You can remove all links to your Zotero library from your Word document before you submit or share it. This step will prevent any further automatic updates of the citations and bibliographies, and your reviewer/reader settings in Word would not be impacted.
Since removing Zotero links is irreversible, create a backup copy of the document with the citations linked to your Zotero library. Saving it under a different name (for example, a file name_Zotero) might help to manage your files.
To remove Zotero links (field codes) from a document prepared for submission, follow these steps.
1. Open the Zotero desktop application.
2. Open another copy of your Word document linked to Zotero.
3. Click the Zotero tab in the Word document.
4. Click the Unlink Citations option.
5. Click OK to the warning message about removing field codes.
After that, the citations can be edited as text.
6. Save your work before you submit it.