How do I open a RIS file in Word?

Word cannot read RIS directly. Import the file into a reference manager such as Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote, then insert citations into Word with its plugin.

How do I convert RIS to BibTeX?

Use the RIS to BibTeX converter, or import the RIS file into Zotero or JabRef and export it as BibTeX. Reference types are mapped to BibTeX entry types, for example JOUR to @article.

RIS File Format: Citation Files Explained

RIS is a plain-text format for bibliographic references. It was created by Research Information Systems for its Reference Manager software and is now read and written by virtually every reference manager, database and journal website.

If you click "Download citation" or "Export to RefMan" on a journal page, Google Scholar, Scopus or Web of Science, you usually get a .ris file.

Example: A journal article as a RIS record

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Smith, John
AU  - Doe, Jane
TI  - Mapping urban heat islands with satellite data
JO  - Remote Sensing of Environment
PY  - 2023
VL  - 285
SP  - 113412
DO  - 10.1016/j.rse.2023.113412
KW  - urban climate
KW  - remote sensing
ER  -

Convert RIS files

Convert RIS to JSON— Parse a RIS citation file into a JSON array
Convert RIS to CSV— Convert RIS citation entries to a CSV spreadsheet
Convert RIS to BibTeX— Convert a RIS citation file to BibTeX format
Convert BibTeX to JSON— Parse a BibTeX file into a JSON array of entries
Convert BibTeX to CSV— Convert BibTeX bibliography entries to a CSV spreadsheet

How a RIS file is structured

Each line has a two-character tag, two spaces, a hyphen, a space and the value. Every record starts with TY (the reference type) and ends with ER. Tags such as AU and KW repeat once per author or keyword.

TY: type of reference (see below)
AU: author, one line each
TI or T1: title
JO, JF or T2: journal or book title
PY: publication year; DA: full date
VL, IS: volume and issue
SP, EP: start and end page
DO: DOI; UR: URL
AB: abstract; KW: keyword
SN: ISSN or ISBN; PB: publisher

Common reference types

JOUR: journal article
BOOK: whole book
CHAP: book chapter
CONF or CPAPER: conference proceedings or paper
THES: thesis
RPRT: report
ELEC: web page
GEN: generic

RIS vs BibTeX

Both store the same kind of data. BibTeX (.bib) is built for LaTeX documents; RIS is the usual exchange format for Word-based reference managers such as EndNote, Zotero and Mendeley. Most tools import both, and converting between them is straightforward.

PubMed is an exception: its citation manager export is a .nbib file in MEDLINE format, not RIS.

How to open a RIS file

Zotero: File → Import, or drag the file into Zotero
EndNote: File → Import with the "Reference Manager (RIS)" filter
Mendeley, JabRef and most other reference managers: Import or File → Import
Any text editor, to read or fix it by hand
Excel or Google Sheets, after converting it to CSV

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I open a RIS file in Word?: Word cannot read RIS directly. Import the file into a reference manager such as Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote, then insert citations into Word with its plugin.
How do I convert RIS to BibTeX?: Use the RIS to BibTeX converter, or import the RIS file into Zotero or JabRef and export it as BibTeX. Reference types are mapped to BibTeX entry types, for example JOUR to @article.