Search your library
Search your Paperpile library to quickly find references by title, author, journal, identifiers, and more. The search looks across multiple fields in your references to help you locate exactly what you need.
What's included in search
By default, Paperpile searches these fields in your references:
- Titles: Article, book, and chapter titles
- Authors: All author names including first names, last names, and initials—also searches editors, translators, contributors, and series editors
- Journals: Full and abbreviated journal names
- Publishers: Publisher names, schools, institutions, and courts
- Identifiers: DOI, PMID, PMC, arXiv ID, ISBN, ISSN, patent numbers, and other reference identifiers
- Citation keys: BibTeX keys, including custom citation keys
- Years: Publication years
You can expand your search to include abstracts, notes and annotations, and PDF full text. Turn these options on in the advanced search options menu. See Advanced search options.
How to search
Enter your search terms in the search box at the top of your library. Paperpile finds references that match all of your search terms (AND search). For example, searching for climate change finds references that contain both "climate" and "change."
For more precise searches, see Advanced search options.
Search results and snippets
Search results show relevant snippets from your references with your search terms highlighted. These snippets help you see where your search terms appear and verify you've found the right reference.
View the abstract: Click a snippet to expand the abstract and see more detail.
Open the PDF: If a snippet shows text from a PDF, click it to open the PDF at that location.
Sort results
By default, search results are sorted by relevance. Matches in titles, journals, and other key metadata appear higher in results than matches found in abstracts, notes, or PDF full text.
To sort results differently, click the sort menu above the reference list and select an option: Date added, Date published, Author, Journal, or Title. Click the arrow in the sort menu to switch between ascending and descending order.
Search within folders, labels, and filters
Your search always applies to your current view. If you're in a folder, label, or have filters like “Article” or “Has PDF” active, Paperpile searches only within those references. This lets you narrow your results by first navigating to a specific collection or applying filters, then searching within it.
To search your entire library, click All in the sidebar and make sure no filters are active.
Common questions
Can I search inside my PDFs?
Yes. Turn on PDF full text in the search options menu to search the complete text of your attached PDFs. See Advanced search options for more details.