RIS is the tagged bibliographic format every reference manager imports and exports — TY lines, AU authors, ER terminators. Zotero, Mendeley and EndNote all speak it.
Typical use: Convert RIS bibliographies to BibTeX for LaTeX workflows, or to JSON for custom tooling.
About the RIS format
RIS is the tagged bibliography format that became the lingua franca of reference management: two-letter tags (TY for type, AU for author, ER for end) describe one citation per block. Zotero, Mendeley and EndNote all import and export it.
Converting RIS to JSON turns citations into data your scripts can query — de-duplicate libraries, merge collections or feed custom review tooling without a reference manager in the loop.
Strengths
- ✓ Universal in reference managers
- ✓ Simple line-tagged format
Limitations
- ✗ Only one record type per block
- ✗ Field mapping varies by vendor
- Structure
- Two-letter tagged lines
- Compatibility
- Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote
- Best for
- Citation libraries
Convert RIS to…
13 direct directions plus 3 workflows, sorted A–Z; 🔥 marks popular targets.
Cross-engine workflows
Convert other files to RIS…
Frequently asked questions
What is a RIS file?
RIS is the tagged bibliographic format every reference manager imports and exports — TY lines, AU authors, ER terminators. Zotero, Mendeley and EndNote all speak it.
How do I convert RIS files online?
Pick a target format from the "Convert RIS to…" list below, drop your file and hit convert. Everything runs in your browser — no install, no upload, no watermark, no limits.
Is it safe to convert RIS files here?
Yes. Every conversion is performed by your own device inside the browser — files never leave for a server, and the page keeps working even offline.
Which formats can RIS convert to?
This page lists all 16 directions across documents, images, audio, video, spreadsheets and archives — each one is its own free converter page.