Your Zotero folder is fine. Your Obsidian graph is aspirational. The real corpus lives in open tabs, PDF downloads, arXiv alerts, and Slack links you meant to process.
Researchers who save more than they file need a different PKM shape.
Researchers who save more than they file
Classic PKM — Obsidian, Roam, Tana — rewards consistent linking and daily note hygiene. That works for lab notebooks and theory building.
It breaks when the input rate is 50 papers, threads, and preprints a week and filing lag is permanent. The graph stays empty while the pile grows.
Alternatives in 2026
Obsidian — local markdown vault, plugins, graph view. Gold standard when you maintain it.
Roam Research — block-based networked thought. Strong for dense interlinked research notes.
Tana — supertags and structured nodes. Powerful for teams that commit to the model.
Dewey — chat-native research companion. Follow sources (including arXiv, PubMed, GitHub, PDFs), Send links, Ask in iMessage or Telegram. Not a replacement for LaTeX or citation managers. 7-day trial, then about 50¢/day.
Side by side
| Obsidian | Roam | Tana | Dewey | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Local PKM vault | Networked notes | Structured nodes | Follow + Ask in chat |
| You file everything? | Expected | Expected | Expected | No — vault from ingest |
| Graph / links | Manual + plugins | Block references | Supertags | Ask across vault |
| Surface | Desktop + sync | Web | Web | iMessage, Telegram |
| Live sources | Via plugins/RSS | Manual | Manual | Follow + Send |
| Best when | You maintain the graph | Block-level theory work | Structured team PKM | Save >> file; need Ask |
When Dewey fits
Keep Obsidian or Roam for papers you actually deep-read and link.
Add Dewey for the firehose — Follow feeds, Send PDFs and threads, Ask "what changed in X this month?" without building nodes first.
FAQs
Is Dewey a citation manager?
No. Use Zotero or similar for citations. Dewey for Follow + Ask on the stream.
Does Dewey ingest arXiv and PubMed?
Yes, among other source types. Every ingest goes through the real scan flow.
How much does Dewey cost?
7-day trial, then about 50¢/day.
Can I export to Obsidian?
Not the core job. Many researchers use both: Dewey for intake and Ask; Obsidian for curated notes.