Convert BibTeX to CSL JSON
Quick answer
Paste your BibTeX content below. The tool parses it via the CSL engine and hands you back a valid CSL JSON file. No upload, no signup.
Input · BibTeX
Output · CSL JSON
Your CSL JSON output will appear here.What is BibTeX?
The default bibliography format for LaTeX documents. Flat-text, brace-delimited.
@article{smith2020, author={Smith, J.}, title={Example}, year={2020}, journal={Nature}}What is CSL JSON?
The Citation Style Language JSON format. The modern interchange standard.
[{"id":"smith2020","type":"article-journal","title":"Example","author":[{"family":"Smith"}]}]Why convert from BibTeX to CSL JSON?
Different reference managers and academic workflows expect different formats. BibTeX is commonly produced by some tools, while CSL JSON is what others ingest. Converting lets you bring your existing references into a new tool without re-entering them by hand.
- Move your library between Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, JabRef, Citavi, and Paperpile.
- Bring web-clipped references into LaTeX workflows (BibTeX is required by most LaTeX bibliography styles).
- Submit references to institutional repositories that mandate a specific format.
- Backup your library in a portable, future-proof format.
Need more than a one-off conversion?
DEEPNOTIS keeps your references in a unified format inside your document — export to any format, any time, without round-tripping through separate tools.
Try it freeGoing the other way?
Convert CSL JSON back to BibTeX instead.
Last updated: 5 May 2026