Free Tool
BibTeX Converter
Convert BibTeX entries to APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and 40+ citation styles. Works with exports from Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and Google Scholar.
What to do next
How it works
Step 1
Paste your BibTeX entry
Copy a BibTeX entry from your .bib file, Zotero, Mendeley, Google Scholar, or any reference manager. Paste it into the converter input.
Step 2
Select your target citation style
Choose from 40+ citation styles including APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE, and more. Or select RIS format for export.
Step 3
Copy the formatted citation
Get a properly formatted bibliography entry and in-text citation ready to paste into your paper, thesis, or assignment.
BibTeX Entry Types Reference
Common BibTeX entry types and their required fields. CiteMe supports all standard types.
| Type | For | Required Fields | Optional Fields |
|---|---|---|---|
| @article | Journal articles | author, title, journal, year | volume, number, pages, doi |
| @book | Books | author/editor, title, publisher, year | address, edition, isbn |
| @inproceedings | Conference papers | author, title, booktitle, year | pages, address, publisher |
| @phdthesis | PhD dissertations | author, title, school, year | address, type |
| @misc | Websites, software, datasets | author/title, year | url, howpublished, note |
| @incollection | Book chapters | author, title, booktitle, publisher, year | editor, pages, chapter |
BibTeX Format Example
BibTeX Input
@article{smith2024ml,
author = {Smith, John D. and
Johnson, Maria R.},
title = {Machine Learning in
Healthcare Diagnostics},
journal = {Nature Medicine},
year = {2024},
volume = {29},
number = {4},
pages = {123--145},
doi = {10.1038/s41591-024-0001}
}Converted Output
APA 7th
MLA 9th
Chicago
Starting from scratch instead of converting? APA Citation Generator · MLA Citation Generator · Chicago Citation Generator
Reference Manager Compatibility
CiteMe works with BibTeX exports from all major reference managers.
Zotero
Export BibTeX: Right-click > Export Items > BibTeX
Import BibTeX: File > Import > select .bib file
Mendeley
Export BibTeX: File > Export > BibTeX (.bib)
Import BibTeX: File > Import > select .bib file
EndNote
Export BibTeX: File > Export > BibTeX Export
Import BibTeX: File > Import > BibTeX format
Google Scholar
Export BibTeX: Click cite (") > BibTeX link
Import BibTeX: N/A (search only)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BibTeX?
BibTeX is a reference management format used with LaTeX. It stores citation metadata in plain-text .bib files with structured entries like @article, @book, and @inproceedings. Most academic tools (Zotero, Mendeley, Google Scholar) can export to BibTeX.
How do I convert BibTeX to APA or MLA?
Paste your BibTeX entry into CiteMe and select your target citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, etc.). The converter parses all BibTeX fields and formats them according to the chosen style guide, including in-text citations.
What is the difference between BibTeX and RIS?
BibTeX uses curly-brace syntax designed for LaTeX (@article{key, author={...}}), while RIS uses tagged lines (TY - JOUR, AU - Smith). BibTeX is standard in computer science and engineering; RIS is more common in medical and social sciences. CiteMe converts between both formats.
How do I export BibTeX from Zotero?
In Zotero, select your references, right-click, and choose "Export Items". Select "BibTeX" as the format and save. You can then paste the .bib content into CiteMe to convert it to any citation style.
How do I export BibTeX from Mendeley?
In Mendeley Reference Manager, select your references and use File > Export. Choose BibTeX (.bib) format. The exported file can be opened in any text editor and pasted into CiteMe for conversion.
How do I export BibTeX from Google Scholar?
Click the citation icon (") below any search result on Google Scholar, then click "BibTeX" at the bottom of the popup. Copy the entry and paste it into CiteMe to convert to your preferred citation style.
What are the required fields for a BibTeX @article entry?
A BibTeX @article requires: author, title, journal, and year. Optional fields include volume, number, pages, doi, and month. Missing required fields may produce incomplete citations.
Can I convert multiple BibTeX entries at once?
Yes. Paste your entire .bib file content with multiple entries into CiteMe. Each entry is parsed individually and converted to your selected citation style.
Other tools
Free Academic Citation Generator
Search by topic, DOI, ISBN, or URL — get formatted citations in APA, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver, Chicago, IEEE, and 40+ styles. 250M+ verified sources. Free, no signup.
