Categories & Tags

Organize your reference library using WordPress’s built-in taxonomy system. Categories provide hierarchical organization while tags offer flat, keyword-based grouping.

Categories vs. Tags

Feature	Categories	Tags
Structure	Hierarchical (parent/child)	Flat list
Use for	Broad topics, disciplines	Specific keywords
Best for	“What type is this?”	“What is this about?”
Example	Biology > Ecology > Marine	climate, coral-reefs, temperature

Using Categories

Creating Categories

1. Go to References > Categories
2. Enter category name
3. Optional: Set parent category
4. Optional: Add description
5. Click Add New Category

Or create while editing a reference:

1. In the Categories panel, click Add New Category
2. Enter the name
3. Optionally select a parent

Category Structure Examples

By Discipline:

Science
├── Biology
│   ├── Ecology
│   └── Genetics
├── Chemistry
└── Physics

Social Sciences
├── Psychology
└── Sociology

By Project:

Thesis
├── Chapter 1 - Introduction
├── Chapter 2 - Literature Review
└── Chapter 3 - Methods

Blog Posts
└── 2024 Articles

By Status:

To Read
Currently Reading
Read
├── Highly Relevant
└── Background

Assigning Categories

Single reference:

1. Edit the reference
2. Check boxes in Categories panel
3. Save

Bulk assignment:

1. Go to References > All References
2. Check multiple references
3. Bulk Actions > Edit
4. Apply
5. Select categories
6. Update

Category Archive Pages

If public references are enabled, each category has an archive:

yoursite.com/reference-category/ecology/

Lists all references in that category.

Using Tags

Creating Tags

Tags are created as you use them:

1. Edit a reference
2. In the Tags panel, type tag names
3. Separate multiple tags with commas
4. Press Enter or click Add

Or manage all tags at References > Tags.

Tag Strategies

Methodology tags:

• qualitative
• quantitative
• meta-analysis
• case-study
• longitudinal

Topic tags:

• climate-change
• machine-learning
• urban-planning

Source type tags:

• primary-source
• review-article
• gray-literature

Personal tags:

• to-cite
• key-paper
• background

Tag Best Practices

1. Be consistent – Use the same tag for the same concept
2. Use lowercase – Avoid duplicates from capitalization
3. Use hyphens – climate-change not climate change
4. Start specific – You can always merge tags later
5. Review periodically – Consolidate similar tags

Syncing with Reference Managers

Zotero Collections → Categories

When syncing with Zotero:

• Zotero collections become WordPress categories
• Subcollections become child categories
• Collection structure is preserved

Zotero Tags → WordPress Tags

• Zotero tags sync to WordPress tags
• Automatic tag matching (same name = same tag)
• New Zotero tags create new WordPress tags

Mendeley Folders → Categories

Similar mapping for Mendeley folders and tags.

Filtering by Category/Tag

In Admin

1. Go to References > All References
2. Use the Category dropdown filter
3. Or click category/tag links on individual references

On Frontend

If enabled, visitors can:

• Browse category archives
• Filter by tag
• See category/tag clouds

Managing Categories

Editing Categories

1. Go to References > Categories
2. Hover over category, click Edit
3. Change name, slug, parent, or description
4. Update

Merging Categories

To combine two categories:

1. Edit all references in Category B
2. Reassign to Category A
3. Delete Category B

Deleting Categories

1. Go to References > Categories
2. Hover over category, click Delete
3. Confirm

Note: Deleting a category doesn’t delete references – they become uncategorized.

Managing Tags

Editing Tags

1. Go to References > Tags
2. Hover over tag, click Edit
3. Change name or slug
4. Update

Merging Tags

To combine similar tags:

1. Edit references with Tag B
2. Add Tag A, remove Tag B
3. Delete Tag B

Popular Tags

The tag management page shows:

• Most used tags
• Tag counts
• Quick edit options

Category/Tag Display

In Bibliography

Group bibliography entries by category:

1. In Bibliography block settings
2. Set Grouping to “Category”

In Archives

Category and tag archives show:

• Category/tag name and description
• List of references
• Filter options

In Single References

Each reference page displays:

• Assigned categories
• Assigned tags
• Links to archives

Permissions

Control who can manage categories and tags:

• Administrators – Full access
• Editors – Can create and assign
• Authors – Can assign existing only
• Contributors – No category/tag access

Configure in References > Settings > Permissions.

Troubleshooting

Category not appearing

• Check it’s not empty (no references assigned)
• Verify it’s published, not draft
• Check parent category exists

Tags duplicating

• Variations in spelling/capitalization create duplicates
• Merge manually through tag management

Sync not matching

• Zotero collection names must match category names exactly
• Check sync settings for mapping options

Next Steps

• Search & Filter – Find references quickly
• Collections – Alternative grouping method
• Browsing References – Navigate your library