Which import formats does CitationEasy support?

Three structured formats: BibTeX (.bib), RIS (.ris), and CSL-JSON (.json). Paste the text or upload the file. Multi-entry files import every record, up to 200 per import and 500,000 characters. You can also paste a plain list of DOIs, ISBNs, PMIDs, arXiv IDs, or URLs (one per line, 25 per paste) into the generator for lookup. EndNote XML, PubMed .nbib, Zotero RDF, Scholar CSV, and .enl libraries are not accepted.

How do I export my Zotero library so CitationEasy can read it?

Select the items (or a collection or the library), right-click, and choose Export Items, Export Collection, or Export Library. Save as BibTeX, RIS, or CSL JSON. Upload that file under Import. Zotero RDF is for another Zotero library, not this importer. An export is not a Zotero backup.

Why did nothing import from my Word bibliography?

A hanging-indent reference list is formatted text. The importer looks for @type{ keys, TY - tags, or a CSL-JSON object. Re-export from Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, or Scholar as BibTeX or RIS, or paste the DOIs instead.

Will my citation style carry over when I import?

No style carries over, and that is the point. BibTeX, RIS, and CSL-JSON store authors, title, year, and identifiers — not an APA sentence. After import, pick any style in the generator and switch it later without re-exporting.

Is there a limit on how many references I can import?

Yes. File and paste imports accept 200 records and 500,000 characters; extra rows are counted as over-limit. Identifier pastes are capped at 25 lines so Crossref and PubMed are not flooded. Split a larger library, or keep it in Zotero / EndNote and export a subset.

Can I export from the Mendeley website?

Not in Mendeley Reference Manager web. Elsevier's export guide says to use File → Export All in the desktop app and choose BibTeX or RIS. EndNote XML and Microsoft Word XML are for EndNote or Word, not for this importer.

Should I use Google Scholar BibTeX or a DOI?

Use Scholar to find the paper. Prefer the publisher DOI — Crossref or the DOI-to-BibTeX tool — when Scholar omits volume, issue, pages, or the DOI. The Cite popup is fine for a complete record; it is a weak source of truth for a thesis library. Crossref's Knuth 1984 deposit, for example, stores Knuth, D. E., not the full given names in Overleaf's book example.

What is the difference between RIS and BibTeX?

BibTeX is the LaTeX database (@article{…}, fields in braces). RIS is Clarivate's tagged format (TY - JOUR … ER - ). Both are structured. RIS is what EndNote and most library Export buttons emit; BibTeX is what Overleaf and Scholar emit. CSL-JSON is the third option when you already work in Pandoc or Zotero. BibLaTeX still uses a .bib file; import it as BibTeX.

How do I get a RIS file out of EndNote 2025?

Select the references, set the output style to RefMan (RIS) Export (use Select another style if it is hidden), then File → Export. Rename the .txt to .ris if needed. BibTeX is the other EndNote 2025 transfer style this importer reads. CitationEasy cannot open an .enl library or a PubMed .nbib file.

Can I fetch a whole library from Crossref with one DOI?

No. Crossref's content-negotiation page (updated 17 March 2025) says only one record at a time is returned. Paste up to 25 DOIs in the generator, or export a .bib / .ris file from the manager that already holds the set.

How to Import BibTeX, RIS & CSL-JSON Citations [2026]

Quick Answer: How to Import Citations from BibTeX or RIS

Export from the tool that already holds the sources. Choose a structured format, not a formatted bibliography. Open the generator, click Import, and paste the text or upload the .bib, .ris, or .json file. CitationEasy parses up to 200 records (500,000 characters) offline, lets you review them, skips likely duplicates, and then formats the same data in any citation style.

Pick the format, then import the file

Zotero

Select items → right-click → Export Items… → BibTeX, RIS, or CSL JSON.

Mendeley Reference Manager

File → Export All → BibTeX or RIS. The web app cannot export.

EndNote 2025

Set the output style to RefMan (RIS) Export or BibTeX, then File → Export. Save as .ris or .bib (rename .txt if needed).

Google Scholar

Click Cite under a result and choose BibTeX, or export a saved library / profile as BibTeX or RefMan.

Overleaf / a .bib file you already have

Download or copy references.bib and import it as BibTeX. A BibLaTeX .bib is the same inbound file.

No export file — only identifiers

Paste DOIs, ISBNs, PMIDs, arXiv IDs, or URLs in the generator, one per line (25 lines per paste).

