Add full text PDFs to your reference library

Automatically added PDFs

The foundation of your library in Zotero are not full text publications, but references. References are not the publications themselves, but information about the publications. Often when you add a reference to your library, Zotero will automatically add the full text PDF of the publication as an attachment, which is very useful. When Zotero doesn't automatically add the PDF to your reference, there are a few different solutions you can try:

1. Use VPN outside of Campus

If you are outside of campus, always use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) on your computer. When you are identified as a LU student through your internet connection, you will be able to download all PDF:s that you have access to through the Lund University libraries.

LU Support guides about VPN

2. Accept browser proxy settings

If you get the following message (or a similar one) in your browser when using the Zotero Connector, click Accept:

Zotero proxy detection

This means that Zotero has detected that you are accessing resources through Lund University, and it will automatically take this route in the future.

3. Zotero "Find Available PDF" function

Right-click the reference in your library and select "Find Available PDF"

Find available PDF menu zotero

If a PDF is found, a grey triangle will appear to the left of your reference in the list and the PDF will be attached to your reference. In many cases, this function will be enough to get the PDF.

4. Save references from the publisher platform

Zotero is more likely to attach the PDF if you save the reference from the publisher platform, rather than directly from your search tool result list (also, the data is sometimes better). So even if it means an extra click going from the search tool to the journal webpage (use the link LU Full Text Finder), it will save you time in the long run.

To get to the publisher platform from an existing reference in Zotero, double click the reference in your library or try to find a DOI-link in the reference and open it in your browser. Save the reference again with the Zotero Connector (now hopefully with the PDF attachment). Merge the two duplicates.

5. Use LU Library link resolver

Go to Edit (PC) or Zotero (Mac) > Preferences > Advanced. Add "http://lulinker.lub.lu.se" in the Resolver field:

Zotero link resolver dialogue box

Close the Preferences window. Select a reference that you haven't got an attached PDF for. Click the little green arrow on top of the right-hand pane and select "Library Lookup":

Library lookup icon Zotero

This will (in most cases) take you to the publisher platform where you have access to the PDF through Lund University. Save the reference again (now hopefully with attachment). Merge the two duplicates.

6. Attach Full text PDFs manually

Try to find a DOI-link in the reference and follow it in your browser. If you can't find a link, you may have to find the publication online through your search tool of choice, and follow the LU Full Text Finder link to access the PDF.

Once you have found the PDF and downloaded it, you can attach it to a reference by right-clicking and selecting Add Attachment > Attach Stored Copy of File:

Zotero menu attach PDF

Find the downloaded PDF on your computer and click "Open". The PDF will now be attached to your reference.

Optional: Compare different sources

Find the following paper in LUBsearch, Web of Science and Google Scholar:

"Diversity, phylogeny, and adaptation of bryophytes: insights from genomic and transcriptomic data"

Add the reference to Zotero with the Zotero Connector browser plugin, directly from the search result list. Do it for all three search tools and compare the result in Zotero. Can you see any difference in the information that was saved to the reference?

Answer: Google Scholar didn't save the DOI-link, otherwise they all contain the information you need to cite it. However, did Zotero add the full text PDF as an attachment on any of them?

Now view the publication on the journal webpage and add the reference to Zotero:

https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erac127

In addition to saving a correct reference, Zotero have now also added the full text PDF.