RIS to BibTeX Converter
Paste RIS entries from EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero and get clean BibTeX output for LaTeX and Overleaf. Auto-generated citation keys, standard @article / @book / @inproceedings types.
Free to use — no account required
What to do next
How it works
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, VL, IS, SP, EP, DO, PY) into CiteMe.
Step 2
Convert to BibTeX
CiteMe maps every RIS tag to the corresponding BibTeX field and generates clean @article, @book, or @inproceedings entries with a stable citation key per record.
Step 3
Copy or download .bib
Get BibTeX output ready for LaTeX, Overleaf, or import into Zotero and Mendeley. Each entry includes a generated citation key you can use directly in \cite{}.
Why use CiteMe for RIS to BibTeX?
All Entry Types Mapped
@article, @book, @inproceedings, @incollection, @phdthesis, @mastersthesis, @techreport, @misc — each RIS TY is translated to the right BibTeX type.
Auto-generated Citation Keys
CiteMe builds keys from author last name + year (smith2024, einstein1905). Disambiguates collisions with letter suffixes.
Drop-in LaTeX Ready
Paste the output directly into your Overleaf .bib file — no manual cleanup, field ordering, or escape-character hunting.
No Lock-in
Output is plain BibTeX, the universal format. Works with Overleaf, JabRef, VS Code LaTeX Workshop, TeXstudio, or any .bib consumer.
RIS to BibTeX — example
RIS input
TY - JOUR
AU - Smith, John D.
AU - Johnson, Maria R.
TI - Machine Learning in
Healthcare Diagnostics
JO - Nature Medicine
VL - 29
IS - 4
SP - 123
EP - 145
PY - 2024
DO - 10.1038/s41591-024-0001
ER -BibTeX output
@article{smith2024machine,
author = {Smith, John D. and
Johnson, Maria R.},
title = {Machine Learning in
Healthcare Diagnostics},
journal = {Nature Medicine},
volume = {29},
number = {4},
pages = {123--145},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1038/s41591-024-0001}
}Works with RIS from anywhere
EndNote
File > Export > choose Reference Manager (RIS) filter. Opens as a plain text .ris file.
Mendeley
File > Export > select RIS (.ris). Copy the file content.
Zotero
File > Export Library > RIS format. Or right-click references > Export Items > RIS.
RefWorks
Export > Select references > RIS format. Downloads a .ris file.
PubMed
On an article page, click "Cite" > "Download .nbib" or use the RIS export filter via MeSH.
Web of Science / Scopus
Export Records > RIS (EndNote) format. Both support RIS directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why convert RIS to BibTeX?
BibTeX is the standard citation format for LaTeX and Overleaf. If your references are in RIS format (common when exporting from EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero), converting to BibTeX lets you use them directly in LaTeX documents with \cite{} commands in your Overleaf or local build.
How are RIS types mapped to BibTeX entry types?
JOUR → @article, BOOK → @book, CPAPER / CONF → @inproceedings, CHAP → @incollection, THES → @phdthesis, MTHES → @mastersthesis, RPRT → @techreport, and GEN / ELEC → @misc. CiteMe handles the mapping automatically so your LaTeX citations render with the correct type-specific formatting.
What about BibTeX citation keys?
CiteMe generates citation keys automatically from the first author's last name and the year (e.g., smith2024). If multiple entries would collide on the same key, a letter suffix is added (smith2024a, smith2024b). You can edit keys manually before copying if you have a project convention.
Can I convert multiple RIS records at once?
Yes. On the free plan you can convert up to 3 records per submission. Pro users can paste a complete .ris export with dozens or hundreds of records (each separated by ER - end-of-record tags) and get all BibTeX entries in one output.
Which reference managers export RIS?
All major ones: EndNote (File > Export > RIS), Mendeley (File > Export > RIS), Zotero (File > Export Library > RIS), RefWorks, Citavi, Papers, and most library databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus).
Does this work with .ris file uploads?
You can paste the RIS content directly from any reference manager export. For file uploads, the Convert tool in the app accepts .ris files and converts them the same way.
Is there a cost?
Free to paste RIS and preview the BibTeX output. Bulk export and saving entries to your CiteMe library is Pro, starting at $2.99/week.
Keep the LaTeX bibliography workflow moving
Next steps in a typical Overleaf/LaTeX flow: convert the other direction if a collaborator needs RIS, extract BibTeX from a PDF you were sent, or reformat everything to APA for a journal submission.
Paste RIS. Get clean BibTeX for Overleaf and LaTeX.
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