RIS
Also called: .ris, Research Information Systems format
A plain-text reference interchange format using two-letter tags, exported by most databases and read by most reference managers.
RIS records are line-oriented: TY names the reference type, AU an author, TI the title, PY the year, and ER ends the record. The format is old and slightly inconsistent between vendors, but it is universally supported, which is why database “export citation” buttons almost always offer it.
RIS is the format to reach for when moving references into EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero from a library database. Where you have a choice, BibTeX or CSL-JSON preserve more detail.
Do it on CitationEasy
See also
BibTeXThe reference format used with LaTeX, storing each source as a typed record of field–value pairs in a .bib file.CSL-JSONThe JSON representation of a reference used internally by CSL citation engines, and the most faithful format for moving citations between tools.Reference managerSoftware that stores your sources, attaches PDFs, and inserts formatted citations into a document as you write.