Add your RIS file
Drop one or more .ris files onto the converter above, or browse for them. They load into browser memory only — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size-based pricing and no server queue.
RIS to BIB
Converting a .ris font to .bib repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. Free, private, and validated — the file never leaves your browser.
Private for supported formats — processed in your browser
Runs on your deviceConvert supported files
Drop RIS files here
Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.
Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.About converting Research Information Systems citation to BibTeX bibliography
Converting a .ris font to .bib repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. A .ris file is a citation list in a strict tagged format: every line begins with a two-character tag, then exactly two spaces, a hyphen and a space, then the value. A record starts with TY and ends with ER, and that rigidity is why it interoperates so reliably.
A .bib file is a BibTeX database: a list of records, each opening with an @type and a citation key and then a set of field = {value} pairs. It separates what a reference *is* from how a journal wants it printed, which is the whole idea. For this route the practical draw is separates data from presentation, so citation style is a late decision and plain text, diffable, and readable without any tool — balanced against no formal specification, so parsers disagree at the edges, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert RIS to BIB?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .ris, tag vocabulary varies by vendor, so some fields are lost in transit. Switching to .bib buys you separates data from presentation, so citation style is a late decision, which is why it is the better fit for managing references for LaTeX papers and theses. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
RIS vs BIB at a glance
| Aspect | Research Information Systems citation (.ris) | BibTeX bibliography (.bib) |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss |
| How it stores data | the tag column is fixed width: two characters, two spaces, a hyphen, a space. A single space instead of two is the most common export bug, and strict readers reject it | each record is @type{key, field = {value}, ...}, where the type (article, book, inproceedings, misc) determines which fields are required |
| Strongest at | importing search results from PubMed, Scopus or Web of Science into a reference manager | managing references for LaTeX papers and theses |
| Weak spot | tag vocabulary varies by vendor, so some fields are lost in transit | no formal specification, so parsers disagree at the edges |
| Metadata | core bibliographic tags are preserved; vendor-specific tags outside the shared model are dropped and the page says so | all standard bibliographic fields are carried into the JSON output; CSV flattens them to one row per record |
Pick BIB as the output
Select .bib in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if BIB is selectable, the route is real and validated.
Convert on your device
Press Convert. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip.
Verify and download
Each result is signature-checked before the download unlocks, so a failed encode can never masquerade as a valid BIB file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .bib extension.
RIS to BIB questions, answered
Will converting RIS to BIB lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — ris is text-oriented and bib is text-oriented, so the question is structural fidelity. Text, ordering, and basic structure are preserved; complex layout, embedded objects, and styling beyond the target's model are simplified.
Is it private to convert RIS files here?
Yes — the .ris file is processed inside your browser tab and never uploaded. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory.
Where will the BIB file work?
LaTeX, BibLaTeX, Zotero, Mendeley, JabRef, EndNote, Overleaf and Google Scholar all read or write BibTeX. Novus Convert normalises records through a bounded citation model locally — without executing string macros or loading external files — and converts to RIS, JSON and CSV.
Will the BIB file be bigger or smaller than my RIS?
It depends on the content: each record is @type{key, field = {value}, ...}, where the type (article, book, inproceedings, misc) determines which fields are required. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.
What happens to the metadata in my RIS file?
In .ris, core bibliographic tags are preserved; vendor-specific tags outside the shared model are dropped and the page says so. Re-encoding through the browser pipeline does not carry embedded metadata into the output, which doubles as a privacy scrub — check the exported file if you specifically need tags preserved.
Can I convert BIB back to RIS?
Yes — the reverse route exists as a separate tool. Bear in mind that round-tripping .ris → .bib → .ris is not a perfect undo when any lossy step is involved; keep your original if fidelity matters.