In the next article we are going to take a look at JabRef. This is a open source cross-platform citation and reference management software. The program uses BibTeX as its native format, so it will be used normally for LaTeX. Name JabRef means Java, Alver, Batada, Reference. Its first version was published on November 29, 2003.
JabRef will provide users an interface for editing BibTeX files, for importing data from online scientific databases, and for managing and searching BibTeX files. You can import more than 15 reference formats and compare with Google Scholar, Springer o MathSciNet. It also comes with browser extensions to import directly from the web browser. It will allow us to obtain details based on ISBN, DOI, PubMed-ID and arXiv-ID. At the same time it will give us the ability to use Word, LibreOffice and OpenOffice to insert and format citations. JabRef has been released under the terms of the MIT license since version 3.6.
General characteristics of JabRef
- The program will offer us import options for more than 15 reference formats.
- We can easily retrieve and link full-text articles.
- We can also obtain complete bibliographic information based on ISBN, DOI, PubMed-ID and arXiv-ID.
- We will be able import new references directly from the web browser with one click. For this we will have to use the official web browser extension.
- With this software we can complete and improve bibliographic data comparing them with online catalogs like Google Scholar, Springer or MathSciNet.
- We will have the possibility of automatically rename and move associated files according to customizable rules.
- We can customize and add new fields metadata or reference types.
- We will be able group our research into hierarchical collections.
- Organize articles based on keywords, tags, search terms, or their manual assignments.
- The program will offer us search and filter functions.
- We can keep a record of what we read.
- BibTeX native support, perfect for text-based typesetting systems like LaTeX and Markdown.
- Citation functionality as we type for external applications such as; Emacs, Kile, LyX, Texmaker, TeXstudio, Vim and WinEdt.
- We will be able format the references in one of thousands of built-in citation styles or create your own style.
- Includes support for Word and LibreOffice / OpenOffice to insert and format citations
These are just some of the features of this program. They can consult all of them in detail from the project website.
Install JabRef on Ubuntu
As DEB package
JabRef is available as a native .deb package file from the project release page. If instead of using the web browser you prefer to download the .deb file from the terminal using wgetAll you have to do is open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and execute the following command:
wget https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/releases/download/v5.1/jabref_5.1-1_amd64.deb
As of today, the file to be downloaded is called 'jabref_5.1-1_amd64.deb'. Once the download is complete, we can install the program using the following command:
sudo dpkg -i jabref_5.1-1_amd64.deb
After the installation, if everything has been correct we can start the program using the program launcher.
uninstall
For remove the program from our team, in a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) we are only going to have to use the following command:
sudo apt remove jabref
As a Snap package
We will also have the possibility of install this program through snap. In the terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) we will only have to execute the installation command:
sudo snap install jabref
uninstall
If you chose to install this program as a snap package, you can remove from team opening a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and executing the command:
sudo snap remove jabref
To start using this program and become familiar with the basics of JabRef, users can consult the documentation offered on the project website. JabRef is available for free and is actively developed. It can get more information your web page.