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RIS to APA Converter — Free Online

Convert RIS references to APA 7th edition format. Paste RIS entries from EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero and get formatted APA citations instantly. Free, no signup.

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What to do next

RIS to BibTeXCitation GeneratorCitation Formatter

How it works

1

Step 1

Paste your RIS entries

Copy RIS content exported from EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, or any reference manager. Paste the tagged records (TY, AU, TI, JO, etc.) into CiteMe.

2

Step 2

Convert to APA format

CiteMe maps RIS tags to citation fields and formats each reference according to APA 7th edition rules — author names, year, italicized titles, DOI as URL.

3

Step 3

Copy APA citations

Get properly formatted APA 7th edition citations. Copy individual references or the entire list for your paper's reference section.

By CiteMe Editorial Team·

Supported citation styles

APAMLAChicagoHarvardIEEEVancouverABNTAMAASABluebookCSEOSCOLATurabianACSMHRAAPA 6thNaturePLOSScienceCellLancetAIPRSCAPSAAAAAGLCMcGillNP 405ISO 690ISO 690 (DE)ISO 690 (FR)ISO 690 (ES)Chicago NotesABNT Numérico

Need it in a specific citation style?

Format the result in the style your paper requires — APA, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver, Chicago, or IEEE.

APA Citation Generator

Author-date format for psychology, social sciences, and education.

MLA Citation Generator

Works Cited format for humanities and literature.

Harvard Referencing Generator

Author-date common in UK and Australian universities.

Vancouver Citation Generator

Numbered references for medicine and biomedical research.

Chicago Citation Generator

Notes-bibliography or author-date for history and the arts.

IEEE Citation Generator

Bracketed numbers for engineering and computer science.

More ways to look up sources

RIS to BibTeXPDF to RISBibTeX to APACitation Formatter

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Frequently asked questions

How do I convert a RIS file to APA format?
Paste the RIS content into CiteMe or upload the .ris file directly. The tool reads the tagged records (TY, AU, TI, JO, VL, IS, SP, EP, DO, PY) and formats each reference according to APA 7th edition rules — including hanging indent, author format (Last, F. M.), italicized journal/book titles, and DOI as a clickable https://doi.org/ link.
What is a RIS file?
RIS (Research Information Systems) is a tagged plain-text format for citation data. Each line starts with a two-letter tag (AU for author, TI for title, JO for journal, PY for year, DO for DOI) followed by the value. Reference managers like EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, and RefWorks all export to RIS for interchange between tools.
Does this work with EndNote exports?
Yes. EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, RefWorks, and most reference managers export to RIS. In EndNote: File > Export > choose "Reference Manager (RIS)" as the format. Copy the file content or upload the .ris file and CiteMe converts it to APA 7th edition.
Does this work with Zotero and Mendeley exports?
Yes. In Zotero: right-click references > Export Items > RIS. In Mendeley: File > Export > RIS. Paste or upload the exported .ris file and CiteMe converts every entry to APA 7th edition — no need to switch reference managers for a single assignment.
What RIS entry types (TY tags) are supported?
All common RIS types: JOUR (journal article), BOOK, CHAP (book chapter), CONF / CPAPER (conference paper), THES (thesis), RPRT (report), ELEC (electronic resource), NEWS (newspaper article), MGZN (magazine), PAT (patent), and more. Each type is formatted according to the APA rule for that source kind.
Can I convert multiple RIS entries at once?
Yes. Paste a .ris file with dozens or hundreds of records — each is parsed individually and rendered as an APA 7th edition reference. You can copy individual references or the whole list at once for your paper's reference section.
What APA edition does this follow?
APA 7th edition, the current standard (published 2019). Key rules applied: surname + initials for up to 20 authors, "&" before the final author, italics on journal/book titles, DOI as full https://doi.org/ URL (not "doi:" prefix), and hanging indent for the reference list.
Is there a cost?
Free to paste RIS and preview APA formatting — no account needed. Bulk export (copy entire list, export to Word/PDF) and saving to a personal library is Pro, starting at $2.99/week.

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