File upload

Upload all documents that are relevant to your paper and that you would not sensibly put into the Free-form input. This is especially useful for longer documents, existing sources or university requirements.

Common document and data formats such as PDF, XLSX, BIB, RIS or CSV are usually suitable. A file may be up to 20 MB; PDF processing is also limited to 600 pages per file.

• assignment brief, proposal draft or grading rubric
• sources, PDFs, book excerpts or articles
• reference lists, BibTeX, RIS or CSV files
• appendices, datasets or empirical material
• your own notes, if they exist as a file

After uploading, assign each file the right Type. This selection is important because StudyTexter uses it to decide how the file should be used in the rest of the workflow. The Description / Notes field is used differently depending on the file type.

General

General fits files that StudyTexter should understand as context: assignment briefs, proposal drafts, grading rubrics, formal university requirements or your own preparatory notes.

These files are usually not sources that should be cited later. They mainly help the AI classify requirements, boundaries and expectations correctly.

Files you can upload here

• proposal draft
• guide for academic writing
• your own notes
• chapters you have already written
• an older paper on a similar topic that should be improved or processed
• assignment brief, grading rubric or correction notes
• format template, module handbook or seminar plan
• university requirements for length, citation style or structure

Description / Notes

Briefly explain why the file matters, which requirements should be followed closely and which parts are only background.

How StudyTexter uses this

The file helps the AI understand the topic, limits and mandatory requirements. It is used as context for planning, structure and later decisions, not automatically as a citable source.

Source

Use Source for academic articles, PDFs, book excerpts, studies, reports or other specialist texts that should be evaluated for content.

This label is especially important because sources can later matter for Source evaluation, literature references and Full text & Export. Files marked as Source will later appear in the bibliography of your paper and be cited in your paper.

Important: Source means full text

Do not upload a Reference list or a source citation here. A file of type Source should contain the actual full text, for example the complete article or report as a PDF.

Files you can upload here

• complete source with full text
• academic PDF article
• complete book chapter or longer book excerpt with page numbers
• study, research report or white paper
• legal text, standard, guideline or official document
• specialist text with author, year, title and visible main text

Description / Notes

Mention relevant pages, chapters, sections or terms that StudyTexter should pay special attention to. If the source is only important for a specific part of your paper, add that context directly.

How StudyTexter uses this

The AI reads the full text, identifies relevant content and tries to extract metadata such as author, year, title or publication.

Appendix & Empirical Material

Appendix & Empirical Material fits questionnaires, interview guides, transcripts, analysis tables, raw data, figures or files that later belong in the appendix.

If your paper is empirical, this classification helps the AI keep methodology, data analysis and later appendices separate from normal source material.

Better upload early

If you are not yet sure where the empirical material will be needed later, you can still upload it here. The more precise assignment happens later in the workflow.

Files you can upload here

• interview transcripts
• questionnaires or interview guides
• survey results, raw data or datasets
• analysis tables, codebooks or category systems
• figures, screenshots or appendix documents
• observation notes, case material or practice documents

Description / Notes

Explain what the file contains, how the material was created and how it should be used. For interviews, surveys or datasets, details about data collection, sample, time period, analysis logic or anonymization are especially helpful.

How StudyTexter uses this

The material is prepared as a basis for later empirical steps. In Empirical method and, if relevant, Empirical data it can be classified more precisely and used for method, results or appendix.

Reference list

Reference list is meant for existing bibliographies, BibTeX, RIS or CSV files. A PDF list with collected references can also be classified here.

This file helps StudyTexter detect which literature has already been prepared and which sources should later be checked or used preferentially.

Difference from Source

A Reference list usually contains only information about sources. It is not the same as a full-text source. If you already have the PDF text of a source, upload it additionally as a Source.

Files you can upload here

• bibliography from an existing paper
• BibTeX, RIS or CSV file from a reference manager
• Word or PDF file with collected references
• export from Zotero, Citavi, Mendeley or EndNote
• list with DOI, ISBN, URL or complete bibliographic data
• source list from your supervisor

Description / Notes

Add whether the list is complete, only a suggestion or whether certain entries should be prioritised.

How StudyTexter uses this

The AI tries to identify the individual entries, search for matching sources and download them. Sources that cannot be found can appear again later so you can add or upload them yourself.

If you want to work only with your own sources

For Reference list, upload only the actual reference list: a file in which source details are collected. We cannot promise that every listed source can be found online or downloaded automatically.

If you want to work exclusively with your own literature search or your own uploads, it is best to upload the existing sources individually as Source as well. The full text matters, not just the bibliographic entry.

In the Settings step, also choose the option No literature search so StudyTexter does not look for additional literature. Settings · No literature search

The AI does not use all uploaded files in the same way. A Source can later matter for citations and literature references. An assignment brief is more useful for understanding requirements and boundaries. Empirical material can influence later methodology and analysis steps.

That is why correct classification matters more than it may seem at first. If you mark a Reference list as a Source, the AI lacks the full text. If you classify empirical material as a normal Source, it may later be unclear whether it is meant as an appendix, dataset or citable literature.