n8n Google Sheets Auto-Cite Papers (PDF Vector + APA)

Instantly generate APA & BibTeX citations from your Google Sheets “Pending” queries

This n8n workflow automatically scans your Google Sheets every minute for research queries marked as Pending, searches Semantic Scholar, PubMed, and arXiv using PDF Vector, then writes back ranked results with APA and BibTeX citations—switching each row to Completed when done.

What this workflow does

• Runs on a schedule: executes every minute via a Schedule Trigger.
• Reads search queries from Google Sheets: pulls rows containing a Search Query and checks their Status.
• Filters only “Pending”: continues only for rows where Status = “Pending”.
• Searches with PDF Vector: queries Semantic Scholar, PubMed, and arXiv for up to 20 matching papers.
• Ranks and selects top results: sorts by citation count, selects the top 10, and prepares summary stats.
• Generates citations: creates a formatted list plus APA Citations and BibTeX Citations for the selected papers.
• Updates the same Google Sheets row: writes back top papers, total citations, most cited, citations, and the search date, then sets Status to “Completed”.

Use cases

• Research operations: keep a backlog of literature searches in Google Sheets and auto-fill citation-ready references.
• Content & SaaS teams: rapidly build citation lists for reports or knowledge base articles.
• Automation engineers: demonstrate a practical n8n workflow that combines scheduling, data filtering, and literature search.

Technical details

• Schedule Trigger: runs every minute.
• Google Sheets integration: OAuth credential for both reading and updating results.
• PDF Vector node (n8n-nodes-pdfvectorpdf vector): Semantic Scholar, PubMed, and arXiv search capability.
• Workflow logic: Code + Filter steps to process only “Pending” rows.
• Row matching: updates by Search Query; ensure Search Query values are unique (or adjust matching columns).