Real records to paste (not templates)

Crossref BibTeX for Grady et al., 2019 (DOI 10.1037/ppm0000185)

@article{Grady_2019, title = {Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States.}, volume = {8}, ISSN = {2160-4134}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185}, DOI = {10.1037/ppm0000185}, number = {3}, journal = {Psychology of Popular Media Culture}, publisher = {American Psychological Association (APA)}, author = {Grady, Jessica Stoltzfus and Her, Malina and Moreno, Geena and Perez, Catherine and Yelinek, Jillian}, year = {2019}, month = July, pages = {207–217} }

Crossref RIS for the same article

TY - JOUR DO - 10.1037/ppm0000185 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185 TI - Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States. T2 - Psychology of Popular Media Culture AU - Grady, Jessica Stoltzfus AU - Her, Malina AU - Moreno, Geena AU - Perez, Catherine AU - Yelinek, Jillian PY - 2019 DA - 2019/07 PB - American Psychological Association (APA) SP - 207-217 IS - 3 VL - 8 SN - 2160-4142 SN - 2160-4134 ER -

If you only need to convert a file and download it again, use the converter hub or the DOI to BibTeX tool. This guide is for getting a whole library into a live bibliography you can restyle.

This Page vs Exporting or Organizing Research

Export to Word or Google Docs starts after the strings are already formatted and teaches hanging indents, RTF, and RIS/BibTeX out. How to organize research is the folder-and-Zotero workflow. How to use DOIs is the https://doi.org/10.… punctuation rule. This URL stays on the inbound file: how to recognize BibTeX, RIS, and CSL-JSON, how to export them from the major managers, and what breaks when you paste a formatted reference list instead.

The Three Interchange Formats

Every serious reference tool speaks at least one of these. They store fields, not a finished sentence, so the same record can become APA, MLA, Chicago, or IEEE after import. See also the glossary entries for BibTeX, RIS, and CSL-JSON.

Which file to ask for. Prefer the format the destination already speaks.
Format	Looks like	Best when	Watch for
BibTeX (.bib)	Starts with `@article{` or `@book{`	Overleaf, LaTeX, Google Scholar, most managers	LaTeX braces, accent commands, missing DOI
RIS (.ris)	Starts with `TY -` and ends with `ER -`	EndNote, library databases, Zotero, Mendeley	Wrong output style; `.txt` that is not RIS
CSL-JSON (.json)	Starts with `{` or `[`	Pandoc, Quarto, Zotero CSL JSON export	Pretty-printed CSL vs a random JSON dump

BibTeX

CTAN's BibTeX package page is the current distribution note: BibTeX 0.99e stores citation data in generic form and prints it later through a style file. It knows nothing about Unicode sorting, though it will pass on whatever bytes it reads. Oren Patashnik's BibTeXing (8 February 1988; btxdoc) is still the format rule students hit.

Patashnik, BibTeXing (8 February 1988)

Remember that, when used in the bib file, the entry type name is preceded by an @ character.

If you want to comment out an entry, simply remove the ‘@’ character preceding the entry type.

you separate multiple names in a single field with the word “and”, surrounded by spaces, and not enclosed in braces.

LATEX’s comment character ‘%’ is not a comment character in the database files.

Misspelling a field name will result in its being ignored, so watch out for typos (especially for optional fields, since BibTEX won’t warn you when those are missing).

CTAN, BibTeX package page (version 0.99e)

BibTeX knows nothing about Unicode sorting algorithms or scripts, although it will pass on whatever bytes it reads.

A record is @type{citation-key, field = {value}, …}. Required fields depend on the type (@article wants author, title, journal, year; @book wants author or editor, title, publisher, year). Braces protect capitals ({DNA}). Names go Last, First or First Last, joined by and . The BibTeX key generator is only for minting a cite key; it does not import a library.

