Telescope Obsidian Vault

A comprehensive Obsidian vault for ethnographic and qualitative research, designed to integrate sources from Zotero and Readwise with field notes, synthesis, and analysis.

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Overview

This vault provides a complete workflow for research:

• Import sources from Zotero (academic papers) and Readwise (articles, highlights)
• Create permanent Reference Notes to preserve your analysis when sources sync
• Write field notes and link them to sources and people
• Capture quotes that automatically appear in Reference Notes
• Track people and their connections across your research
• Organize themes with Maps of Content (MOCs)
• Manage tasks with integrated logs and reminders

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Quick Start

For Workshop Participants

New to this vault? See the Workshop Guide for:

• Detailed installation instructions
• Complete workflow tutorial
• Hands-on exercises
• Troubleshooting tips

Two Setup Options

Option A: Independent Copy (customize freely)

git clone https://github.com/ellierennie/Telescope-Obsidian-Vault.git My-Research-Vault
cd My-Research-Vault

Option B: Team Use (receive updates)

# Fork the repo on GitHub first, then:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/Telescope-Obsidian-Vault.git
cd Telescope-Obsidian-Vault
git remote add upstream https://github.com/ellierennie/Telescope-Obsidian-Vault.git

Then open the folder in Obsidian and trust the vault to enable plugins.

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Plugin Configuration

Zotero Integration

Prerequisites:

• Zotero Desktop installed
• Better BibTeX plugin for Zotero (recommended for stable citekeys)

Setup:

1. In Obsidian: Settings → Community plugins → Zotero Integration

2. Configure settings:

   Download PDF Utility:

   • Click "Download PDF Utility" in the settings panel
   • This enables PDF highlight extraction
   • Leave 'PDF Utility Override' empty

   Database: Zotero

   Note Import Location: Inputs/Zotero

   Open the created or updated note(s) after import: ON

   Which notes to open after import: First imported note

   Enable Annotation Concatenation: OFF

3. Citation Formats:

   • Name: Cite
   • Output Format: Formatted Citation
   • Citation Style: American Psychological Association 7th edition (or your preferred style)

4. Import Formats:

   • Name: Zotero import
   • Template File: _system/Templates/_Plugin Templates/Zotero Template.md
   • Bibliography Style: American Psychological Association 7th edition

5. Image Settings:

   • Image format: jpg
   • Image Quality: 90
   • Image DPI: 120
   • Image OCR: OFF

6. Test:

   • In Zotero, right-click a paper
   • Select "Send to Obsidian"
   • A note should appear in Inputs/Zotero/

Note: If Zotero Integration breaks, try using earlier version of Zotero and Better BibTex (stop automatic updates) until the plugin catches up.

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Configure Readwise Integration

Prerequisites: Readwise account with highlights

Setup: In Obsidian: Settings → Community plugins → Readwise Official

Important about tags:

• Tags must be added in the "Document Tags" field in Readwise Reader (not as hashtags)
• Type tags without the # symbol (e.g., AI-labour, not #AI-labour)
• Use hyphens for multi-word tags (e.g., contribution-systems)
• Hashtags in highlights or notes stay as text content - only Document Tags sync to the tags: field

1. Setting page

• Customise base folder: Inputs/Readwise
• Sync on startup: Toggle ON
• Click "Sync now"

2. Configure Readwise export settings (IMPORTANT - this customizes how notes are formatted):

   • Go to https://readwise.io/export/obsidian/preferences

   • If you would like to include the full text of Readwise articles - not just highlights - then toggle "Export all Reader Documents" to ON. If you do not toggle this, then you will only receive what you have highlighted in your note, and the Full Document section will not be visible. In this case you can skip the instructions for the Full Document field (below). If you choose Full Document then you will create two notes - one with highlights only, which contains a link to a second note with the full text.

   • Configure each section as follows:

File Name:

{{author|replace('#', '')|replace('@', '')|replace(' on Twitter', '')}}_"{{title|replace('#', '')|replace('@', '')|replace('"', '')}}"

Full Document Text file name

{{author|replace('#', '')|replace('@', '')|replace(' on Twitter', '')}}_"{{title|replace('#', '')|replace('@', '')|replace('"', '')}}" FULL_DOC

Page Title: Leave blank

Page Metadata:

```button
name Create Reference Note
type cursor template
action Buttons/Reference Note
```
- M [[Sources]]{% if url %}
    - URL: [{{title|replace('#', '')|replace('@', '')}}]({{ url }}){% endif %}{% if source_url %}
    - Source: [View original]({{ source_url }}){% endif %} {% if summary %}
## Summary
> {{ summary }} 
{% endif %}
**Mentions**
```dataviewjs
dv.view("mentions", {
  fields: ["note"]
})
```

Highlights Header:

# Highlights 
---

Highlight:

