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Google Scholar (or some other site) locked me out after using Zotero to save items. What happened?

When saving multiple items from a given site, Zotero users will occasionally push the limits of what Google Scholar, or any other Zotero-compatible database (e.g., ProQuest), wants an individual to access in a given period of time, and you may start getting save failures or see a message like the following when browsing the site:

“Query limit reached”

“We're sorry but your computer or network may be sending automated queries. To protect our users, we can't process your request right now.”

If you need to import large numbers of items at once, it's better to first save the items to Google Scholar's "My Library" feature, then export items en masse as a BibTeX file from the My Library view. Other sites may have similar features that allow exporting a collection of items. You can also simply click through to the article page and save from there rather than saving from the search results page.

The Google Scholar Citations for Zotero plugin can also send sufficient numbers of queries to cause Google Scholar to lock out Zotero.

How can I restore my access to the site?

Sometimes a site will request a CAPTCHA verification. In this case, complete the verification test to restore access. Otherwise, in general, the site will restore your access within a few hours. You may be able to access the site using a different web browser in the interim.

If you're still able to access the site in your browser but not able to save to Zotero, as a temporary solution you may be able to save to BibTeX or RIS, as explained above, and import the file into Zotero.

kb/site_access_limits.1553744298.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/03/27 23:38 by dstillman