DOI to Citation Generator — CrossRef Verified
Paste a DOI or doi.org link and generate a verified citation in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE, and 40+ styles. CrossRef-backed metadata, no signup required.
ISBN to Citation Generator — APA, MLA, Harvard
Paste an ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 → get a verified book citation in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and 40+ styles. Google Books + CrossRef metadata, no account needed. For BibTeX format specifically, see the ISBN to BibTeX tool.
URL to Citation Generator — DOI, Author, Date
Paste any article URL, website link, report URL, or doi.org link to extract title, author, publication name, date, and DOI when available. Format the citation in APA, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver, and 40+ styles. Free.
PMID to Citation Generator
Convert PubMed IDs to properly formatted medical citations. Supports Vancouver, AMA, APA, and other biomedical citation styles. Free tool.
arXiv to Citation Generator — Cite Preprints Free
Paste an arXiv ID or URL to generate a formatted citation for any preprint. Supports APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, BibTeX, and 40+ styles. Pulls metadata directly from arXiv. Free.
Citation from Title — Find & Cite Any Paper
Paste a paper title and get a verified, formatted citation from real academic databases. No DOI or URL needed — just the title. Searches OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, PubMed, CrossRef, and more. Free.
Free Title Page Maker — APA, MLA, Chicago, ABNT & More
Create a properly formatted title page for your paper in APA, MLA, Chicago, ABNT, Vancouver, or IEEE. Preview instantly and download as Word. Free.
Citation Formatter — Reformat Any Reference Instantly
Paste a citation in any format and convert it to APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or 40+ styles. Reformats existing references without searching. Free.
BibTeX to RIS Converter — Online
Convert BibTeX entries to RIS format for import into EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, RefWorks, and other reference managers. Paste your .bib content and get a .ris file instantly.
RIS to BibTeX Converter — Online
Convert RIS references to BibTeX format for LaTeX, Overleaf, and other academic tools. Paste your RIS entries and get clean .bib output. Compatible with Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote exports.
Free PDF Citation Generator — Extract Refs
Free PDF citation generator. Extract all references from a PDF and format them in APA, MLA, Chicago, or 40+ citation styles. Your PDF is used only to extract references — never stored.
PDF to BibTeX Converter — Overleaf, LaTeX & Zotero
Extract references from a PDF bibliography, verify them against academic databases, and export BibTeX for Overleaf, LaTeX, Zotero, Mendeley, and JabRef.
PDF to APA Converter — Extract References from PDF
Upload a PDF bibliography, extract the references, verify them against academic databases, and copy the result in APA 7th edition format.
PDF to MLA Converter — Extract References from PDF
Upload a PDF bibliography, extract the references, verify them against academic databases, and copy the result in MLA 9th edition format.
PDF to Vancouver Converter — Extract Medical References
Upload a PDF bibliography, extract the references, verify them against academic databases, and copy the result in Vancouver style.
PDF to Harvard Converter — Extract References from PDF
Upload a PDF bibliography, extract the references, verify them against academic databases, and copy the result in Harvard referencing format.
PDF to Reference List — APA, ABNT, Vancouver, MLA, Chicago
Upload a PDF, pick a citation style, and get a clean reference list. Verified metadata from academic databases. APA, ABNT, Vancouver, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE — 39+ curated styles. Free with a CiteMe account.
PDF to CSL-JSON — Extract References for Pandoc & Zotero
Extract references from a PDF bibliography and download as CSL-JSON. Drop directly into Pandoc, Zotero, Quarto, or any CSL-aware pipeline. Verified metadata, no plugin required.
BibTeX to PDF Converter — Free Online
Convert BibTeX entries to a formatted PDF bibliography. Paste .bib content from Overleaf, Zotero, or Mendeley and download a ready-to-share PDF. Free, no signup.
PubMed Import — Convert MEDLINE to Any Citation Style
Upload a .nbib file exported from PubMed and convert all references to APA, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver, or 40+ citation styles. Free, no account required.
Reference Checker — Verify Your Bibliography Free
Paste your bibliography and verify every reference against real academic databases. Detect hallucinated references, wrong DOIs, missing authors, and formatting errors before submission. Free, no signup.
Convert your BibTeX citations now
Paste any BibTeX entry and get a formatted citation in seconds. No signup required.
Try the BibTeX Converter