No Import Icon on PDFs from Google Scholar

colemanhunter · February 7, 2008

I am having a problem importing metadata from PDFs that I can access through Google Scholar. When I enter a query into Google Scholar, a zotero "folder" icon appears with the search results, where I can choose which items I would like to add to my library (and there is no problem getting the metadata - GREAT!). But if I open the PDF, there is no longer an icon available to import the metadata from that individual file. For example enter into Google Scholar:
review of instruments public health preparedness

Then, open the PDF for the first result (Asch et al). No icon.
Why is this, when the metadata is available from the search results page? I sincerely apologize if this is very basic.

sean · February 7, 2008

Zotero cannot import metadata from a PDF file. And neither can any other application.

noksagt · February 7, 2008

@colemanhunter: Zotero uses the current URL in order to determine if a page can be translated. It does not use the page history.

If the URL for PDFs on a particular site were predictable, it might be possible to have translators to work with the URL (by going back to a predictable location for RIS export for example). But this won't ever be the case for ALL sites & might be a bit of work for low payoff on many others.

@sean: Other apps certainly can read PDF metadata! However, metadata is usually quite poor & most desktop bibliographic apps that let you create a record automatically from a PDF will use arXiv IDs or DOIs, etc. to look up better data.