Overleaf, “Bibliography management with bibtex” — real Knuth book

@book{texbook, author = {Donald E. Knuth}, year = {1986}, title = {The {\TeX} Book}, publisher = {Addison-Wesley Professional} }

Crossref BibTeX for Knuth, 1984 (DOI 10.1093/comjnl/27.2.97; fetched 13 September 2026)

@article{Knuth_1984, title = {Literate Programming}, volume = {27}, ISSN = {1460-2067}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/comjnl/27.2.97}, DOI = {10.1093/comjnl/27.2.97}, number = {2}, journal = {The Computer Journal}, publisher = {Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author = {Knuth, D. E.}, year = {1984}, month = Feb, pages = {97–111} }

Those field values are Crossref's content-negotiation response for 10.1037/ppm0000185 (the article APA uses in its reference-list examples) and 10.1093/comjnl/27.2.97 (Knuth's Literate Programming). The url lines still use Crossref's http://dx.doi.org/ form; after import, write the DOI as https://doi.org/10.… when you cite (see How to use DOIs). The Knuth deposit stores Knuth, D. E.; Overleaf's book example stores Donald E. Knuth. Prefer the publisher DOI when Scholar or a thin .bib omits given names, volume, or pages.

BibTeX vs BibLaTeX

Overleaf's current BibTeX article opens with this advisory for new projects:

Overleaf, “Bibliography management with bibtex”

If you’re starting from scratch we recommend using biblatex because that package provides localization in several languages, it’s actively developed and makes bibliography management easier and more flexible.

BibLaTeX still reads a .bib file. CitationEasy's importer does too: a BibLaTeX export is inbound BibTeX, not a fourth format. Extra BibLaTeX fields (date, journaltitle, location) survive as unused keys the way Patashnik said unused fields are ignored. Zotero lists BibLaTeX next to BibTeX on its import page; for this generator, either file is the same paste.

RIS

RIS is the Research Information Systems tagged format. Clarivate's EndNote documentation is the vendor spec still used by databases. Each field is a six-character tag: two letters, two spaces, a dash, and a space. Zotero's data-formats page notes that the official specification was last updated in 2001, so producers diverge; Zotero exports fairly strict RIS.

Clarivate, “EndNote: Directions for implementing EndNote Direct Export”

Each reference is composed of a variable number of fields; and each field is preceded by a six-character label or "tag".

Except for the first tag of each reference, which must be "TY - " and the last tag of each reference, which must be "ER - ," the tags within each reference can be in any order.

The required tags are "TY" which must be the first tag in the reference, and "ER" which must be the last tag in the reference.

Each author must be on a separate line, preceded by the tag that corresponds to the author role

Common type codes: JOUR (journal article), BOOK, CHAP (book section), THES, EJOUR, CONF, RPRT, GEN. Authors repeat AU - once per person, Lastname, Firstname. Year is PY - with four digits. DOI is DO - . The MIME type Clarivate registers for direct export is application/x-research-info-systems.

CSL-JSON

CSL-JSON is the shape the Citation Style Language processor actually consumes. citeproc-js documents the item: a unique id, a constrained type, structured names (family / given), and dates as date-parts. Pandoc and Quarto read a JSON array as --bibliography=references.json. Zotero's CSL JSON export is this format.

citeproc-js, “CSL-JSON” (Frank Bennett)

Encoding citation data items in properly formatted CSL-JSON is essential to getting correct results from the CSL Processor.

The id field is a simple field containing any string or numeric value. The value of the ID field must uniquely identify the item, as this field is used to retrieve items by their ID value.

The type field is a simple field containing a string value. CSL-JSON constrains the possible for values of the type field to a limited set of possible values (e.g., “book” or “article”).

CSL-JSON item for the same Grady et al., 2019 article (official Crossref field values; CSL type article-journal)

{ "id": "Grady_2019", "type": "article-journal", "title": "Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States.", "author": [ {"family": "Grady", "given": "Jessica Stoltzfus"}, {"family": "Her", "given": "Malina"}, {"family": "Moreno", "given": "Geena"}, {"family": "Perez", "given": "Catherine"}, {"family": "Yelinek", "given": "Jillian"} ], "issued": {"date-parts": [[2019, 7]]}, "container-title": "Psychology of Popular Media Culture", "volume": "8", "issue": "3", "page": "207-217", "DOI": "10.1037/ppm0000185" }

Why You Export Records, Not a Formatted List

A pasted APA paragraph is a picture of one style. BibTeX, RIS, and CSL-JSON are the ingredients. After import you can switch styles without retyping. That is also why a Word bibliography that looks like APA will fail: it has no @ and no TY - , so the parser finds zero records.

Import this

A .bib, .ris, or CSL-JSON array from a manager, database, or Crossref.

A list of DOIs / ISBNs / PMIDs / arXiv IDs / URLs, one per line, when you do not have a file.

Do not import this

A numbered or hanging-indent reference list copied from a paper.

