---
title: Scholar Sidekick for Zotero
description: Verify a bibliography before importing it into Zotero - catch claimed-vs-resolved mismatches (the AI-fabrication pattern), retractions, and missing open-access copies. Free, no API key, Zotero 7-9.
doc_version: "1.0"
last_updated: "2026-05-29"
---

# Scholar Sidekick for Zotero

> Check every entry before it enters your library; import only the clean ones.
> Last updated: 2026-05-29
> HTML version: https://scholar-sidekick.com/integrations/zotero
> Download: https://scholar-sidekick.com/zotero-plugin/scholar-sidekick-0.1.0.xpi
> Source: https://github.com/mlava/scholar-sidekick-zotero

Most items in your library are already trustworthy - you added them with Zotero's own identifier lookup. The risky moment is the **import boundary**: a collaborator's `.bib`, a manuscript reference list, or an AI-generated bibliography, where the *claimed* metadata may not match what the identifier actually resolves to. This plugin steps in there - before bad data becomes a trusted library item.

> This does not replace Zotero's built-in features. Zotero already does identifier lookup, CSL formatting, exports, and native Retraction Watch warnings on items in your library. The plugin adds the one thing it doesn't: a *claimed-vs-resolved* fabrication check, plus catching retractions *before* you import rather than after.

## How it works

1. **Tools > Verify & import bibliography.** Paste a bibliography or pick a `.bib` / `.ris` file.
2. Entries are parsed with Zotero's own translators (nothing is committed to your library yet).
3. Each entry is checked against the Scholar Sidekick API - verification, retraction, and open-access - and shown with a verdict.
4. You tick the entries to keep; they're imported into the collection you choose, each with a verification note attached.

## Verdicts

| Verdict | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verified | Claimed title and first author match the metadata resolved from the identifier. |
| Mismatch | Claimed title / author / year / container disagree with what the identifier resolves to - the dominant AI-fabrication pattern (real DOI, invented title). Not auto-selected. |
| Resolved | A bare identifier with no claimed title to check against - resolved to clean metadata so you can import it. |
| Not found | The identifier did not resolve, or a title-only entry could not be located in Crossref / PubMed / OpenAlex. |
| No identifier | Nothing to verify and nothing to resolve. |

## On import

- Resolved (canonical) metadata in first-class fields, filed into your chosen collection.
- A child note recording the verdict, any claimed-vs-resolved differences, retraction and open-access status, and the request / transform / verify versions for reproducibility.
- Retracted items tagged `retracted` (colored red in the items list).

## Supported identifiers

DOI, PMID, PMCID, ISBN, ISSN, arXiv ID, ADS bibcode, and WHO IRIS URL. `.bib` / `.ris` entries are parsed by Zotero's translators; pasted prose is scanned for identifiers server-side. Pasted prose can be *resolved* but not fully *verified* - the fabrication check needs a claimed title paired with an identifier, which a structured `.bib` / `.ris` provides.

## How it catches fabricated citations

When an entry has a claimed title and an identifier, the plugin cross-checks the claim against the metadata the identifier actually resolves to (via Crossref, PubMed, and OpenAlex). The failure mode documented by Topaz et al. (Lancet, 2026) - a real DOI paired with an invented title and authors - shows up as a Mismatch with the specific fields flagged.

## Privacy

- The plugin sends only the bibliographic entries you ask it to check - it does not read the rest of your library.
- Requests go directly to `https://scholar-sidekick.com` (`/api/verify`, `/api/lookup`, `/api/retraction-check`, `/api/oa-check`, `/api/detect`).
- No API key required; the anonymous tier is granted via a trusted-client handshake.
- Inputs are not retained or used for training. See the [privacy policy](https://scholar-sidekick.com/legal/privacy) for full disclosure.

## Install

Zotero does not have an official plugin directory yet, so the plugin installs from a file:

1. Download https://scholar-sidekick.com/zotero-plugin/scholar-sidekick-0.1.0.xpi
2. In Zotero: Tools > Plugins > gear icon > Install Plugin From File…, and select the `.xpi`.
3. Restart Zotero. The plugin appears under Tools > Verify & import bibliography…

Works on Zotero 7-9. No account or API key needed (anonymous tier); paste a Scholar Sidekick / RapidAPI key in the plugin settings for higher rate limits. Installed copies auto-update.

- Download: https://scholar-sidekick.com/zotero-plugin/scholar-sidekick-0.1.0.xpi
- Source on GitHub (MIT licensed): https://github.com/mlava/scholar-sidekick-zotero

## Related

- [Integrations index](https://scholar-sidekick.com/integrations) - all first-party integrations
- [Obsidian plugin](https://scholar-sidekick.com/integrations/obsidian) - cite from any identifier inside your notes
- [Citation verifier](https://scholar-sidekick.com/tools/citation-verifier) - the same fabrication check as a free web tool
- [MCP server](https://scholar-sidekick.com/mcp) - citation tools for Claude, Cursor, and other agents
- [API docs](https://scholar-sidekick.com/docs) - REST + OpenAPI spec for programmatic access from any client

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://scholar-sidekick.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.