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

May 3
Apps like ChatGPT are unsuitable for scientific research. They generate fake references to papers that don't exist.

So, researchers at Future House built an AI scientist.

It generates detailed literature reviews with references to state-of-the-art research. And it's free.🧵
1. Go to futurehouse[.]org.

Click on "Platform" in the top-right corner. Sign up for a free account.

Future House has four AI agents:

• Crow: Concise search
• Falcon: Detailed literature reviews
• Owl: Finding literature gaps
• Pheonix: Chemistry-related queries
2. Select "Crow" and type in your question.

It'll look up relevant sources, gather evidence, and compose an answer. Click on "Results" to read it.

Hover your cursor over an endnote and it will show you the abstract of the paper cited.

A Crow search takes ~5 min.
Read 9 tweets
Apr 30
NotebookLM was already one of the best AI apps for academic work.
Now it supports 50+ languages.

• Summarize papers
• Generate audio overviews of papers
• Ask question about papers
• Prepare study guides

All this in your own language and that too for free.
1. Go to notebooklm[.]google[.]com.

Click on "Create new notebook" and upload a paper.

NotebookLM will give you its summary.
2. Click on "Settings" in the top-right corner and select "Output Language."

From the dropdown menu, select your language and click on "Save."
Read 10 tweets
Apr 29
Chat Academia now lets you use your own OpenAI API key.

This will make the app much more affordable. You can use it to integrate 5 academic databases with ChatGPT.

Here's how to set your OpenAI API key in Chat Academia:
1. Go to platform[.]openai[.]com and sign up for an account.
2. Once you've logged in, click on "Start building" in the top-right corner.

Enter your name and select the level of your technical proficiency. Select "Create organization" and skip the next step.

Then click on "Generate API Key" and your API key will be generated.
Read 11 tweets
Apr 19
Most apps for academic research require paid subscriptions.

Here are 10 that are free:
1. Dimensions[.]ai

AI-powered database with 150M+ publications. The landing page of Dimensions.
2. SemanticScholar[.]org

AI-powered database with 225M+ papers covering all academic fields. The landing page of Semantic Scholar.
Read 14 tweets
Apr 13
😢
ChatGPT: $20/m
Claude: $20/m
Gemini: $20/m
Access to academic databases❌

😃
Chat Academia: $15/m only

ChatGPT + Claude + Gemini.
Integrated with multiple academic databases✅

Here's how to use Chat Academia:
1. Go to and click on "Get started."

You will need to buy a subscription to use the app.

It has three plans: $15/m, $30/m, and $45/m. chatacademia.com
2. This is how the homepage of Chat Academia will look like.

Click on "AI Chat" in the top-left and then "Create chat" in the top-right.

In the chat interface, you will see multiple AI models and multiple academic databases. Select the model/databse you want to use.
Read 13 tweets
Apr 11
Most AI apps need paid subscriptions, but the Chinese are building apps that are free.

Bohrium is a free AI app built for researchers.

• Combines Deep Seek's reasoning model with academic databases.
• Gives detailed answers and cites published papers.

Here's how to use it:
1. Go to bohrium[.]com and click on "Log in" in the bottom-left corner.

Enter your email to sign up for a free account.
2. In the bottom-left of the chat box, you will see options for AI models and databases.

Bohrium has integrated databases for natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, and the humanities.

For detailed answers you can select "DeepThink."
Read 8 tweets

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