Academic Research Search Across Five Databases with PDF Vector & Multiple Exports

This workflow contains community nodes that are only compatible with the self-hosted version of n8n.

Description: Unified Academic Search Across Major Research Databases

This powerful workflow enables researchers to search multiple academic databases simultaneously, automatically deduplicate results, and export formatted bibliographies. By leveraging PDF Vector's multi-database search capabilities, researchers can save hours of manual searching and ensure comprehensive literature coverage across PubMed, ArXiv, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, and ERIC databases.

Target Audience & Problem Solved This template is designed for: Graduate students** conducting systematic literature reviews Researchers** ensuring comprehensive coverage of their field Librarians** helping patrons with complex searches Academic teams** building shared bibliographies

It solves the critical problem of fragmented academic search by providing a single interface to query all major databases, eliminating duplicate results, and standardizing output formats.

Prerequisites n8n instance with PDF Vector node installed PDF Vector API credentials with search permissions Basic understanding of academic search syntax Optional: PostgreSQL for search history logging Minimum 50 API credits for comprehensive searches

Step-by-Step Setup Instructions

Configure PDF Vector Credentials Go to n8n Credentials section Create new PDF Vector credentials Enter your API key from pdfvector.io Test the connection to verify setup

Import the Workflow Template Copy the template JSON code In n8n, click "Import Workflow" Paste the JSON and save Review all nodes for any configuration needs

Customize Search Parameters Open the "Set Search Parameters" node Modify the default search query for your field Adjust the year range (default: 2020-present) Set results per source limit (default: 25)

Configure Export Options Choose your preferred export formats (BibTeX, CSV, JSON) Set the output directory for files Configure file naming conventions Enable/disable specific export types

Test Your Configuration Run the workflow with a sample query Check that all databases return results Verify deduplication is working correctly Confirm export files are created properly

Implementation Details

The workflow implements a sophisticated search pipeline:

Parallel Database Queries: Searches all configured databases simultaneously for efficiency Smart Deduplication: Uses DOI matching and fuzzy title comparison to remove duplicates Relevance Scoring: Combines citation count, title relevance, and recency for ranking Format Generation: Creates properly formatted citations in multiple styles Batch Processing: Handles large result sets without memory issues

Customization Guide

Adding Custom Databases: // In the PDF Vector search node, add to providers array: "providers": ["pubmed", "semantic_scholar", "arxiv", "google_scholar", "eric", "your_custom_db"]

Modifying Relevance Algorithm: Edit the "Rank by Relevance" node to adjust scoring weights: // Adjust these weights for your needs: const titleWeight = 10; // Title match importance const citationWeight = 5; // Citation count importance const recencyWeight = 10; // Recent publication bonus const fulltextWeight = 15; // Full-text availability bonus

Custom Export Formats: Add new format generators in the workflow: // Example: Add APA format export const apaFormat = papers.map(p => { const authors = p.authors.slice(0, 3).join(', '); return ${authors} (${p.year}). ${p.title}. ${p.journal || 'Preprint'}.; });

Advanced Filtering: Implement additional filters: Journal impact factor thresholds Open access only options Language restrictions Methodology filters for systematic reviews

Search Features: Query multiple databases in parallel Advanced filtering and deduplication Citation format export (BibTeX, RIS, etc.) Relevance ranking across sources Full-text availability checking

Workflow Process: Input: Search query and parameters Parallel Search: Query all databases Merge & Deduplicate: Combine results Rank: Sort by relevance/citations Enrich: Add full-text links Export: Multiple format options