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How to Cite with BibTeX

Updated August 2026

BibTeX is how LaTeX stores references — plain-text entries in a .bib file. Here's what an entry looks like and how to write one correctly.

Each source becomes an entry with a type, a citation key, and fields like author, title, and year.

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The anatomy of a BibTeX entry

@article{rasch2013sleep, author = {Rasch, Bj\"orn and Born, Jan}, title = {About Sleep's Role in Memory}, journal = {Physiological Reviews}, year = {2013}, volume = {93}, number = {2}, pages = {681--766}, doi = {10.1152/physrev.00032.2012} }

  • Entry type — @article, @book, @inproceedings, @misc, etc., set by the source.
  • Citation key — the label you cite with (e.g., rasch2013sleep); make it unique and memorable.
  • Fields — author, title, year, plus type-specific ones (journal, volume, pages, doi).
  • Braces & names — wrap values in {}; separate authors with and ; use -- for page ranges.

What it renders as

The @article entry above compiles into a formatted reference like these, depending on your bibliography style. The hard part is getting the fields right by hand — build the reference in the generator from a DOI or URL, then map the fields into a BibTeX entry.

IEEE (rendered)

B. Rasch and J. Born, "About sleep's role in memory," Physiological Reviews, vol. 93, no. 2, pp. 681-766, 2013. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00032.2012.

In-text[1]

APA (rendered)

Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2013). About sleep's role in memory. Physiological Reviews, 93(2), 681-766. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00032.2012

In-text(Rasch & Born, 2013)

Common entry types

  • @article — journal articles (needs journal, volume, pages).
  • @book — books (publisher, year).
  • @inproceedings — conference papers (booktitle).
  • @misc — websites, software, datasets, and anything that doesn't fit (use howpublished / url).

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Frequently asked questions

What does a BibTeX entry look like?
@type{key, field = {value}, ...} — for example @article with author, title, journal, year, volume, pages, and doi fields, wrapped in braces.
What is a BibTeX citation key?
The unique label (like rasch2013sleep) you use in \cite{...}. Make it memorable and unique across your .bib file.
How do I make a BibTeX entry quickly?
Build the reference in a generator (from a DOI or URL) and map its fields into the matching BibTeX entry type. Many sources also offer a 'Cite → BibTeX' export.

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