# Convert a research paper PDF to Markdown

**Use case:** 

Turn an academic paper PDF into clean Markdown and RAG chunks with page numbers. This example converts the BERT paper from arXiv, reading its two-column pages in the right order and keeping section headings, so every chunk can cite the page it came from. Paste any public PDF link to do the same for your own papers.

## Input

```json
{
  "fileUrls": [
    {
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/1810.04805"
    }
  ],
  "outputFormat": "markdown",
  "chunkContent": true,
  "chunkSizeTokens": 800,
  "chunkOverlapTokens": 100,
  "removeHeadersFooters": true,
  "startPage": 1,
  "maxPagesPerDocument": 500,
  "maxFileSizeMb": 50,
  "includeFailedDocuments": false
}
```

## Output

```json
{
  "sourceUrl": {
    "label": "Source",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "fileName": {
    "label": "File",
    "format": "string"
  },
  "chunks": {
    "label": "Chunks",
    "format": "array"
  }
}
```

## How it works

### 1. Sign up on Apify or log in

The PDF & Word to Markdown for RAG — Chunks with Page Numbers Actor is ready to run with the inputs already set for "Convert a research paper PDF to Markdown". [Sign up or log in](https://console.apify.com/create-task-from-example/9Rgdiiyc3aNfT3MGQ) and you'll land in Apify Console with a copy of this exact task.

### 2. Start the "Convert a research paper PDF to Markdown" task

The PDF & Word to Markdown for RAG — Chunks with Page Numbers Actor will start running based on the input automatically. You can also change all the input fields, like file urls, output format, and more, to match your specific use case.

### 3. Receive the "Convert a research paper PDF to Markdown" output

Monitor the progress in real time. You will be notified as soon as your dataset is complete and ready for review. Each result includes data such as source, file, and chunks.

### 4. Integrate into your workflow

The final output is delivered in JSON, CSV, or Excel format, ready to be plugged into your workflow. You can also [run the "Convert a research paper PDF to Markdown" task via API](https://apify.com/s3nafps/doc-to-markdown.md).

## About this Actor

This example demonstrates how to use [PDF & Word to Markdown for RAG — Chunks with Page Numbers](https://apify.com/s3nafps/doc-to-markdown.md) with a specific input configuration. Visit the [Actor detail page](https://apify.com/s3nafps/doc-to-markdown.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/s3nafps/doc-to-markdown.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`).