Import from Zotero & Mendeley
Connect your Zotero or Mendeley account and bring over your collections, references and PDFs.
Overview
If you already use Zotero or Mendeley, you can connect your account and import your library directly. You don't need to export any files. Paperguide brings over:
- References, with their details (title, authors, year, journal, DOI and abstract)
- PDFs, when Import PDFs is on
- Structure: each Zotero collection or Mendeley folder you select becomes a folder in Paperguide
Imports run in the background, and you can import again later to bring over only the papers you've added since.
Import from Zotero
Open Import from Zotero
In Reference Manager, click Add Papers and choose Import from Zotero.
Connect your Zotero account
The first time, click Connect Zotero. On the zotero.org permission page, click Accept Defaults. You don't need to change anything there. You'll return to Paperguide with your Zotero library loaded.
Choose what to import
Your collections are listed on the left. Tick a whole collection, or open one and tick only the papers you need.
A ticked collection becomes a folder in Paperguide and its papers are filed into it. Papers you tick on their own are added to your library without a folder.
Keep Import PDFs on
With Import PDFs on, PDFs come over with their references.
Start the import
Click Import references. If you have more than one workspace, choose where the references should go and click Import here.
The import runs in the background, so you can keep working. A progress card shows Importing Papers while it runs and Import Completed when it's done.
Find your papers
Each collection you imported now appears as a folder in the sidebar, with its papers and PDFs inside.
Paperguide can import PDFs that are synced to your Zotero storage. PDFs stored only on your computer aren't imported. In the import results these are marked "PDF not synced to Zotero, only on your computer".
The Zotero dialog also has Refresh, to reload your library after changes in Zotero, and Disconnect, to unlink your Zotero account.
Import from Mendeley
Open Import from Mendeley
In Reference Manager, click Add Papers and choose Import from Mendeley.
Connect your Mendeley account
The first time, click Connect Mendeley. A popup opens where you sign in to Mendeley and allow access. After you approve, your Mendeley library appears in Paperguide.
Choose what to import
Tick whole folders, or open a folder and tick individual references.
A ticked folder is recreated in Paperguide and its references are filed into it. References you tick on their own are added to your library without a folder.
Import
Keep Import PDFs on so your files come across too, then click Import references. If you have more than one workspace, choose where the references should go and click Import here.
The import runs in the background while you keep working.
Find your papers
When it's finished, your folders appear in the sidebar, laid out the way you had them in Mendeley.
Importing again
If you keep adding papers in Zotero or Mendeley, run the import again. Papers you imported before are skipped, and existing folders are reused, so you only get what's new. Skipped Zotero papers are marked "Already imported from Zotero earlier" in the import results.
To see what happened to each paper, click Show results on the progress card.
Stopping an import
To stop an import that's running, click the ✕ next to it on the progress card, then click Stop import. References already added stay in your library. To finish later, import the same collection or folder again.
Other ways to import
Also using EndNote or another tool? Export your library as a BibTeX (.bib) or RIS (.ris) file, then click Add Papers and choose BibTeX / RIS. BibTeX and RIS files carry reference details only, not PDFs. To add PDFs afterwards, see Get PDFs with the Chrome Extension.