The Citation Generator's reference list now has three download buttons alongside "Copy all": one for a BibTeX .bib file, one for an RIS .ris file, and one for a formatted .rtf file that opens straight into Word. Here's what each button actually does, and a walkthrough of using them for the first time.
What's new: three download buttons in the reference list
Short answer: Below "Copy all" in the "My reference list" section, three new buttons — "Download .rtf (Word)," "Download .bib (BibTeX)," and "Download .ris (RIS)" — each save your whole current reference list as a downloadable file, instead of only being able to copy it to the clipboard.
Previously, the only way to get a citation list out of the tool was the "Copy all" button, which copies formatted text (italics, hanging indent) to your clipboard for pasting directly into a document. That still works exactly the same as before. What's new is a second option: saving the list as an actual file on your computer, in a format built for a specific downstream tool rather than a document editor.
All three exports pull from the same reference list you already built by clicking "Add to list" after generating each citation — there's nothing extra to fill in before downloading.
Downloading a Word-ready .rtf file
Short answer: Click "Download .rtf (Word)" to save your reference list as a rich text file. Opening it in Word or Google Docs shows the list already formatted — italicized book and journal titles, and the hanging indent applied to every entry — with nothing left to adjust manually.
Say you've added five sources — a book, two journal articles, a website, and a newspaper article — to your list in APA 7. Click "Download .rtf (Word)," and the file that downloads (for example, a name like references.rtf) opens directly in Word with the entries already alphabetized, each title correctly italicized, and each entry's second and later lines indented under the first. This is a difference from copy-paste in one useful way: an .rtf file is a standalone document you can attach to an email or hand to a co-author on its own, separate from the paper's main file, rather than something that only exists once it's been pasted into an existing draft.
Importing a .ris file into Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote
Short answer: Click "Download .ris (RIS)" to save your list in a format that reference-manager apps can import directly. In Zotero, for example, choosing File → Import and selecting the downloaded .ris file adds every entry to your library as separate, editable items — no retyping.
This is aimed at a specific case: you're already using a reference manager to track sources across a longer project — a thesis, a literature review, a multi-paper research file — and you'd rather not manually re-enter a source you already built here. As a hypothetical example, if you generated citations for four journal articles here first and then remembered you're tracking everything else in Zotero, downloading the .ris file and importing it folds those four entries into your existing Zotero library in one step, rather than four separate manual entries.
Downloading a .bib file for a LaTeX document
Short answer: Click "Download .bib (BibTeX)" to save your list as a .bib file. Placed alongside a LaTeX document and referenced with a command like \bibliography{references}, the entries you built here become citable with \cite{} and get formatted automatically by LaTeX.
This one is narrower still — mainly relevant if you're writing in LaTeX rather than Word or Google Docs, which is common in math, computer science, and physics. If that's your workflow, the appeal is skipping the step of hand-typing BibTeX entry fields (author, title, journal, year) for a source you already looked up and formatted here; the downloaded .bib file already has those fields structured correctly, ready to sit next to your .tex file.
The three export buttons, side by side
| Button | File | Opens/imports into |
|---|
| Download .rtf (Word) | .rtf | Word, Google Docs — formatting pre-applied |
| Download .bib (BibTeX) | .bib | LaTeX documents, via \cite{} |
| Download .ris (RIS) | .ris | Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote — via Import |
None of the three buttons replace "Copy all" — they sit next to it as additional options. If you're pasting a reference list straight into the paper you're writing, copy-paste is still the fastest path; the download buttons matter once your reference list needs to travel somewhere else as a file of its own.
Try the new export buttons
Generate an APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, or Harvard citation, add it to your reference list, then download the whole list as .rtf, .bib, or .ris — right from the same screen.
Open the Citation Generator →
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to add every source to my list before exporting?
Yes. The three download buttons export whatever is currently in your reference list — the list you build by clicking "Add to list" after generating each citation. If you only generate a single citation without adding it to the list, there's nothing yet for the .bib, .ris, or .rtf download to include.
Which citation styles work with the new export buttons?
All four: APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, and Harvard. The export buttons work on whatever is currently in your reference list, regardless of which style tab was active when each entry was generated — you can even mix source types, like a book and a journal article, in the same exported file.
Does the .rtf file keep italics and the hanging indent, or do I have to reformat it in Word?
The .rtf file opens with italics on book and journal titles and the hanging indent already applied to each entry — the same formatting the "Copy all" button preserves when pasting. No manual reformatting is needed after opening it in Word or Google Docs.
Can I import the .bib or .ris file into a reference manager and keep editing there?
Yes. Once imported into Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote, the entries become normal library items in that software, editable the same as anything added manually. The exported file is just the entry point — after import, the reference-manager app is the one you continue working in.
Is there a limit to how many references I can export at once?
No fixed limit is enforced by the tool. Each of the three export buttons downloads the entire current reference list in one file, whether it has two entries or two hundred, since the list itself is stored in your browser rather than on a server.
Related guides
A note on this guide: Any names, source counts, or scenarios above (a "five-source APA list," "four journal articles moved to Zotero," etc.) are illustrative examples, not data from a real study. This article reflects the Citation Generator's export functionality as of the date published; always confirm formatting requirements with your instructor, advisor, or institution's style guide before submitting a paper.