One research article can arrive in a newsroom through a DOI link, a PubMed citation and a PMC full-text page. Treating each incoming link as a separate paper can inflate a source list and scatter notes. Begin by reconciling identifiers, then check the article itself.
The PMC ID Converter supports PubMed, PMC, manuscript and DOI identifiers for articles in PMC. Its instructions call for one identifier type per request. A conversion is an identifier lookup within that scope, not a search of all biomedical publications or an evaluation of the research.
Build a crosswalk before deduplication
| Column | Record |
|---|---|
| Incoming value | The identifier exactly as received, including its prefix. |
| Returned match | Each corresponding identifier actually supplied by the lookup. |
| Identity check | Title, author and journal agreement or an unresolved difference. |
| Decision | Merge notes, retain separate records or investigate further. |
These columns are a suggested editorial worksheet. They keep the lookup result separate from your decision about which notes belong together.
Handle an unmatched value
An empty match should remain empty. Recheck the incoming spelling and its declared type, then consult the source that supplied it. Do not invent a PMCID by adding a prefix to a PMID, and do not interpret a missing PMC match as evidence that the article was never published. The converter’s stated coverage matters.
Merge notes carefully
Once identity is confirmed, retain the provenance of both incoming records. Two notes about the same paper may concern different versions, sections or access dates. Keep those distinctions even if the article receives one master entry. A linked correction or separate study report may deserve its own entry rather than being absorbed as a duplicate.
No conversion was run on a named paper for this guide. It explains a record-cleaning procedure, with no claim about citation completeness, publication quality or treatment evidence. The useful output is a source list whose identifiers and merge decisions another editor can follow.
Primary documentation read 21 October 2026. Workflow suggestions are editorial; no clinical study or patient decision is evaluated here.
Sources: Primary resource documentation. Related discussion: health information source quality.
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