# Click and Read

> Developed by the CNRS to facilitate access to documents, the extension scans the web page you visit for document identifiers (DOI, PMID, PII) and adds a link if the resource is available.

Canonical page: [https://chrome-stats.com/d/click-and-read](https://chrome-stats.com/d/click-and-read)

## Overview

- **ID:** `click-and-read`
- **Platform:** Firefox
- **Type:** Firefox add-on
- **Status:** Available
- **Publisher:** INIST CNRS
- **Category:** search-tools
- **Daily users:** 7,204
- **Weekly downloads:** 135
- **Rating:** 4.50 / 5 (24 ratings)
- **Version:** 4.5.4
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-25
- **First published:** 2021-01-12
- **Size:** 1.45 MB
- **Data as of:** 2026-09-09
- **Store listing:** [Firefox Add-ons Store](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/click-and-read/)
- **Website:** [https://clickandread.inist.fr/](https://clickandread.inist.fr/)
- **Privacy policy:** [https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/click-and-read/privacy/](https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/click-and-read/privacy/)

## Description

**Click and Read** is a Chrome extension developed by CNRS to streamline access to scholarly documents. It automatically scans any web page you visit for document identifiers such as DOI, PMID, or PII, and provides direct links to the corresponding resources when they are available.

Designed to support various research communities, Click and Read respects access rights granted by different sources including BibCnrs for CNRS researchers, ISTEX for French higher education, and Panist for subscribed institutions. This tool enhances research productivity by reducing the time spent searching for accessible publications and ensures seamless navigation to trusted academic resources.

For detailed installation instructions, users can visit the official Click and Read website.

## Rankings

- #938 — Overall
- #102 — Search Tools
- #17 — documentation
- #27 — identify
- #32 — document
- #35 — lead

## Permissions and access

### Permissions

- `scripting`
- `storage`
- `webNavigation`
- `notifications`

### Host permissions

- `<all_urls>`

### Content script matches

- `<all_urls>`

## Safety

- **Risk impact:** High risk impact
- **Risk likelihood:** Moderate risk likelihood

### Analysis details

- Allows access to all websites, posing a significant security risk as it can monitor and modify data from any visited site.
- This extension was recently updated in the past month. New updates may not be stable or safe.

> Some risk analysis details are omitted from this free response. [Upgrade to view the full analysis](https://chrome-stats.com/pricing).

## Review summary

Users appreciate Click and Read for simplifying access to scientific documents from various sources and its ease of use, making it popular among researchers. However, common issues include occasional significant slowdowns on some websites, compatibility problems with Firefox where sources sometimes aren't available, and conflicts causing page crashes especially on Office 365. Users suggest adding a blacklist feature to disable the extension on problematic sites. Additionally, there is a caution about injected code appearing on published websites. Overall, it's a valuable tool with some technical hurdles to overcome.

### Pros

- Facilitates easy access to scientific publications and research documents.
- User-friendly and simple to use after initial setup.
- Integrates well with web pages, providing additional document access buttons.
- Supports access to multiple sources including Unpaywall, Istex, Panist, BibCnrs, and open access repositories like ArXiv and HAL.
- Useful addon especially for researchers and academic communities like CNRS.

### Cons

- Causes significant slowdowns or page lag on certain websites, sometimes very noticeable.
- Has compatibility issues with Firefox; in particular, the source list (e.g., Panist) may appear empty and functionality may be impaired, while working fine on Chrome.
- Can cause conflicts or crashes on some pages, such as Office 365 login pages, requiring disabling the extension.
- Lacks a feature to disable the extension on specific websites to avoid issues and slowdowns.
- Injected code by the extension might unintentionally appear on users' websites if publishing content online.

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Source: [Chrome-Stats](https://chrome-stats.com/d/click-and-read)