Notes & Favorites

Notes & Favorites

Add personal notes to references and star favorites for quick access. These features help you build context around your research and prioritize important sources.

Personal Notes

Notes are private annotations attached to references. Only you can see your notes.

Adding Notes

  1. Open any reference (click title)
  2. Scroll to Personal Notes section
  3. Type in the text area
  4. Notes save automatically

What to Note

Key quotes:

"The findings suggest a significant correlation..." (p. 42)

Your thoughts:

Methodology seems sound but sample size is small.
Relevant to Chapter 3 of my thesis.

To-do items:

- Follow up on citation #23
- Compare with Smith (2019)
- Check original dataset

Page references:

Good intro summary: pp. 1-5
Methods I'll use: pp. 12-15
Key figures: Figs 3, 7

Note Formatting

Notes support basic formatting:

  • Bold: text or text
  • Italic: text or text
  • Lists: Start lines with - or 1.
  • Links: text

Auto-Save

Notes save automatically as you type. You’ll see:

  • “Saving…” while typing
  • “Saved” when complete
  • No need to click a save button

Note Length

Notes can be any length. For very long notes:

  • Consider using sections with headers
  • Or maintain separate research notes
  • Link to external documents if needed

Viewing Notes

See your notes:

  • On the reference detail page
  • In expanded list view (if enabled)
  • When hovering (tooltip, if enabled)

Notes in Search

Notes are searchable from your dashboard:

  • Search finds text in notes
  • Helps you find references by your comments

Favorites

Star important references for quick access.

Adding to Favorites

From list view: Click the star icon (☆) next to any reference.

From detail view: Click Add to Favorites button.

The star fills in (★) to show it’s favorited.

Removing from Favorites

Click the filled star (★) to unfavorite.

Viewing Favorites

Quick filter: Click Favorites filter in your dashboard.

Favorites section: Some configurations have a dedicated Favorites area.

Why Use Favorites?

Quick access: Most important papers are one click away.

Reading priorities: Star what to read next.

Key sources: Mark foundational papers in your field.

Frequently cited: Star papers you cite often.

Favorites vs. Collections

FavoritesCollections
Quick toggleOrganized groups
Single listMultiple lists
Personal onlyCan be shared
Binary (yes/no)Named and described

Use favorites for quick access, collections for organization.

Combining Notes and Favorites

Workflow Example

  1. Discover a paper, add to library (Unread)
  2. Star if looks important
  3. Read and add notes while reading
  4. Unstar if less relevant than expected
  5. Review favorites when planning citations

Notes on Favorites

Consider adding notes explaining why something is favorited:

FAVORITE: Key methodological paper. Must cite in methods section.

Privacy

Notes Are Private

  • Only you can see your notes
  • Not visible to other site users
  • Not visible to site administrators
  • Not exported with public bibliographies

Favorites Are Private

  • Only you see your starred items
  • Others don’t know what you’ve favorited
  • Private to your user account

Shared Context

If you need to share notes:

  • Export references with notes (to yourself)
  • Create a shared collection with descriptions
  • Use the reference’s public “Notes” field if available

Notes Across Devices

Notes sync with your account:

  • Add note on desktop
  • See it on mobile
  • Same account = same notes

Exporting Notes

When exporting your references:

  • Check “Include notes” option
  • Notes appear in exported file
  • BibTeX: In note field
  • RIS: In N1 tag
  • CSL-JSON: In note field

Tips

1. Note While Reading

Add notes immediately while reading – easier than reconstructing later.

2. Use Consistent Format

Develop a personal system:

SUMMARY: [brief summary]
KEY POINTS: [main arguments]
QUOTES: [important passages]
MY THOUGHTS: [your analysis]
USE FOR: [where you'll cite this]

3. Date Your Notes

If updating notes over time:

[2024-01-15] First read - excellent overview
[2024-02-20] Re-read methods section for replication

4. Don’t Over-Favorite

If everything is starred, nothing stands out. Reserve favorites for truly important items.

5. Review Periodically

Revisit notes and favorites:

  • Do favorites still deserve the star?
  • Are notes still relevant?
  • Update with new insights

Troubleshooting

Notes not saving

  • Check internet connection
  • Wait for “Saved” confirmation
  • Refresh and check if note persisted

Lost notes

  • Check you’re logged in to correct account
  • Notes don’t show when logged out
  • Contact admin if consistently missing

Can’t add favorites

  • Feature may be disabled
  • Check you’re logged in
  • Try refreshing the page

Favorites not filtering

  • Clear other filters
  • Check favorite is actually starred
  • Refresh the page

Next Steps

Last updated: January 31, 2026