MEDLINE / NBIB to BibTeX Converter
Paste PubMed MEDLINE / NBIB exports and get Overleaf-ready BibTeX. Bulk-convert systematic-review screening output, citation manager exports, and .nbib files. Free, no signup.
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What to do next
How it works
Step 1
Export MEDLINE from PubMed
In PubMed, select your records > Send to > Citation manager > Format: MEDLINE. Save the .txt or .nbib file (or copy the content directly).
Step 2
Paste MEDLINE
Paste the MEDLINE-formatted text into CiteMe. Each record starts with PMID and ends before the next blank line.
Step 3
Copy to your .bib file
CiteMe parses MEDLINE tags (PMID, AU, TI, TA, DP, VI, IP, PG, AID, LID) and outputs Overleaf-ready BibTeX. Drop into your .bib file.
Why use CiteMe for MEDLINE to BibTeX?
Native MEDLINE Parser
Reads PubMed MEDLINE / NBIB tag-based records directly — no need to round-trip through Zotero or EndNote. Handles multi-line title and author fields correctly.
Bulk Conversion
Paste a full PubMed MEDLINE export (up to 200 records per file). Pro plan converts the entire batch into a single .bib file ready for Overleaf.
NLM-Abbreviated Journals
Uses the `TA` (Title Abbreviation) field for the BibTeX `journal =` value — the format most BibTeX styles in life sciences expect by default.
PMID + DOI Preserved
Both PMID and DOI (from `LID`/`AID` tags) are retained as BibTeX fields. Useful when your reference style requires PMIDs alongside the standard citation data.
MEDLINE to BibTeX — example
MEDLINE input
PMID- 12345678
TI - Machine Learning in
Healthcare Diagnostics
AU - Smith JD
AU - Johnson MR
TA - N Engl J Med
JT - The New England Journal of
Medicine
DP - 2024 Apr
VI - 390
IP - 12
PG - 1123-1135
AID - 10.1056/NEJMoa2400001 [doi]BibTeX output
@article{smith2024ml,
author = {Smith, J. D. and Johnson, M. R.},
title = {Machine Learning in Healthcare Diagnostics},
journal = {N Engl J Med},
year = {2024},
volume = {390},
number = {12},
pages = {1123--1135},
doi = {10.1056/NEJMoa2400001},
pmid = {12345678}
}Frequently Asked Questions
What is MEDLINE format?
MEDLINE is the tag-based reference format used by PubMed in its "Send to > Citation manager > MEDLINE" export. Each line starts with a 4-character tag (PMID, AU, TI, JT, DP, VI, IP, PG, AID) followed by hyphen and value. Common .nbib files use exactly this format.
How do I export MEDLINE format from PubMed?
In PubMed: select your records > "Send to" dropdown > "Citation manager" > Format: "MEDLINE" (or "PubMed format"). Save as .txt or .nbib. Then paste the content here for BibTeX conversion.
Why convert MEDLINE to BibTeX?
PubMed exports natively as MEDLINE / NBIB / RIS but never as BibTeX. If your workflow is LaTeX/Overleaf and your literature lives in PubMed, you need a bridge. CiteMe parses the MEDLINE tags directly and outputs clean BibTeX — no Zotero round-trip required.
Can I paste a full PubMed MEDLINE export at once?
Yes. PubMed allows up to 200 records per MEDLINE export. Paste the whole file. On the free plan you can convert up to 3 records per submission; Pro converts your full export in one batch — useful for systematic reviews and PRISMA-style screening.
What about journal abbreviations and DOI?
MEDLINE includes both `JT` (full journal title) and `TA` (NLM-abbreviated title). CiteMe uses the abbreviated `TA` field for the BibTeX `journal =` value, since it's the format most BibTeX styles in life sciences expect. The DOI from `LID` or `AID` tags is included as `doi =`.
Does it handle book and chapter records?
MEDLINE format is overwhelmingly used for journal articles (PT - Journal Article). The converter handles the standard PT types. For Books for NCBI Bookshelf records, use our standard PMID-to-BibTeX flow which handles broader source types.
How does this differ from RIS to BibTeX?
MEDLINE and RIS are both tag-based but use different tag schemes (PubMed-specific MEDLINE tags vs. generic ISO RIS tags). PubMed exports both — pick whichever your workflow already produces. The output BibTeX is identical.
Keep the medical reference workflow moving
After converting MEDLINE to BibTeX, the next step is usually formatting that BibTeX as Vancouver for your manuscript, looking up specific PMIDs, or formatting MEDLINE directly as APA.
Paste MEDLINE / NBIB. Get clean BibTeX. Drop into Overleaf.
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