ris2bib

Convert bibliographies from RIS to BibTeX format.

Overview

This scripts converts bibliographies from RIS to BibTeX format, preserving only relevant information. The RIS input file can be generated, for example, using Zotero's "Quick Copy" feature (Edit > Preferences > Export). It may contain certain Unicode characters, e.g., subscript numbers. The BibTeX output file ought to contain ASCII characters only. Uppercase letters in acronyms, chemical formulas, and common physicist's names are protected by automatic insertion of curly braces.

Usage

ris2bib.py <input file> <output file>
    [--sub=<format string>] [--super=<format string>] [--colcap=<0 or 1>]
    [--nodash=<0 or 1>] [--short-year=<0 or 1>] [--skip-a=<0 or 1>]
    [--arxiv=<0 or 1>] [--nature=<0 or 1>] [--scipost=<0 or 1>]
    [--etal=<count>]

The optional arguments --sub and --super specify the markup used to convert sub- and superscript Unicode sequences in titles to LaTeX code. The default values are --sub='\textsubscript{X}' and --super='\textsuperscript{X}', where X is the placeholder for the replaced sequence. Possible alternative values are --sub='$_{X}$' and --super='$^{X}$'.

If --colcap=1, words following a colon, e.g., at the beginning of subtitles, are capitalized. This is the default.

If --nodash=1, en dashes between words (not numbers) are replaced by simple hyphens. The default is --nodash=0.

If --short-year=1, only the last two digits of the year are used for the article identifier. The default is --short-year=0.

If --skip-a=1, sublabels "a" are omitted. The default is --skip-a=0.

If --arxiv=1, eprint identifiers are included even if an article has already been published. This is the default.

If --nature=1, DOIs and eprint identifiers are provided via the URL entry. The default is --nature=0.

If --scipost=1, eprints are provided with a full URL rather than an archive prefix and identifier, and the entry type "misc" instead of "unpublished" is used. The default is --scipost=0.

If a nonzero maximum number of authors is specified via --etal, author lists with more authors are reduced to the first author "and others". --etal=15 is appropriate for APS journals. The default is --etal=0.