Skip to main content

PDF viewer

The PDF viewer is the main reading and verification surface for imported PDF sources. It lets you inspect the original document behind summaries, maps, and citations.

Core controls

Control or statePurpose
ScrollMove through rendered pages.
Page navigationJump to a specific page or page range.
SearchFind extracted text inside the PDF when available.
Citation jumpOpen a cited location from chat, summary, or another surface.
ZoomMake text or figures readable.
Side panel or split viewCompare the PDF with notes, chat, or maps.

Page numbers and anchors

PDFs can have multiple numbering systems:

  • rendered page index
  • printed page label
  • article page number
  • citation anchor
  • extracted-text location.

These can differ. When verifying a citation, read the opened page and nearby context rather than relying only on a page number.

Search and extraction

PDF search depends on extracted text. Search works best when the PDF contains selectable text. Scanned documents, images, unusual layouts, or poor OCR can reduce search and citation quality.

If a PDF looks readable to you but Atlas cannot search it well, the file may be image-based or structurally difficult to parse.

Verification workflow

  1. Open the answer or summary citation.
  2. Read the cited passage.
  3. Read nearby paragraphs for qualifiers or contradictions.
  4. Check figures, tables, and footnotes if the claim depends on them.
  5. Revise the answer or note if the citation does not support the claim.

When to troubleshoot

Use Troubleshoot source processing when the PDF fails to process, lacks searchable text, opens incorrectly, or produces unreliable citations.