Find and merge duplicate sources

If you save the same work twice, your library points it out. Choose which copy to keep, and the others merge into it.

How duplicates are found

Two sources count as the same work when:

• They have the same DOI, or
• They have no DOI to compare, and their titles start the same way and they share the first author and year.

When you add or import a source, Writing Studio merges it into your existing copy straight away if it’s clearly the same work. Copies that only look alike are listed for you to check, because only you can tell for sure.

Review your duplicates

You can find duplicates in two places:

• At the top of All sources, a banner says how many duplicate groups were found, for example “2 duplicate groups found”. Choose Review to open the list.
• In Needs a look, under Saved more than once.

Each group shows the work’s title, then one line per copy with its journal, the date you added it, and whether it has full text.

Merge a group

1. Decide which copy to keep. The one with the full text or the most complete details is usually best.
2. Choose Keep this one, merge the rest beside it.

The copy you keep:

• Takes any details it’s missing from the others, such as a DOI, link, abstract, journal, volume, pages or year. Details it already has are never overwritten.
• Takes a PDF and its text from another copy, if it had none.
• Takes the quotes you kept from the other copies.
• Joins every collection the other copies were in.

The other copies are then removed from your library.

Warning

If one of your papers cites a copy that gets removed, that citation shows as [missing source]. Before merging, open each copy’s Used in tab and keep the copy your papers cite, or cite the kept copy again afterwards.

To correct details by hand after merging, see Edit a source’s details.

Frequently asked questions

How does Writing Studio decide two sources are duplicates?

Two sources are duplicates if they share a DOI. Without a DOI, they are duplicates if their titles start the same way and they have the same first author and year.

Will merging lose any information?

No details are overwritten. The copy you keep takes any details it is missing from the others, such as a DOI, pages or abstract, plus their PDF, kept quotes and collections.

Why do I get duplicates if Writing Studio merges automatically?

Writing Studio merges automatically only when it is sure, for example when the DOI or the whole title matches. Copies that are only probably the same are listed for you to decide.

Where to go next

Get to know your libraryYour library holds every source you save, cite or upload. Open it, move between its places, search it, sort it and see how each source stands.Edit a source's detailsFix a source's title, authors, year or other details once, and every citation of it updates in every paper.Import or export BibTeX and RISBring references in from Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote or any reference manager with a BibTeX or RIS file, and export yours the same way.Organize sources with collections and filtersGroup sources by course or collection, filter them by date, type, full text or access, and act on many sources at once.

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