Add papers to your library

Use this guide to get a paper into your library so you can read it with the AI tools, ask questions about it, and put it in collections. There are four ways in: paste a link, save a search result, use the browser extension, or upload a PDF from your computer.

Paste an arXiv or PDF link

Best when you already have the paper open somewhere else.

1. Open Library from the sidebar.
2. Select New, then Add paper.
3. Paste an arXiv link (for example https://arxiv.org/abs/...) or a direct link to a PDF, then select Add.
4. Keep the dialog open while it imports. The status line shows each step. When it is done you will see Paper added successfully! and the paper appears in All Papers.

The Add paper dialog

Save a paper from search

Best when you are still looking for papers.

1. Run a search. See Find papers.
2. On a result, select Save to library. You will see "Paper added to your library".
3. To save several at once, tick their checkboxes and select Save.

You can also send results straight into a collection with Add to collection.

Use the browser extension

Best when you discover papers while browsing other sites. The Literia Web Importer extension saves a paper's metadata and PDF into your Literia workspace while you browse arXiv, Google Scholar, PubMed or journal publisher sites.

1. Install it from the Chrome Web Store (Add to Chrome). See the browser extension page.
2. Sign in to Literia in the same browser.
3. On a paper's page, click the Literia icon in the browser toolbar, then select Add to Library. The paper shows up in your library.

Importing a paper with the extension

Uploading a PDF from your computer

Best when you already have the PDF file.

1. Open Library from the sidebar.
2. Select New, then Add paper, then the Upload PDF tab.
3. Drop one or more PDF files onto the upload area, or select choose files. The size and page limits are shown underneath.
4. Each file shows its progress while Literia reads it and looks for the paper in the catalog. A match is added to your library as that paper; otherwise the file is saved as your own copy.

Only PDFs can be uploaded, and there is a daily upload limit. Scanned PDFs (page images with no selectable text) aren't supported yet, and password-protected PDFs need their password removed first.

If something goes wrong

• "Could not import paper from this URL". The link couldn't be imported. Check that it opens the paper's arXiv page or the PDF itself, not a search page or a login page.
• "Failed to import paper" with a reason underneath. The import started but failed partway. Try again, or try the paper's arXiv link instead of a publisher link.
• "Import timed out. Please check your library." The import took longer than the dialog waits. It may still have finished, so check All Papers before trying again.
• "Failed to add papers to library" when saving from search. Try again; if only some papers failed you will see how many were saved.
• Still stuck? Check the FAQ or contact us.