FieldclipHome / Research log guide
Save research papers to Notion with authors and dates filled in
A literature review grows to dozens of papers fast. A Notion database keeps them sortable by date, filterable by topic and status, and linked to your notes. The slow part is typing authors and dates for every paper. Paper pages already publish that data, and Fieldclip reads it when you save.
Step 1: Create the research log database
In Notion, create a database and add these columns. The names matter: Fieldclip matches page data to columns by name and type.
| Column | Notion type | Fieldclip fills it with |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Title | The paper's title from its citation tags |
| Authors | Text | Up to five authors, then "et al." |
| Published | Date | The publication date |
| Source | Select or Text | The site: arXiv, PubMed, Nature, and so on |
| Type | Select | "Paper" (matched to your existing options) |
| Link | URL | The page URL |
| Abstract | Text | The page's description, which on most journal sites is the abstract or its first lines |
| Tags | Multi-select | Keywords, when the page lists them |
Add a Status column (To read, Reading, Read) and a Notes column for your own summary. Fieldclip leaves Status alone, so give it a default with a Notion database template.
Don't want to build it? Duplicate the free Research Log template: it has these columns, a queue board (To read, Reading, Done), a table of everything and three example papers.
Step 2: Connect Fieldclip to the database
Install Fieldclip, click Connect with Notion and tick the research log. The setup guide covers it step by step. The Free plan saves unlimited pages into one database, so the research log can be that database.
Step 3: Clip a paper
- Open the paper's page in Chrome: the abstract page on arXiv, PubMed, Nature, ScienceDirect, Springer, ACM, IEEE or the journal's own site.
- Click the Fieldclip icon. Title, authors, date, source and link are filled in.
- Check the fields, then click Save to Notion.
What to know before saving
- Clip the abstract page, not the PDF. Chrome doesn't let extensions read PDFs, so on a PDF only the title and link are saved. The abstract page has all the citation data.
- Authors. Fieldclip keeps the first five and adds "et al." for longer lists, which keeps the column readable. Edit it before saving if you want every name.
- Journal name. Today Fieldclip fills the site (for example "Nature" or "PubMed"), not the journal field for an article indexed on PubMed. Type it in if your database has a Journal column.
- Full text. Pro can save the page's text into the Notion page, which on an abstract page is the abstract and the visible sections.
Make the log work for you
- A board view grouped by Status is your reading queue.
- Filter by Tags to pull every paper on one method or topic for a review section.
- Sort by Published to see how a line of work evolved.
- Link a Project relation to your writing pages, so each draft knows its sources.
Common questions
Does it work on arXiv and PubMed?
Yes. Those sites, and most journals, publish citation meta tags with title, authors and date, and that's what Fieldclip reads.
Can it read a PDF?
No. Clip the abstract page; the PDF link is usually on it.
Is this a replacement for Zotero?
No. Zotero manages references and generates citations. Fieldclip keeps a reading log in Notion, next to your notes. Many people use both.
Stop typing authors and dates
Fieldclip is free: unlimited saves into one database. No account.