Mushtaq Bilal, PhD Profile picture
Dec 16, 2023 15 tweets 5 min read Read on X
Connect Google Bard with your Zotero library and make it your research assistant.

Plus, get paywalled articles for free.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to do it:
Start by downloading Google Drive for Desktop.

Then open your Google Drive and create a folder titled "Zotero PDFs."
Next, go to zotfile(dot)com and download a Zotero add-on called Zotfile.

This will download an xpi (pronounced zippy) file to your computer.
Open your Zotero. Click on "Tools" and select "Add-ons."

This will open Zotero's Add-on Manager.

Click on the gear-like icon in the top-right corner and select "Install Add-on From File."

Navigate to the xpi file you just downloaded and open it.

This will add Zotfile to your Zotero. Restart Zotero to complete Zotfile's installation.
Next, click on "Edit" and select "Preferences" in your Zotero.

In Zotero Preferences, click on "Advanced" and then "Files and Folders."

Notice the Default Location given under the Data Directory Location. This is the location where Zotero stores your PDFs.

We want Zotero to store our PDFs in our Google Drive. Zotfile will help us do that.
Click on "Tools" and select "Zotfile Preferences." You will see two fields.

Enter Zotero's Default Location of PDFs in the top field.

In the bottom field titled "Custom location," enter the location of the folder you created in your Google Drive.

You can also use the "Choose" button to navigate to the Zotero PDFs folder in your Google Drive.

Now Zotero will store all your PDFs in your Google Drive.
Click on "File" and select "New Collection."

Choose a name for your collection.
Look up papers on Google Scholar or Pubmed or your university's library.

Click on the Zotero Connector in the top-right corner and Zotero will open an Item Selector for you.

(If you are not familiar with the Zotero Connector, please let me know and I will post a link to a Zotero 101 tutorial for you.)

Select the papers you want to read and Zotero will save them in the collection you just created. Click on "Done."

Go to your Zotero collection and you will see your papers there.
To get Zotero to retrieve PDFs of paywalled articles, you will need to install the Sci Hub add-on.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to do that:
Go to the "Zotero PDFs" folder in your Google Drive and you will see all the PDFs there.

Having Zotero save your PDFs in Google Drive also gives you a backup in case you don't want to purchase extra Zotero storage.

If you can afford, please consider purcharing extra storage to help the good folks over at Zotero.Zotero PDFs showing up in Google Drive.
Open Bard by going to bard(dot)google(dot)com.

Click on the puzzle-like icon in the top-right corner to open Bard Extensions.

Enable Google Workspace extension. This will connect Bard with your Google Drive where you have all your Zotero PDFs.
Ask Bard to give you a list of PDFs in your Google Drive.

Once it gives you the list, you can ask Bard to summarize a particular paper and ask other questions about it.

You can also use Bard to help you brainstorm research questions. It will give you suggestions based on the papers in your Drive.
Want to learn more about how to supercharge your academic writing with AI apps?

I have a complete tutorial for you.

4,300+ academics including those at Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are using it.

You can get it by clicking the link below:
efficientacademicwriter.carrd.co
Found this thread on intergating Bard with Zotero helpful?

1. Scroll to the top and hit Like on the first tweet.

2. Bookmark it so you can come back to it later.

3. Follow me for more tutorials on how to use AI apps for academic purposes.
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More from @MushtaqBilalPhD

Mar 5
A lot of academics still think AI apps generate fake references to papers that don't exist.

They are living in 2023.

You can easily integrate a database of 280M research papers with Claude and ChatGPT to get answers with references to published papers.

Here's how to do it:
1. Go to scite[.]ai/mcp and select Claude ai

Copy the URL given in the second line. Then click on the blue "Add Scite" button.

This will open Claude Connectors. Type in the name Scite and paste the URL in the "Remote MCP" field.

Then click on "Add."
2. This will add a Scite Connector to your Claude.

Scroll down a little and you will see a Scite Connector. Click on "Connect" and log in to your Scite account.

Give Claude permission to access Scite. And that's it.

You will need a paid subscription for Scite to do this.
Read 7 tweets
Mar 4
Claude Code will fundamentally change the nature of academic research.

But most academics don't know how to use it.

Here's how to get started on Claude Code (even if you've never coded).

Claude Code for Academics 101:
Before getting started, we need to understand what Claude Code (CC) is.

It's not a simple chatbot.

Think of it as a general-purpose work enviroment that lets you create customized features for your own specific purposes.

It'll become clear by the end of this thread.
1. To get started, go to claude[.]com/download and download the Claude desktop app.

You will need a paid plan.

Select the $20/m one. That'll be enough to get you started.
Read 17 tweets
Mar 3
Academics are abandoning ChatGPT for Claude, and for good reason.

Claude is way better than ChatGPT for intellectual work.

But moving to Claude risks losing your work history and memory in ChatGPT.

Here's how to move all your work history and memory from ChatGPT to Claude:
1. Open Claude and click on your profile in the bottom-left corner.

Then click on "Settings" and select "Capabilities."

In Capabilities, look for the "Start Import" button.

Click it and then copy the prompt given on the top.
2. Open ChatGPT and put it on "Thinking."

Then run the prompt you just copied from Claude.

ChatGPT will give you an answer. Copy that.
Read 6 tweets
Mar 2
Claude Cowork is set to revolutionize intellectual and academic work.

But most academics don't know how to use it.

Here's how to set up Claude Cowork as your research assistant:

(This workflow will take you only 15 min.) Guide on setting up Claude Cowork for academic research.
1. To use Claude Cowork, you'll need to download Claude desktop app.

Go to claude[.]com/download

and download the Claude desktop app.

You'll also need a paid plan for $20/m or $100/m.

Start with $20/m plan.
2. Once you've installed it, open Claude desktop app.

On the top, you will see three options: Chat, Cowork, Code.

Click on "Cowork." Claude user interface displays options for chat, coding, and co-working, with prompts for user interaction prominently featured.
Read 13 tweets
Jan 5
How to build an academic writing habit (to write a lot and publish a lot):
In his book "Atomic Habits," James Clear writes about habits that are so small we don’t even notice them, but the power they have over us is immense.

He calls them atomic habits.

Although they are small, building atomic habits is VERY DIFFICULT.

Why? A photo of James Clear's book "Atomic Habits."
Clear calls the time between the point we start a habit to the point we start seeing its first results "the plateau of latent potential."

Most people remain stuck within this plateau.

To see the results of any habit, we must cross the plateau of latent potential. A photo of "The Plateau of Latent Potential" from James Clear's book "Atomic Habits."
Read 21 tweets
Dec 25, 2025
Don't use Sci-Hub — it's a "controversial" website with 84M+ research papers freely available.

We should all try to make billion-dollar academic publishers richer.

Anyway, here's a thread on how to integrate Sci-Hub with Zotero to get free papers.

🚨DO NOT DO IT!
1. Don't go to this link:
github(dot)com/syt2/zotero-scipdf

But if you do, replace the word "dot" with an actual [.]

Don't scroll down and click on "latest release xpi file."

This will download an "xpi" file to your computer.
2. Don't open your Zotero. But if you do, click on "Tools."

In "Tools," click on "Plugins." This will open Zotero's Plugin Manager.

In the Plugin Manager, click on the gear-like icon and select "Install Plugin From File."

Navigate to the XPI file you downloaded and add it.
Read 6 tweets

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