<mark style="background-color: #ffd440">{{ highlight_text }}</mark> {% if highlight_tags %}{% for tag in highlight_tags %} #{{tag}} {% endfor %}{% endif %}{% if highlight_note %}
### Comment
{{ highlight_note }}
{% endif %}

YAML Frontmatter:

class: Sources
category: Readwise
author: <% await tp.user.processAuthorLinks(tp, "{{author|replace('#', '')|replace('@', '')|replace(' on Twitter', '')}}") %>
sourceTitle: "{{title|replace('#', '')|replace('@', '')|replace('"', '')}}"
type: input
itemType:  {{category}}
source: {{source}}
date_saved: {{last_highlighted_date|date('y.m.j')}}{% if source %}
site_name: {{ source }} {% endif %}{% if source_url %}
sourceLink: [🔗]({{ source_url }}){% endif %}{% if highlights_url %}
readwiseLink:[Readwise](https://readwise.io/bookreview/{{book_id}})
highlights_url: {{ highlights_url }}{% endif %}{% if num_highlights %}
num_highlights: {{ num_highlights }}{% endif %}
flag: null
tags: [{% for tag in document_tags %}{{tag}}{% if not loop.last %}, {% endif %}{% endfor %}]
note:

Sync Notification:

## {{date|date('y.m.j')}}
**Synced {{num_highlights}} highlight{{num_highlights|pluralize}} from {{num_books}} document{{num_books|pluralize}}.**
{% for book in books %}    - {{ book.num_highlights_added}} highlights from [[{{ book.title }}]]
{% endfor %}

4. Settings will save in Readwise.

5. Back in Obsidian:

   • Settings → Readwise Official → Click "Sync now"
   • Your highlights will appear in Inputs/Readwise/ with custom formatting

Note: The custom template includes:

• A "Create Reference Note" button (just like Zotero notes)
• Proper formatting for highlights with colors
• Dataview queries for tracking mentions
• Clean author/title formatting (removes @ and # symbols)
• Direct links to source material (including specific tweets)
• Full-text article content (syncs by default - see below to control)

Full-Text Article Sync: By default, Readwise syncs complete article text along with your highlights. This gives you the full content for analysis.

To control full-text sync:

• Go to https://readwise.io/export/obsidian/preferences
• Find the "Full Document Text Link" and "Full Document Text" sections
• To sync full text: Leave the default content in these sections
• To sync only highlights: Delete all content from both sections (leave them blank)

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Mobile Workflow for Readwise

Saving content from mobile devices (especially tweets):

The Readwise Official plugin syncs highlights, so you need to highlight content for it to appear in Obsidian.

Best method - Use Readwise Reader app:

1. From X (Twitter) mobile app:

   • Tap the share icon on a tweet
   • Select "Copy Link"

2. In Readwise Reader app:

   • Tap "+" to add new item
   • Paste the tweet URL
   • Reader imports the tweet

3. Highlight in Reader:

   • Open the tweet in Reader
   • Highlight the tweet text (or any part you want)
   • Your highlight syncs to Obsidian with the custom template

4. In Obsidian:

   • Settings → Readwise Official → Sync now
   • The tweet appears in Inputs/Readwise/ with a direct link

Alternative - Browser extension on desktop:

• Install Readwise browser extension
• Open tweet on desktop
• Click extension → Save
• More reliable than mobile app for tweets

Why highlighting is required: Readwise only syncs highlighted content to Obsidian. Just saving an item keeps it in Reader but doesn't send it to your vault.

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Set Yourself as Vault Author

When you create Reference Notes or import sources, the vault needs to know who you are so it can add your name as the note author.

How to set up:

1. Create your People note:

   • Use the Production hotkey (Cmd+Shift+P) and select "5. Profile"
   • Enter your name

2. Add vaultAuthor to frontmatter:

   • Switch to source mode (click '...' in top right)
   • Manually type a new line: vaultAuthor: true
   • Your frontmatter should look like this:

---
class: People
category: People
type: moc
title: Your Name
vaultAuthor: true
created: 26.02.11
tags: 
flag: false
note: 
aliases: 
---

3. Important: Only ONE note should have vaultAuthor: true - this tells the vault which person is you

Test it:

• Import a Zotero note or create a Reference Note
• Check the noteAuthor field
• It should show your name as a clickable link: noteAuthor: "[[Your Name]]"

Note: If you don't set this up, notes will show noteAuthor: "[[Unknown Author]]" instead.

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Security & Privacy

What's Synced to GitHub

✅ Included:

• Vault structure and templates
• Plugin configurations (without API keys)
• Hotkeys and settings
• Documentation and guides
• Scripts and automations

❌ Excluded (gitignored):

• Your personal notes (Notes/, Inputs/, People/, Synthesis/)
• API keys and tokens
• Smart Connections embeddings (.smart-env/)
• Zotero attachments
• Obsidian workspace/cache files
• KOI-Sync cache (rid_cache/)

Verify Security

After setup, check that sensitive files are ignored:

git check-ignore .obsidian/plugins/readwise-official/data.json
git check-ignore .obsidian/plugins/koi-sync/data.json
git check-ignore .smart-env/
git check-ignore rid_cache/

All should output their filepath (meaning they're ignored).