An EndNote .enl library, EndNote XML, a PubMed .nbib file, a Zotero RDF-with-files backup, a Scholar CSV, or a folder of PDFs.

Files This Importer Will Not Read

CitationEasy accepts three structured texts. Nearby formats look adjacent and fail. EndNote 2025's Direct Export list also associates .NBIB; that is a MEDLINE tagged file for EndNote, not RIS. Elsevier's Mendeley Reference Manager can also write EndNote XML and Microsoft Word XML. Zotero can write Zotero RDF with files and notes. None of those are this importer.

Nearby files that are not BibTeX, RIS, or CSL-JSON.
File	Who writes it	What to do instead
`.enl` / `.enlx`	EndNote desktop library	Export again with RefMan (RIS) Export or BibTeX
EndNote XML (`.xml`)	Mendeley or EndNote	Choose BibTeX or RIS on the same export dialog
`.nbib`	PubMed; EndNote 2025 Direct Export	Use PubMed's RIS or BibTeX button, or paste PMIDs
Zotero RDF	Zotero “with files and notes”	Export BibTeX, RIS, or CSL JSON instead
Scholar CSV	Google Scholar profile Export	Choose BibTeX or RefMan, not CSV

Export from Zotero

Zotero's own knowledge base is the current menu path. Use Export Items… for a selection, Export Collection… for one folder, or Export Library… for everything. For a move into Zotero from a file you already have, the same pages document File → Import….

Zotero Documentation, “How do I export my Zotero library?”

To export an entire library, right-click on it in the Zotero collections pane and choose “Export Library…”, or select “Export Library…” from the “File” menu. To export an individual collection, right-click on it and choose “Export Collection…”. To export specific items, select them in the items list, right-click, and choose “Export Items…”.

An export is not a proper backup, not recommended for transferring entire Zotero libraries between computers, and not a replacement for ongoing collaboration using Zotero groups.

Reimported items will have new Date Added/Modified times, will no longer be linked to citations in existing word processor documents, and may have minor changes in a small number of fields or, for some formats, even may be missing some fields altogether.

Zotero Documentation, “How do I import BibTeX or other standardized formats?”

Zotero can import bibliographic data stored in a variety of standardized formats used by databases and other reference management tools. The most popular formats are RIS, Bib(La)Tex, and MODS.

If you have a database stored in one of these formats, such as a BibTeX database you’ve compiled or a RIS database you’ve exported from another reference manager, you can import them into Zotero by clicking File → “Import…” and choosing “A file”.

Creating Bibliographies also notes that Quick Copy can emit BibTeX or RIS if you set that format under Settings → Export. That is a clipboard path, not a backup. Zotero RDF with files is for another Zotero user, not for CitationEasy.

Select the items, or right-click a collection or the library name.
Choose Export Items…, Export Collection…, or Export Library….
Pick BibTeX, RIS, or CSL JSON. Save the file.
In CitationEasy, open Import and upload that file (or paste its text).

Export from Mendeley

Elsevier documents two products. Mendeley Support Center A_id 27743 (updated 6 April 2022) is the stable page. The Reference Manager desktop app is the current export path; the web library still cannot export.

Mendeley, “Exporting references” and Support Center A_id 27743 (updated 6 April 2022)

In Mendeley Reference Manager use the 'Export All' option found in the File menu and select from BibTeX, EndNote XML or RIS file formats.

The export function is currently not available on Mendeley Reference Manager web.

Mendeley provides the ability to export your library in one of three formats:

Open the desktop Mendeley Reference Manager (not the browser-only library).
Use File → Export All, or select items and use Export in the action panel.
Choose BibTeX or RIS. Do not pick EndNote XML or Microsoft Word XML for CitationEasy.
Upload the saved file under Import.

Export from EndNote

EndNote's interchange style is RefMan (RIS) Export. EndNote 2025 also ships BibTeX, BibTeX Using EN Label Field, EndNote Export, Refer Export, and Tab-Delimited as transfer styles. Use RIS or BibTeX here. EndNote online uses the same RefMan name. If the style is missing from the short list, choose Select another style and search for it.

Clarivate, “EndNote online: export references to an EndNote desktop library” (15 June 2022)

Change the “Export Style:” to “RefMan RIS Export”.

Select "Reference Manager (RIS)" as the “Import Option”.

