The problem
You want to download the full text of articles "programmatically", i.e., using software
that will download the full text of a set of search results in e.g., PDF form.
The solution
A number of software programs can query and download on your behalf, i.e., they run
a search that you specify against selected databases and download resulting PDFs or
HTMLs associated with the hits.
- EndNote X2: The most widespread tool for this purpose.
- QUOSA, a literature querying and downloading tool which doubles as a powerful data analysis
and literature management tool.
- Zotero, a unique Open Source browser plugin that is nicely integrated into the FireFox (or
one of a few other browsers).
Other programs exist as well.
Unique features
- Both EndNote X2 and QUOSA can accept a list of PubMedIDs as input.
Limitations
- None of these tools can download more than roughly 60% of the papers they find because
of the complicated links provided by publishers.
- Make sure you steer clear of copyright violation issues. Stanford's General Counsel
(Lauren Schoenthaler) can advise you as to how to stay legal.
Need help?
Two options are available, depending on the type of question:
- For immediate answers to simple "point" question (e.g., "does this program run on
MS Vista?"), you can contact the Bioresearch Informationist using instant messaging (Stanford affiliate only).
- For more involved questions, is much preferred and more likely to return a usable answer.
Source
Lane Librarian