How to use the bibtex and ris citation converter
- Paste the contents of a .bib or .ris file into the box. The tool detects the format, or you can set it yourself.
- Choose what to convert to: BibTeX, RIS or a CSV table.
- Read the summary line and the table of entries, then check any notes about missing titles or authors.
- Use Copy or Download file, or Use result as input to convert again.
What the converter reads and writes
BibTeX and RIS are the two most common ways to move references between reference managers, word processors and databases. BibTeX is a text format with entries such as @article{key, field = {value}}. RIS is a line-based format with two-letter tags: TY for the type, AU for each author, TI for the title, JO for the journal, PY for the year and ER to end a record. Most library catalogs and managers can export one or both.
The converter reads the type, citation key, authors and editors, title, journal or book title, year, month, volume, issue, pages, publisher, place, DOI, URL, ISSN or ISBN, keywords, abstract and notes. It understands braces and quotes in BibTeX values, joined strings with #, simple @string macros such as month names, and the common LaTeX accent commands, which become ordinary letters. Fields it does not know are left out, so keep your original file until you have checked the result.
How types and authors are matched
Entry types are matched in both directions: article and JOUR, book and BOOK, incollection or inbook and CHAP, inproceedings and CPAPER or CONF, techreport and RPRT, phdthesis or mastersthesis and THES, unpublished and UNPB, and misc and GEN. A type with no match is written as a general item. Authors are split on "and" in BibTeX and on one author per AU line in RIS, written as "Family, Given". A name written "Jane A. Smith" is split at the last word, and particles such as "van" or "de" stay with the family name.
As a check, a sample file of five BibTeX entries converts to five RIS records and back with every field preserved, and the output was read again by two independent parsers, the bibtexparser and rispy libraries, which found the same entries and values. The CSV option writes one row per entry, with authors joined by semicolons, for use in a spreadsheet. See the CSV to Excel converter to open it.
Limits and privacy
The text is processed in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Up to 400,000 characters can be converted at a time. Citation styles such as APA or MLA are not produced; the tool changes the file format and does not format a bibliography. For related text jobs see the word counter and the CSV and JSON converter.
Assumptions and limits
- The input is a BibTeX file with @entries or an RIS file with TY and ER lines. Mixed files are not supported.
- Only the common bibliographic fields are converted; custom or unknown fields are dropped.
- LaTeX accent commands become Unicode letters; other macros and math are left as written.
- Citation keys are kept when present and made from the first author and year when not, with a letter added to stay unique.
Frequently asked questions
Will the conversion lose any information?
It keeps the common fields listed on the page and drops anything else, such as custom tags or special fields from a specific reference manager. Keep your original file and compare the result before replacing a library.
Why was my author name split in the wrong place?
Names written as "First Last" are split at the last word, which is wrong for names with a compound family name that has no particle. Write such names as "Family, Given" in the source so they are read correctly.
Can it handle several thousand entries?
Yes, up to 400,000 characters at a time, which is a few thousand entries. For larger libraries, split the file into parts and convert each part.
What does the CSV table contain?
One row per entry with the type, key, authors, title, journal or book title, year, month, volume, issue, pages, publisher, place, DOI, URL, ISSN or ISBN, and keywords. Authors and keywords are separated by semicolons.