A Short Guide to BibTeX

Understanding BibTeX: A Comprehensive Guide for LaTeX/Overleaf Users

What is BibTeX?

BibTeX is a powerful program for creating style-correct reference lists and citations directly in Overleaf or LaTeX documents, allowing you to seamlessly organize and format your bibliography. BibTeX works with a “bib” file in which all your references are stored, simplifying the citation process in LaTeX.

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• ウェブベースでモダンな参照管理
• 研究者同士での共同作業と共有
• Overleafとの統合
• BibTeX/BibLaTeXの包括的なサポート
• ブラウザから直接記事とウェブサイトを保存
• 数千万もの参照があるデータベースから新しい記事を検索

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Common BibTeX Entry Types

BibTeX offers several entry types to cover various sources, including:

• article: For journal articles.
• book: For books.
• inbook: For chapters within a book.
• inproceedings: For conference papers.
• misc: For miscellaneous sources that don’t fit other types.
• phdthesis: For PhD theses.
• mastersthesis: For Master’s theses.
• techreport: For technical reports.

Essential BibTeX Fields

Each BibTeX entry type includes fields to store specific information:

• author: The author(s) of the work.
• title: The title of the work.
• year: The year of publication.
• journal: The journal name (for articles).
• publisher: The book’s publisher.
• pages: Page numbers (for articles or book chapters).
• volume: The volume number (for journal articles).
• number: The issue number (for journal articles).
• address: The publisher’s address.
• edition: The book edition.
• institution: The institution publishing the report or thesis.

Choosing the Right BibTeX Style

BibTeX uses various styles to format your bibliography:

• plain: A simple numeric style.
• unsrt: Similar to plain but entries are in citation order.
• alpha: Uses alphabetic labels (e.g., Jon90 for an article by Jones from 1990).
• abbrv: Abbreviates first names, months, and journal names.

Extending BibTeX with Natbib

Natbib is a package that extends BibTeX, offering more citation options. Key commands include:

• \citet{key}: Textual citation, e.g., “Smith (2020) shows…”
• \citep{key}: Parenthetical citation, e.g., “(Smith, 2020)“.

Advancing with BibLaTeX

BibLaTeX is a modern alternative to BibTeX, providing more features and better citation style support. Key commands include:

• \autocite{key}: Automatically selects the citation style based on context.
• \footcite{key}: Puts the citation in a footnote.

To use BibLaTeX, include it in your document preamble:

\usepackage[backend=biber]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{yourbibfile.bib}

Collaborate with CiteDrive

CiteDrive is a BibTeX generator and an online tool for shared reference management and use of BibTeX-based references. The application integrates seamlessly with Overleaf and other LaTeX editors and allows multiple users to work on the same reference file simultaneously. Key features include real-time updates, collision control, automatic formatting, key generation, tags, list and project organization, online search, converter and easy bibliography sharing.

Example BibTeX Entry

Here is a simple example of a BibTeX entry for ‘An Example Article,’ a paper by John Doe:

@article{key,
  author = {John Doe},
  title = {An Example Article},
  journal = {Journal of Examples},
  year = {2023},
  volume = {42},
  pages = {123-456},
}

Summary

BibTeX is essential for managing references in LaTeX documents, supporting various entry types and fields. Extensions like Natbib and BibLaTeX enhance BibTeX’s functionality, while CiteDrive facilitates collaborative bibliography management.