EndNote 2025, “Exporting References for Database Import”

Included styles for transferring data to other programs include:

BibTeX; BibTeX Using EN Label Field; RefMan (RIS) Export; EndNote Export; Refer Export; Tab-Delimited. CitationEasy reads the first and the third.

Select the references (Ctrl+A / Command+A for the whole library).
Set the output style to RefMan (RIS) Export or BibTeX.
Choose File → Export. Save as a text file and rename the extension to .ris or .bib if EndNote wrote .txt.
Import that file. CitationEasy does not read native .enl / .enlx libraries or .nbib Direct Export files.

Export from Google Scholar

Google Scholar Search Help is the Cite-button path. Scholar profiles add a bulk Export for a public profile. Settings → Bibliography manager can also pin an Import into BibTeX link under every result.

Google Scholar Search Help and Google Scholar Profiles

Click the "Cite" button under the search result and then select your bibliography manager at the bottom of the popup. We currently support BibTeX, EndNote, RefMan, and RefWorks.

Select the articles you'd like to export - or check the box next to the "Title" column header to select all articles in your profile - and click the "Export" button. Follow the prompts to download a BibTeX, EndNote, RefMan, or CSV file.

If the article checkboxes don't appear, sign in to the Google account that you used to create your profile.

For one result: click the quote-mark Cite button, then BibTeX, and copy the entry.
For many results: save them to My library, or open your Scholar profile, select rows, and click Export → BibTeX or RefMan. Skip CSV.
Paste or upload into Import.
If volume, issue, pages, or the DOI are missing, look the work up by DOI instead (find a DOI, then DOI to BibTeX). Scholar crawls the web; Crossref holds the publisher deposit.

Export from Overleaf, Databases, and a DOI

Overleaf's BibTeX article is why a .bib file exists: the database is format-independent, and the style file does the printing. Download references.bib from the project and import it here. Library databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, EBSCO) almost always offer Export → RIS or BibTeX on a results page — that is the same file this guide imports. See library databases. PubMed's Create a file dialog also offers .nbib; pick RIS or BibTeX, or paste the PMIDs.

When you already have DOIs and no manager, Crossref content negotiation (page last updated 17 March 2025) returns BibTeX (Accept: application/x-bibtex), RIS (application/x-research-info-systems), or citeproc JSON (application/vnd.citationstyles.csl+json) for https://doi.org/10.…. The DOI to BibTeX converter does that lookup in the browser.

Crossref, “Content negotiation” (updated 17 March 2025)

Content negotiation is useful if you want to retrieve metadata in a commonly used format, such as BibTeX or RIS.

Only one record at a time is returned by content negotiation.

For example, the Crossref types book, edited-book, and monograph map to the single RIS type book.

One DOI equals one record. For a list of DOIs, paste them in the generator (25 lines) or use the converter. Do not expect https://doi.org/10.… to return a whole library.

Import into CitationEasy

Open the citation generator and the bibliography panel. Import accepts pasted text or a .bib / .ris / .json file. Detection is from the first character: { or [ is CSL-JSON; a TY - tag is RIS; otherwise BibTeX. Parsing is local. You then review the records, exclude any you do not want, and click Format and import.

Cap: 200 records and 500,000 characters. Extra records are reported as over-limit, not silently dropped without a count.
Duplicates: the review step flags titles that already sit in the bibliography or that repeat inside the file. Those are skipped unless you keep them.
Missing fields: a record can import with a blank author or year. Edit it after import rather than trusting a thin Scholar line.
Identifier paste: a newline-separated list of DOIs, ISBNs, PMIDs, arXiv IDs, or URLs is not a BibTeX file. The generator looks each line up (25 per paste) and adds the results. A blob that starts with @article{ stays together as one BibTeX library.

Bulk identifier paste (looked up; not a .bib file)

10.1037/ppm0000185 10.1093/comjnl/27.2.97

Those two lines are the APA Style Center Grady article and Knuth's 1984 Literate Programming (the Overleaf / Computer Journal paper). One per line, no bullets.

Import the file, then pick the style

The interchange file has no citation style. After import, choose APA, MLA, Chicago, or any other style in the generator and copy or export the formatted list.

