Google Scholar Extensions

Google Scholar offers two official browser extensions covered in this help guide: the Google Scholar Button and the Google Scholar PDF Reader. Both extensions are developed and supported by Google.

This guide focuses on using these extensions in Google Chrome, as it is the most widely used browser and shares extension compatibility with many other browsers—including Microsoft Edge, Brave, and Vivaldi. If you use Safari or Firefox, check those browsers’ extension stores or add-on pages to see if similar tools are available.

❗ Important: We recommend using only the official Google Scholar extensions, as they are built and maintained by Google—not by third parties. Always be cautious when installing any browser extension; what you install is ultimately your own responsibility.

Google Scholar Button

Figure 1: Google Scholar Button on the Chrome Web Store

The Google Scholar Button lets you search Google Scholar without leaving your current browser tab. It also allows you to highlight citations or references within articles and search for them instantly—making it easy to check if a source is freely available on Google Scholar.

To install the Scholar Button:

Go to the Chrome Web Store and search for “Google Scholar Button,” or use this direct link if available.
Click “Add to Chrome” and follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Google Scholar: The Google Scholar Button-8/20/2025, 9:38 AM.mp4

Video 2: Using the Google Scholar Button

Google Scholar: Installing Extensions-8/20/2025, 9:32 AM.mp4

Video 1: Installing Extensions in Chrome

💡 Chrome Web Store

The Chrome Web Store is the official source for all extensions installed in the Chrome browser. This store is managed by Google and is the only platform where extensions receive a basic level of security and safety vetting before being made available to users. For your protection, always install extensions directly from the Chrome Web Store rather than from third-party sites.

Visit Chrome Web Store

Figure 2: Add Extension Install

Figure 3: Pinning the Google Scholar Button

2. Click the Blue "Add to Chrome" button (see Figure 1).
3. A pop up will appear (see Figure 2). Click "Add Extension" and the extension will be installed.
4. Click the "puzzle piece" icon to the right of the address bar (see Figure 3).
5. Pin the Extension so it appears in your extension toolbar just to the right of the address bar. The "pin" will be blue with a line through it as shown in Figure 3.

Searching Using the Scholar Button

Using the Google Scholar Button is simple:

Click the Scholar Button in your browser toolbar. A popup window will appear where you can search Google Scholar directly (see Figure 4).
Click in the search box, type your query, and press Enter to view the results (see Figure 5).
From the results, you can click on any item to open it in a new tab. Links to available PDFs or full-text versions are displayed directly within the Scholar Button popup for quick access.

Figure 4: Google Scholar Button View

Figure 5: Google Scholar Button after submitting a search.

Using the Scholar Button with Highlighted Text

There is another useful way to use the Scholar Button: you can search for text directly from any webpage or PDF opened in your browser.

Highlight the text you want to search (for example, the title of another article as shown in Figure 6).
Click the Scholar Button in your browser toolbar. Scholar will automatically start a new search using the highlighted text as your query (see Figure 6).

This feature makes it quick and easy to explore references or related articles you encounter—without needing to open a new tab or visit the Scholar website manually.

❗ Problems with PDF Text

PDF text can sometimes cause problems because the spacing between words is not always recognized correctly. When you copy and paste text from a PDF, or search using the Scholar Button (or Lean Library), the article title may be misspelled due to incorrect spacing or formatting. If you are not getting any results, double-check that the search terms have copied over accurately and adjust as needed.

Figure 6: The Scholar Button results after highlighting the title in the PDF and clicking the Scholar Button.

Google Scholar PDF Reader

According to the Chrome Webstore, Scholar's PDF Reader allows you to:

Preview references as you read. Click the in-text citation to see a summary and find the PDF.
Read faster with the AI outline. Get a quick overview and click on interesting bullets to jump within the paper.
Click in-text figure mentions to see the figure and the back button to keep reading.
Make it right for your eyes with light, dark, and night modes.
Copy and paste common citation formats without leaving the paper.
Save articles to your Scholar Library to read or cite later.

Google Scholar: PDF Reader-8/20/2025, 9:44 AM.mp4

Video 3: Google Scholar PDF Reader

To install the Google Scholar PDF Reader, follow the same steps outlined above for the Scholar Button, but use this direct link or search for “Google Scholar PDF Reader” in the Chrome Web Store.

Unlike the Scholar Button, the PDF Reader does not need to be pinned in your browser’s toolbar, as there are no actions to click. Instead, the extension automatically enhances the way you view PDFs in your browser by adding new features and functionality.

To use the Google Scholar PDF Reader, simply open a PDF from the library databases, Google Scholar, or any other source in your browser. The PDF will automatically display within the Google Scholar PDF Reader, giving you access to its enhanced features.

Below is a brief explanation of the different functions available once a PDF is open in the PDF Reader.

The PDF display will look like Figure 8. You will see an AI summary on the left side, each bullet linked to the spot in the PDF that the summary is referring to. You can also use the copy button to copy/paste the AI summary into another document or software, such as Zotero for easy reference later.

Figure 8: Image of the AI summary of a PDF.

Figure 9: Demonstrating the dropdown to see Google Scholar linked information about the article currently opened in the PDF Reader.

Figure 9 demonstrates how the Google Scholar PDF Reader displays Google Scholar data for the PDF you are currently viewing. This includes links to articles that cite the PDF, details about different versions, options to save the PDF to your Scholar Library, and links to related articles.

In Figure 10, you can see that the Google Scholar PDF Reader allows you to instantly search for articles cited within the PDF you are reading. Simply click a linked citation, and a dropdown will appear showing Google Scholar information—just like a Scholar search result—including links to the full text if available.

These links also include access to the HJF Library’s holdings, as they do in Google Scholar. To ensure you have full access whether you are on or off campus, make sure you are logged in with your Morningside Google account and have the library’s resources connected in Scholar.

Figure 10: Example of how the PDF Reader uses Google Scholar to search for full text of the references used in the article.

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