BibTeX
A plain-text reference format and tool used with LaTeX to store bibliographic records and generate formatted bibliographies.
BibTeX is a reference management format and companion tool for the LaTeX typesetting system. Sources are stored as plain-text records in a .bib file, each with an entry type such as article or book, a unique citation key, and fields for authors, title, year, and other details. During compilation, LaTeX pulls in the entries you cite and formats them according to a bibliography style, so citations and the reference list stay synchronized automatically.
If you write your thesis in LaTeX, which is common in mathematics, physics, computer science, and engineering, BibTeX or its modern successors will handle your references. Most databases and citation managers export .bib files directly, so you rarely type entries by hand. Keep citation keys systematic and check exported records for errors, because malformed fields produce wrong output silently.
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