Open the citation generator DOI to BibTeX converter

Failure Modes Students Actually Hit

If import returns nothing, the file is usually the wrong kind of text.
Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
“No citations found”	A formatted bibliography, a PDF, an `.enl` library, EndNote XML, or `.nbib`	Re-export as BibTeX, RIS, or CSL JSON
One mashed record	RIS tags without the `TY` / `ER` pair, or JSON that is not a CSL item	Confirm the file starts with `@`, `TY -` , `{`, or `[`
Old LaTeX accent braces, or leftover `{DNA}` protection	Old LaTeX escapes the parser did not flatten	Edit the imported entry; keep braces only where the title needs them
Missing DOI or pages, or `Knuth, D. E.` instead of a full name	Google Scholar or a thin database export	Replace the record from Crossref or the DOI tool
Duplicate rows	The same file imported twice, or Scholar plus publisher	Use the import review duplicates, then delete leftovers
Over-limit notice	More than 200 records	Split the export, or keep the manager as the system of record

Zotero's warning applies here too: an interchange export is not a backup of PDFs, notes, or word-processor citations. Keep the manager (or the Overleaf .bib) as the library. CitationEasy holds the working list you are formatting for one paper.

Going the Other Way

After the list is formatted, export to Word or Google Docs for the hanging indent, or export RIS / BibTeX / CSL-JSON back out. Zotero's import page is the return trip into a manager: File → Import… → A file. Do not treat either direction as a full library migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which import formats does CitationEasy support?: Three structured formats: BibTeX (.bib), RIS (.ris), and CSL-JSON (.json). Paste the text or upload the file. Multi-entry files import every record, up to 200 per import and 500,000 characters. You can also paste a plain list of DOIs, ISBNs, PMIDs, arXiv IDs, or URLs (one per line, 25 per paste) into the generator for lookup. EndNote XML, PubMed .nbib, Zotero RDF, Scholar CSV, and .enl libraries are not accepted.
How do I export my Zotero library so CitationEasy can read it?: Select the items (or a collection or the library), right-click, and choose Export Items, Export Collection, or Export Library. Save as BibTeX, RIS, or CSL JSON. Upload that file under Import. Zotero RDF is for another Zotero library, not this importer. An export is not a Zotero backup.
Why did nothing import from my Word bibliography?: A hanging-indent reference list is formatted text. The importer looks for @type{ keys, TY - tags, or a CSL-JSON object. Re-export from Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, or Scholar as BibTeX or RIS, or paste the DOIs instead.
Will my citation style carry over when I import?: No style carries over, and that is the point. BibTeX, RIS, and CSL-JSON store authors, title, year, and identifiers — not an APA sentence. After import, pick any style in the generator and switch it later without re-exporting.
Is there a limit on how many references I can import?: Yes. File and paste imports accept 200 records and 500,000 characters; extra rows are counted as over-limit. Identifier pastes are capped at 25 lines so Crossref and PubMed are not flooded. Split a larger library, or keep it in Zotero / EndNote and export a subset.
Can I export from the Mendeley website?: Not in Mendeley Reference Manager web. Elsevier's export guide says to use File → Export All in the desktop app and choose BibTeX or RIS. EndNote XML and Microsoft Word XML are for EndNote or Word, not for this importer.
Should I use Google Scholar BibTeX or a DOI?: Use Scholar to find the paper. Prefer the publisher DOI — Crossref or the DOI-to-BibTeX tool — when Scholar omits volume, issue, pages, or the DOI. The Cite popup is fine for a complete record; it is a weak source of truth for a thesis library. Crossref's Knuth 1984 deposit, for example, stores Knuth, D. E., not the full given names in Overleaf's book example.
What is the difference between RIS and BibTeX?: BibTeX is the LaTeX database (@article{…}, fields in braces). RIS is Clarivate's tagged format (TY - JOUR … ER - ). Both are structured. RIS is what EndNote and most library Export buttons emit; BibTeX is what Overleaf and Scholar emit. CSL-JSON is the third option when you already work in Pandoc or Zotero. BibLaTeX still uses a .bib file; import it as BibTeX.
How do I get a RIS file out of EndNote 2025?: Select the references, set the output style to RefMan (RIS) Export (use Select another style if it is hidden), then File → Export. Rename the .txt to .ris if needed. BibTeX is the other EndNote 2025 transfer style this importer reads. CitationEasy cannot open an .enl library or a PubMed .nbib file.
Can I fetch a whole library from Crossref with one DOI?: No. Crossref's content-negotiation page (updated 17 March 2025) says only one record at a time is returned. Paste up to 25 DOIs in the generator, or export a .bib / .ris file from the manager that already holds the set.