Skip to main content

PDF to Zotero — Extract References for Your Library

Drop a PDF bibliography and get a reference file ready to drag into Zotero. No Better BibTeX plugin needed — CiteMe extracts server-side with GROBID, verifies DOIs against CrossRef, and exports RIS (or BibTeX if you prefer).

No signup · No credit card · Works in your browser

What to do next

Try Mendeley InsteadTry EndNote InsteadExport as BibTeX Instead

How does it work?

1

Step 1

Upload your PDF

Drop a PDF bibliography. CiteMe extracts the reference list via GROBID — works with papers, theses, and review articles.

2

Step 2

Verify references

Each extracted reference is matched against CrossRef and OpenAlex for DOI verification. Uncheck wrong matches before export.

3

Step 3

Import into Zotero

Download the .ris file and drag it into your Zotero library, or use File → Import → Reference Manager (RIS). No Zotero plugin required.

By CiteMe Editorial Team·

Which citation styles are supported?

APAMLAChicagoHarvardIEEEVancouverABNTAMAASABluebookCSEOSCOLATurabianACSMHRAAPA 6thNaturePLOSScienceCellLancetAIPRSCAPSAAAAAGLCMcGillNP 405ISO 690ISO 690 (DE)ISO 690 (FR)ISO 690 (ES)Chicago NotesABNT Numérico

Need it in a specific citation style?

Format the result in the style your paper requires — APA, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver, Chicago, or IEEE.

APA Citation Generator

Author-date format for psychology, social sciences, and education.

MLA Citation Generator

Works Cited format for humanities and literature.

Harvard Referencing Generator

Author-date common in UK and Australian universities.

Vancouver Citation Generator

Numbered references for medicine and biomedical research.

Chicago Citation Generator

Notes-bibliography or author-date for history and the arts.

IEEE Citation Generator

Bracketed numbers for engineering and computer science.

More ways to look up sources

PDF to RIS (same engine)PDF to BibTeXReference CheckerPDF to CSL-JSON (for Pandoc)

This tool in other languages

PortuguêsEspañolDeutschFrançais

Also try

PDF to Mendeley

Extract references from a PDF and import into Mendeley

PDF to EndNote

Extract references from a PDF and import into EndNote

PDF to BibTeX

Extract references from a PDF and export as BibTeX

Frequently asked questions

How do I import the references into Zotero?
Drag the downloaded .ris file directly onto the Zotero main window — each reference becomes a separate item. Alternatively: File → Import → choose the file. Zotero accepts RIS natively, no plugin required.
Does this replace the Zotero browser connector?
It's complementary. The Zotero connector grabs one article at a time from a webpage. CiteMe extracts ALL references from a PDF's bibliography in one shot — useful when you want the full reference list of a review paper, not the paper itself.
Can I export as BibTeX instead?
Yes. Switch the style selector to "BibTeX" before downloading. You get a .bib file compatible with Zotero's built-in BibTeX export flow and with Overleaf.
Can I extract references from multiple PDFs in one batch?
Not in a single upload today — each PDF is processed individually. For multiple PDFs, repeat the upload and drag each resulting .ris file into Zotero in turn; Zotero merges duplicates on import. The underlying GROBID pipeline can handle the load; the single-upload UI is the current constraint.
Will the output preserve journal abbreviations and issue numbers?
Yes. GROBID parses the formatted reference string (e.g., "J. Am. Chem. Soc. 145(12), 6789–6792") and populates Zotero's Publication Title, Volume, Issue, and Pages fields independently. Abbreviations are preserved as written in the source PDF — CiteMe does not expand "J. Am. Chem. Soc." to the full journal name on its own.

Other tools

Generate Citations

Convert & Import

Each result shows its match evidence and metadata source.

Use inside CiteMe →
← All tools