Does Zotero support extracting references from PDF files?

Zotero does support extracting reference metadata from PDF files automatically, though the accuracy varies significantly. This feature relies on embedded identifiers or the PDF's textual content to generate citation data. Effective metadata extraction requires PDFs containing machine-readable information like DOIs, ISBNs, or structured bibliographic data within the text. Scanned image PDFs or poorly formatted files often fail. Accuracy improves with the presence of digital identifiers and diminishes for older publications or complex source types. Users should verify extracted details against the original PDF. This functionality significantly accelerates bibliographic management by populating citation fields directly into the Zotero library. To utilize it, drag the PDF into Zotero or use the browser connector for online PDFs. Researchers gain efficiency by avoiding manual data entry, particularly when handling large volumes of scholarly articles identified by DOI or PubMed ID.