744a3bb9f4509102f1ccb?pvs434343

In our case, it will be fdf8aeb4903744a3bb9f4509102f1ccb

Notice that I didn't include “/” or “?”.

Copy the Token ID to a place you can copy it from later, and write “token ID” next to it so you'll know what it is later.

So the two things you should have saved by now are:

1. The integration token.

2. The Database ID.

If you don't have these two, go back, and make sure you have them.

6. Install Notero (free)

A HUGE shout-out to David Hoff-Vanoni 👏, the developer of Notero. He made this magical integration between Zotero and Notion possible. Thanks, David!

1. Download the latest version of Notero from the GitHub website.

2. Follow the instructions there. They will guide you to click the “latest version,” and click the file with the .xpi extension.

3. Save it to your downloads folder. No need to open it.

4. Now we will enable this file inside Zotero: Open Zotero → navigate to “Tools” and “Add-ons.”

5. Click the settings icon and choose “Install Add-on From File.”

6. Navigate to the downloads folder, choose “Notero.xpi” and click “open.” Then click “Install Now.” Close this window.

7. Now restart Zotero by closing it and opening Zotero again.

8. Go to “Tools” in Zotero and click “Notero Preferences.”

9. If you don't see “Notero Preferences” there, go into “Add-ons” → disable Notero → enable it → check if you now see it in the “Tools” menu. If not, restart Zotero. If you still don't see it, you probably didn't quit Zotero. Go to the Zotero menu and click “Quit Zotero.” Then restart it. If you still don't see it, repeat the process.

10. So you're inside Notero preferences now.

Remember the two things you saved? The Integration Token and the Database ID? We'll use them now:

1. Copy the Token into the “Integration Token” box.

2. Copy the database ID into the “Database ID” box. Notice that there are no “/” or “?” in it (as I explained earlier).

3. In the bottom window, double-click the row with “Shay” in it. You will see a green V. You can also hit “enter” on your keyboard (" return” on Mac). Every collection with a V next to it will be synced to your Notion page.

4. There's no “save” button. You can close this window.

And you're done!

Let's take it for a test drive:

1. Find any manuscript online.

2. Click the Zotero Connector in your browser.

3. See the manuscript on your Notion page.

This is so cool, right?

With a single click, you saved the reference to your Zotero library and your Notion.

SINGLE CLICK! Do you know how much time and effort went into this process just a few years ago? I'm not going to calculate it because it will make me cry.

Anyway, inside Notion, click on the row of the manuscript you've just imported (sometimes, you have to click on the “open” that appears next to the name of the manuscript once you hover over it.)

There you will admire the magic 🪄. You will see the manuscript title, the authors, the year, a link to access the entire manuscript (" DOI”), the abstract, and the best part - THE KEYWORDS. You can now add categories of your own.

You can add more columns and change their order. But always keep the titles of the existing columns the same!

Otherwise, it will interfere with the integration between Zotero and Notion. If anything goes wrong, you can always delete your notion page and duplicate my page again by clicking here.

Do you want to take it to the next level, where it gets REALLY cool?

Of course you do!

🔵 Install Zotero on your phone and tablet.

This way, you can save manuscripts to Zotero and Notion with a single click from your phone or tablet.

You can access and search your manuscripts from your phone. Anytime, anywhere.

Great for group meetings and study sessions with students and residents.

Sweet.

🔵 Import a list of manuscripts.

Suppose you're working on a review and have completed a search in PubMed.

With just a few clicks, you can export this entire list into your Zotero and Notion.

Click “Send To” in Pubmed → pick “Citation manager” → pick “all results” or just the ones that you selected → click “Create file” → save it to your computer.

Now, inside Zotero, click “file” → “import” → “continue” → select the file you just downloaded → “continue” → “done.”

Now you have a new collection inside Zotero, and want to push it into Notion.

All you have to do is to right-click the collection inside Zotero, and in the menu that just opened, click “Sync Items to Notion.”

Boom! Everything is inside Notion now.

🔵 RSS feed

This one is EXTREMELY cool.

It involves importing your RSS feed into Zotero, as I previously explained in issue #23.

This way, every new manuscript that comes out and matches your rule will automatically appear in your Notion!

In this video guide I show how to install it on your phone and computer:

OMFS World

👩‍🎓For the student - I've been a student or in training for the last 20 years. Over the years, I learned how to study more efficiently, use power naps to boost my scores, deal with failure, and handle the stress of dental and medical school.

I summarized it all in a 7-day email course, and you can get it in your email by following this link.

🥼For the OMFS resident - Studying for the boards is extremely challenging.

Unlike dental school, you're juggling 80-hour weeks, studying, and sleep-deprived.

My advice - introduce Anki into your study routine as early as possible.

I've used this application every day (and I mean EVERY SINGLE day) for two years. It got me through med school and the USMLE.

If there's something I regret not knowing during residency, it's Anki. Do yourself a favor, and check it out.

If you want to get all my tips and tricks for residency (including my study system, Anki guide, how to deal with sleep deprivation, and more), you can sign up for my 7-day email course titled “How to survive residency.”

Stuff

📱Application I use - iMovie is a free video editing application on Apple devices. It has everything I need to edit my videos. However, I treat my videos the same as my still photos: I adjust everything before taking the picture so I won't need to fix it later. When I prepared my YouTube video, I did the same. There's hardly any editing, and all the “effects” were PowerPoint slides and browser tabs I presented along with the video. However, iMovie seems more than enough for most video editors.

💡Gear I use - The Blue Yeti Microphone is a high-quality microphone that provides superior sound quality compared to the built-in microphone on laptops. With its multiple pickup patterns, it can capture sound from different angles, providing more flexibility in the recording. Additionally, it has a built-in headphone jack for real-time monitoring, allowing you to hear precisely what is being recorded. I recommend adding a filter to prevent the sound of harsh “s,” “p,” and “b.”

Epilogue

That's it for this issue.

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Have a great weekend!

Shay