JabRef
v6
v6
  • JabRef Bibliography Management
  • Installation
  • Getting started
  • Collect
    • Add entry manually
    • Add entry using an ID
    • Add entry using reference text
    • Searching externally using Online Services
    • Add entry using PDFs
    • Add PDFs to an entry
    • Browser Extension
    • Import
      • Custom import filters
      • Import inspection window
  • Organize
    • Edit an entry
    • Groups
    • Keywords
    • Mark and grade
    • Comment on an entry
    • Searching within the library
    • Complete information using online databases
    • Manage associated files
    • Manage field names and their content
    • Best practices
    • Check consistency
    • Cleanup entries
    • Check integrity
    • Find duplicates
    • Merge entries
    • Save actions
  • Cite
    • BibTeX and biblatex
    • Pushing to external editor application
    • Export to Microsoft Word
    • OpenOffice/LibreOffice integration
  • Share
    • Sharing a Bib(la)TeX Library
    • Shared SQL Database
      • Migration of pre-3.6 SQL databases into a shared SQL database
    • Export
      • Custom export filters
    • Send as email
  • AI functionality
    • AI providers and API keys
    • AI preferences
    • AI troubleshooting
    • Running a local LLM model
  • Configuration
    • Customize the citation key generator
    • Customize entry types
    • Customize general fields
    • Customize key bindings
    • Library properties
    • Entry preview setup
    • Manage external file types
    • Manage protected terms
    • The string editor
  • Advanced information
    • Main Window
    • Entry Editor
      • Links to other entries
      • The Bibtex / Biblatex source tab
      • The 'owner' field
      • Time stamp field
      • LaTeX Citations Tab
    • About BibTeX and its fields
    • Strings
    • Field content selector
    • URL and DOI links in JabRef
    • Command line use and options
    • Automatic Backup (.sav and .bak) and Autosave
    • XMP metadata support in JabRef
    • Remote operation
    • Custom themes
    • Journal abbreviations
    • New subdatabase based on AUX file
    • How to expand first names of an entry
    • Debugging your library file
    • Resources
    • License
    • Knowledge
      • MS Office Bibliography XML format
      • Comparison of the Medline (txt), Medline (xml), and RIS format
      • EndNote Export Filter
  • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Linux
    • Mac OS X
    • Windows
  • JabKit
  • Discussion Forum
  • Contribute to JabRef
    • How to Improve the Help Page
    • How to translate the JabRef User Interface
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On this page
  • Adding using drag and drop
  • Better filenames
  • Adding files currently not linked in the library
  • Preparation: Adjust the JabRef key generation pattern to fit your needs
  • Using the Wizard "Search for unlinked local files"
  • Further information
  • PDFs for which it works
  • Related questions on stack overflow

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  1. Collect

Add entry using PDFs

JabRef can create entries from PDF files.

PreviousSearching externally using Online ServicesNextAdd PDFs to an entry

Last updated 24 days ago

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Adding using drag and drop

The simplest way to create a new entry based on a single PDF file is to drag & drop the file onto the table of entries (between two existing entries). JabRef will then analyze the PDF and create a new entry.

If you drop a PDF onto an entry in the main table or the entry preview in the entry editor, the PDF is simply attached to the entry. To add a new entry based on the PDF meta data, drop it between two entries in the main table or onto the empty area in the maintable (available for small libraries). The meta data of the PDF is then parsed and a new entry is added to the library. The PDF file is moved and renamed to the library as default. If you want to copy or just link it, hold the respective modifier keys. On Windows, Ctrl is for copying and Alt is for linking.

Better filenames

JabRef changes the filenames automatically. You can adapt the pattern at Preferences -> Import

Select "Choose pattern" and choose "bibtexkey - title" . This results in the setting \bibtexkey\begin{title} - \format[RemoveBrackets]{\title}\end{title}.

This makes the filenames start with the citation key followed by the full title. In the concrete case, \bibtexkey only may be the better option as the described bibtey key already contains the title.

More details are given at .

Adding files currently not linked in the library

In case you have numerous PDF files and want to convert them into new entries, JabRef can search automatically for the PDF files, let you select the relevant ones, and convert them into new entries.

This feature is available through Lookup -> Search for unlinked local files.

Preparation: Adjust the JabRef key generation pattern to fit your needs

JabRef offers a BibTeX key generation and offers different patterns described at .

Using the Wizard "Search for unlinked local files"

  1. Create or open a library (AKA a .bib file).

  2. Go to Lookup -> Search for unlinked local files. (or press SHIFT + F7)

  3. The "Search for unlinked local files" dialog opens.

  4. Choose a start directory using the "Browse" button.

  5. Click on "Search" / "Scan directory".

  6. In "Select files", the files not yet contained in the library are shown.

  7. Select the entries you are interested in. Note: the button Export selected files allows you to export the list of the selected files (a text file containing on each line one filename with its path)

  8. Click on Import.

    The windows close and the entry table now contains the newly-imported entries.

  9. You can now save the file and are finished.

The imported entries may need some editing because all the information gathered from the PDF files may not be accurate (see below "PDFs for which it works").

Further information

PDFs for which it works

Background:

  • Online parsing is enabled using the online service Grobid.

Related questions on stack overflow

This information is partially outdated. Please help to improve it ().

The entry editor with the last imported entry is shown

Optional: Click on "General" to see the linked file

Optional: Click on "BibTeX source" to see the BibTeX source

Optional: You have to shrink it to see the entry in the entry table, enlarge the JabRef window and use the mouse at the upper border of the entry editor

Optional: Press Esc to show the entry preview

The importer works well if there is BibTeX on the first page of the PDF, based on the content has been written for IEEE and formatted papers. Other formats are not (yet) supported. In case a DOI is found on the first page, the DOI is used to generate the BibTeX information.

Embedding BibTeX inside PDFs is done by the

Having BibTeX on the first page is done by the

Embedding BibTeX data

how to edit a help page
LNCS
LaTeX authorarchive package
LaTeX CoverPage package
using XMP is available in JabRef
Extract titles from each page of a PDF?
Zotero: Extract references from PDF and create new library items from them
Is there an open source tool for producing bibtex entries from paper PDFs?
Extracting information from PDFs of research papers
Managing Linked Files
BibtexKeyPatterns
FindUnlinkedFiles - Menu
FindUnlinkedFiles - Menu