Cite paper from the PDF reader

I might be missing it, but there doesn’t seem to be an option to cite the paper I am reading in the PDF reader- which would be nice as a lot of times I highlight or copy a paragraph and paste it into my note app- at which point I want to include the citation.

Even better yet would be the option to to copy into the clipboard a brief citation with a share or personal link in markdown format [Smith et al, 2018](personal paperpile link). These could be added to either the … menu on the left or the setting menu on the right.

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Thanks @heumed! I was certain this request had come up before, but it seems I was wrong. The most closely related ones I see are the possibility to edit metadata from within the viewer and obtaining a shareable paper link.

I see the use in reducing a few clicks (not having to go to the library to cite) but am not sure how feasible it would be to port this webapp function to the viewer. Regardless, the idea is now in our internal tracker and +1s are welcome as usual. Let me know if you had any more details or feedback to share.

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I came over here because I was missing exactly this feature today.

From “I want to cite this sentence” in the PDF viewer to inserting the citation I have to remember or write down author and page number, change tab to the Google Docs tab, go to “Paperpile” - “Insert citation” (Ctrl-Alt-P does not do anything in my browser), fill in the author’s name, click on the citation, click on the triangle, enter the pages… so please a +1 from me for the feature request "make citing from the PDF reader easier. :slight_smile:

Apart from that I really like working with Paperpile!

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+1 – This would be very helpful, I think.

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+1. was looking for this as well. If I only work in one document, I can easily have the library open in another window, but when I stroll through multiple references in the reader, this is more annoying.

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Often it’s more than just a few clicks if I’ve been navigating around the library while keeping multiple papers open. Would love to 1) grab citation and 2) edit metadata from within viewer (adding topic tags as I read though a paper).

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Can I add to the call for this functionality please. As others have mentioned, it can get quite complicated to locate the paper you want to cite in your notes if you have multiple files (tabs) open and you have navigated to a different folder in Paperpile. Other reference managers have this functionality though I appreciate it is more complicated to implement in the web environment.

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This would be great. In CITAVi ref manager, they have this feature called “Citing annotations”. Basically, while the user is highlighting and annotating, the same should be able to cite with proper citation. This would be a blessing for researchers.

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+1. I often want to generate a citation while I’m reading the PDF. Would be great to do that within the same tab instead of going back to another one.

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+1 for this.
At a minimum, enable the ⌘K shortcut to copy the citation key of the paper currently open, or maybe ⌘C to copy the reference if no other text is selected.

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+1 for the Cite menu in the pdf preview tab!
Ewa

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+1 please. I tend to read the PDF before I cite it.

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+1 please. I just asked the staff today about the same question. It seems that many people have the same request.

I am wondering whether there is a way to quickly “Cite” (e.g. copy the “citation key”) while I am still viewing the PDF (but not going back to the “paperpiles.com/app” page). In my work flow, I often read the paper and decide to cite it (or not), then I am hoping to directly copy the citation key when I am still in the PDF page.

Currently, I have to 1) copy the paper title; 2) go back to the “paperpile.com/app” page, 3) paste and search the paper title, 4) click “Cite” → “Citation key”. That’s a four-step process. A lot of switches easily distract me. I think it is very natural to “Cite” when you read the paper.

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