Free tool
Reference list to BibTeX or RIS
Paste a formatted reference list from any document and download a real .bib or .ris file for Zotero, Overleaf, EndNote or Mendeley. Every entry is resolved against live scholarly catalogs, so your file contains real records, and anything that cannot be matched is flagged instead of faked.
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Migrating a whole bibliography?
In CiteDash, an imported reference list becomes a living library: full texts fetched where open access allows, every citation verified against a real paper, and retraction checks that keep running as you write.
Reference conversion FAQ
How does it turn prose references into BibTeX?
Each pasted entry is matched against live scholarly catalogs. When a real record is found, its clean metadata (authors, title, venue, year, volume, pages, DOI) becomes the BibTeX or RIS entry. Entries that do not match any record are listed as unmatched instead of being guessed into a fake entry.
Which input styles are supported?
Any formatted reference list: APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver, IEEE, or a mix. One entry per line, or entries separated by blank lines. Numbering and bullets are stripped automatically.
Does it keep entry types like books and theses?
Yes. A book exports as @book, a chapter as @incollection with a booktitle, a thesis as @phdthesis with a school, a conference paper as @inproceedings. RIS records use the matching TY types.
Why did some entries not match?
Usually a typo in the title, a very new or very obscure work, or a reference that does not exist. AI-fabricated citations show up in the unmatched list constantly, so check unmatched entries carefully before trusting them.
Is my reference list stored?
No. Entries are resolved and the result returned; the pasted text is not logged or kept.