Repolode
Submit
JabRef

JabRef/jabref

Open-source desktop app for managing BibTeX and BibLaTeX bibliography libraries, collecting references and formatting citations.

Open-source alternative to:EndNoteMendeleyZotero

View on GitHubWebsite
Stars
4,816
Forks
3,655
Open issues
515
Last commit
20 hours ago

What is it?

JabRef is a cross-platform citation and reference management tool built around BibTeX and BibLaTeX (.bib) files. It lets researchers collect sources from online catalogues such as CrossRef, Google Scholar, arXiv and PubMed, then organize them into hierarchical groups, keyword tags and saved searches.

The app covers the citation workflow from start to finish. It can fetch bibliographic data by DOI, ISBN, PubMed ID or arXiv ID, extract metadata from PDFs, and attach and automatically rename related documents. Citations can be inserted into LaTeX editors such as Emacs, Kile, LyX and TeXstudio, as well as Word and LibreOffice, using a large set of built-in citation styles.

Libraries are stored as plain text files, which makes them easy to share and track with version control. A JabKit command-line tool is also available for running JabRef functions outside the desktop interface.

Key features

  • 01Search and import references from CrossRef, Google Scholar, arXiv, PubMed and other catalogues
  • 02Fetch bibliographic data by DOI, ISBN, PubMed ID or arXiv ID
  • 03Native BibTeX and BibLaTeX support with a customizable citation key generator
  • 04Cite-as-you-write integration with LaTeX editors, Word and LibreOffice
  • 05Built-in citation styles plus the option to create your own
  • 06Libraries stored as plain text files, friendly to version control

Use cases

  • Managing references for a thesis or academic paper written in LaTeX
  • Inserting formatted citations into Word or LibreOffice documents
  • Collecting and deduplicating literature found across several online databases
  • Running reference management tasks in scripts or CI via the JabKit CLI

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download a stable release or development build from the project's download pages

  2. 2

    Run the JabKit command-line app with Docker

    docker run ghcr.io/jabref/jabkit:edge --help
  3. 3

    Build from source following the official guide

Things to know

  • Building from source requires following a separate guide, not a single command in the README.

Topics

#bibtex#biblatex#citation#reference-manager#latex#bibliography#academic-publications#javafx#academia#ai

FAQ

What is jabref?
Open-source desktop app for managing BibTeX and BibLaTeX bibliography libraries, collecting references and formatting citations. JabRef is a cross-platform citation and reference management tool built around BibTeX and BibLaTeX (.bib) files. It lets researchers collect sources from online catalogues such as CrossRef, Google Scholar, arXiv and PubMed, then organize them into hierarchical groups, keyword tags and saved searches.
Is jabref free to use? What license does it have?
jabref is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is jabref still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to jabref was on Oct 18, 2026.
What can I use jabref for?
Managing references for a thesis or academic paper written in LaTeX Inserting formatted citations into Word or LibreOffice documents Collecting and deduplicating literature found across several online databases Running reference management tasks in scripts or CI via the JabKit CLI
How do I install jabref?
Download a stable release or development build from the project's download pages Run the JabKit command-line app with Docker: docker run ghcr.io/jabref/jabkit:edge --help Build from source following the official guide
Where can I get jabref?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/JabRef/jabref

Summary generated by AI from the project's README. GitHub stats refresh daily.

Related projects