# Extract text from a research paper PDF

**Use case:** 

Turn research papers from arXiv or journals into clean text with per-page breakdown, document metadata and the links found in the paper. Feeds summarisation, citation extraction and search indexing.

## Input

```json
{
  "urls": [
    "https://arxiv.org/pdf/1706.03762",
    "https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.04805"
  ],
  "outputFormat": "text",
  "perPage": true,
  "extractLinks": true,
  "maxPages": 500,
  "pageRange": "",
  "chunkSize": 0,
  "chunkOverlap": 200,
  "maxFileSizeMb": 25,
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "timeoutSecs": 60
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "url": {
    "label": "PDF URL",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "success": {
    "label": "OK",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "status": {
    "label": "Status",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "fileName": {
    "label": "File name",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "pageCount": {
    "label": "Pages",
    "format": "integer"
  },
  "pagesExtracted": {
    "label": "Pages extracted",
    "format": "integer"
  },
  "wordCount": {
    "label": "Words",
    "format": "integer"
  },
  "charCount": {
    "label": "Characters",
    "format": "integer"
  },
  "hasText": {
    "label": "Has text layer",
    "format": "boolean"
  },
  "fileSizeBytes": {
    "label": "Size (bytes)",
    "format": "integer"
  },
  "metadata": {
    "label": "Metadata",
    "format": "object"
  },
  "errorType": {
    "label": "Error type",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "error": {
    "label": "Error",
    "format": "string"
  }
}
```

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [Best Damn PDF Text Extractor](https://apify.com/josh99smith/pdf-text-extractor.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/josh99smith/pdf-text-extractor.md) to learn more, explore other use cases, and run it yourself.


## How to integrate an Actor?

This Task's input is already configured above. Use it as-is rather than inventing a new one.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For full API examples (JavaScript, Python, CLI, MCP, OpenAPI), see this Task's Actor page: https://apify.com/josh99smith/pdf-text-extractor.md

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).