On this page
Before you start
- A few PDFs that represent your work, including a scan if you use scanned papers.
Choose by the job
| Your task | Start with | Check before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| Keep a note tied to a passage | Keep PDF Quotes Linked to Their Source Pages | Check the quotation, its surrounding context and the page locator against the source. |
| Read two papers together | CiteFlow: two-document comparison | You still assess each paper's methods, results and limitations. |
| Prepare a bibliography draft | Create a Bibliography from PDF Sources on Windows | Correct missing or mistaken source details and check that a supported citation style fits your submission. |
| Find related wording in collected PDFs | Search Research PDFs by Meaning Without Uploading | This optional feature needs a model download and project index. Read the source page; rank is not proof that a claim is true. |
Follow these steps
Choose the job you need help with
Is it finding a passage, comparing papers or collecting notes? CiteFlow helps you work with PDFs you add. Finding papers in academic databases and screening them for a formal review are separate tasks.
Check what your work requires
Check the citation style and export format you need. This workflow does not provide a shared cloud library or live citation links in your writing app.
Try a small project
Before importing sensitive papers, review Network & data: source preparation can look up titles or identifiers online. Add a few suitable papers, search for a known word, save a note and reopen its page. Include a scan if scanned papers are part of your work.
Open a matching passage to read it in the paper. Enlarge image. - Type a word in Search in project.
- Open a matching passage to read its source page.
Check an exported note and reference
Export one note and create one bibliography entry. Check the author, title and page number in the saved output before moving your full project.
Choose Markdown and the sections you want to share. Enlarge image. - Choose Markdown.
- Select the sections to include.
- Choose Export Project to save the selected sections.
Check your result
- You can find a passage and trace its note back to the checked source page.
- A supported citation style and the exported format meet your writing requirements.
- The saved export includes the sections you intended to share.
If you need more help
Check a saved quotation
Compare the saved words and page label with the PDF. Keep your own interpretation separate from the author’s words so you can tell them apart when writing.
Where CiteFlow fits
CiteFlow is a free Windows x64 workspace for PDFs you have collected. It combines reading, comparison, notes, search, OCR and citation drafts in a local project. It does not provide a shared cloud library or a full manuscript editor.
Supported styles are APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 Author-Date, Chicago 18 Notes-Bibliography and IEEE. Check that one matches your submission requirements.
Osenpa publishes CiteFlow and this guide. For a formal review, keep a separate record of your search and screening decisions.
Try the search your work needs
Use exact search for a phrase you know. Semantic Search can find related wording after you download a model and build the project’s index. Test it with passages from your own material.
Image-only scans need OCR before text search. Read each result in its source page before deciding whether it supports your point.
Keep the project and original PDFs
A Markdown export is a readable copy of selected notes and references. Keep the project data and source PDFs separately; the exported text cannot restore the full project.
Need the app?
CiteFlow. Check requirements and download options.