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Evidence capture

Keep PDF Quotes Linked to Their Source Pages

Save each quotation with its source and page so you can return to the evidence while writing.

By Osenpa · Updated

Short answer

Select the exact words in the PDF, then choose Copy or Cite. Save a short note with the PDF position and why the passage matters. Before using the quotation, reopen the PDF from the project library and go to that page; Citation History does not provide a page-jump button.

This guide covers CiteFlow. Check requirements and download options before you begin.

On this page
In this guide Understand the task Before you start Steps Checkpoint Problems and limits

When to use this method

Use this method when you need to remember who wrote a passage, which document contains it, and where to find it again.

Before you start

Add the PDF and check its title, author, year, and identifier when known. A quotation repeats the author's exact words. A paraphrase restates the idea in your own words. Both need a source record and a page locator, which tells you where the passage appears, such as a printed page number or its position inside the PDF.

Keep the quotation separate from your interpretation

In an invented example, the quotation is “Participants completed the task in ten minutes.” Your note might be “The timing applies only to this study's task.” Keep those two statements separate and save the source locator with the quote. A highlight marks a passage, a PDF note comments on its page, and a project note can connect ideas across sources; they are not interchangeable records.

Capture a quote with its context

  1. Check the source record

    Compare the saved title and authors with the PDF. You should see the same paper in the record and reader.

  2. Select the exact passage

    Select only the words you need. You should see them highlighted. If OCR supplied the text, compare every word with the page image.

  3. Choose Copy or Cite

    Choose Copy to copy the selected passage with its citation, or Cite for the citation alone. Both save the passage in Citation History. If source details still need review, CiteFlow keeps the passage and asks you to review them; the clipboard may contain only the passage until a citation can be made. Check the source details, then inspect the saved entry before copying the finished citation.

  4. Save your interpretation as a PDF note

    Select Note in the PDF toolbar, click near the passage, enter your interpretation and choose Save. Include the reader's PDF position and the checked printed label in your note. Copy and Cite do not open this note editor. A saved note leaves a marker on its PDF page.

  5. Return before final use

    Read the source title, excerpt and locator in Citation History. Reopen that source from the project library and navigate to the PDF position you recorded, or search for distinctive words from the excerpt. Check the passage and its note marker. Citation History offers Copy, Cite and Delete; its cards do not jump back to the PDF page. If no printed label is readable, keep it unknown rather than guessing.

Preserve meaning

Evidence-capture risks

  • Saving a quote without page information
  • Letting optional OCR errors enter a quotation
  • Confusing a semantic-search match or project note with the author's claim
Return to the page

Checkpoint: Quotation checks

  • Compare exact wording with the source image or text.
  • Store both the PDF position and the printed page label when they differ.
  • Separate the author's claim from your note.
  • Review the Citation History entry and selected citation style.
  • Retain surrounding context and reopen the page before final use.

CiteFlow

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