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Mobile Setup

If using Obsidian mobile with Obsidian Sync:

Initial Setup

1. Set your vault author (see above for instructions)

2. Update the mobile note template:

   • Open _system/Templates/+New Notes/Simple Note Mobile.md
   • Change noteAuthor: "[[Ellie Rennie]]" to your name
   • Example: noteAuthor: "[[Your Name]]"

3. Configure default note location:

   • Settings → Files & Links → Default location for new notes: Notes

4. Enable Obsidian Sync:

   • Settings → Sync → Sign in
   • Choose what to sync:
     • ✅ Settings
     • ✅ Themes and snippets
     • ✅ Plugins
     • ✅ Hotkeys
     • ✅ Core plugin settings
     • ✅ Community plugin settings

5. Configure excluded folders (IMPORTANT):

   • Settings → Sync → Excluded folders → Add these:

   .git
   .obsidian/workspace.json
   .obsidian/workspace-mobile.json
   rid_cache
   

Plugin Compatibility

✅ Will work on mobile:

• Dataview (for queries and MOCs)
• Templater (basic features)
• Readwise Official (syncs highlights)
• Quick Add
• Button Maker
• Most formatting/UI plugins

❌ Won't work on mobile:

• Zotero Integration (requires Zotero Desktop)
• Smart Connections (embeddings stay on desktop)
• Any plugin requiring desktop applications

Workflow: Import sources (Zotero/Readwise) on desktop. Read, annotate, and create notes on mobile!

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Core Workflow

1. Import sources

   • Zotero: Right-click → Send to Obsidian
   • Readwise: Auto-syncs highlights

2. Create Reference Notes

   • Open source note → Click "Create Reference Note" button
   • Your analysis stays permanent even when source syncs update

3. Write field notes

   • Cmd+Shift+N → Choose note type
   • Link to sources: [[source-name]]
   • Link to people: [[People/Person Name]]

4. Capture quotes

   • Select text → Cmd+Shift+R → Capture Quote
   • Quotes auto-appear in source's Reference Note

5. Organize with MOCs

   • Create hub pages for themes/projects
   • Link related notes together
   • Navigate research visually

6. Track tasks

   • Add tasks anywhere: - [ ] Task description
   • View all tasks in Navigation/Notes/2. Reminders

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Key Hotkeys

Hotkey	Action
Cmd+P	Command Palette
Cmd+O	Quick switcher (find notes)
Cmd+Shift+N	New Notes menu
Cmd+Shift+R	Referencing menu (quotes, references)
Ctrl+Cmd+L	Log Tool (quick capture)
Ctrl+Cmd+Z	Import from Zotero

Full list: See Navigation/Documentation/All Hotkeys

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Documentation

• Workshop Guide - Complete tutorial for new users
• All Hotkeys - Interactive list of all shortcuts
• Feature Guides - In Navigation/Documentation/

Press Cmd+P → Type "Documentation" to find guides.

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Getting Updates

If you forked the repo (Option B):

# Pull latest changes from main vault
git fetch upstream
git merge upstream/main

# Push to your fork
git push

Your personal notes (in gitignored folders) won't be affected.

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Requirements

• Obsidian 1.4.0 or later
• Zotero Desktop (for academic source import)
• Readwise account (for web highlight sync) - optional
• Git (for version control and updates)

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Troubleshooting

Plugins not working?

• Settings → Community plugins → Enable them
• Restart Obsidian

Zotero import failing?

• Ensure Zotero Desktop is running
• Download PDF Utility in plugin settings
• Check template path is correct

Hotkeys not working?

• Check for conflicts in Settings → Hotkeys
• macOS/Windows use different modifier keys

More help: See Workshop Guide troubleshooting section

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Contributing

This vault is designed for ethnographic research workflows. Suggestions and improvements welcome:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Submit a pull request
• Share your customizations

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About

Created for ethnographic and qualitative research workflows by Ellie Rennie.

Development:
Ellie Rennie and Matthew Green (Research Assistant)

For questions or support:

• Workshop Guide: Navigation/Documentation/Workshop Guide.md
• GitHub Issues: https://github.com/ellierennie/Telescope-Obsidian-Vault/issues

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License

Vault structure, templates, and documentation:
CC BY-NC 4.0

Custom code and scripts (JavaScript, CSS):
MIT License

Third-party plugins:
Included for convenience. Each plugin retains its original license (see individual plugin repositories on GitHub).

Attribution

When using or adapting this vault:

"Based on the Telescope Obsidian Vault by Ellie Rennie and Matthew Green (CC BY-NC 4.0)"

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Last updated: February 2026