Pick a random paper from Zotero

Here’s how to select a paper at random from Zotero.

1. In Zotero, select the folder you want to select the paper from.
2. Open up the Javascript dialog at:

Tools → Developer → Run Javascript

Paste in the following code

var ZoteroPane = Zotero.getActiveZoteroPane();
var currentCollection = ZoteroPane.getSelectedCollection();
var items = currentCollection.getChildItems();
var i = Math.floor(Math.random() * items.length);
var item = items[i]
item._displayTitle

This will show the title of a random paper.