Lähdeformaatteja

Lähdeformaatteja refers to the various file formats that hold bibliographic or source information for use in academic writing, library catalogues, and information management systems. Each format specifies how the information about a source—such as author, title, publication date, and other metadata—is structured and stored. The most common use of these formats is to enable the easy import and export of references between citation managers, word processors, and databases.

BibTeX is one of the oldest and most widely adopted source formats in the LaTeX ecosystem. It stores entries in a simple text file with fields delineated by identifiers such as author, title, and year. BibLaTeX extends BibTeX by providing a richer syntax, allowing for more precise control over formatting and support for additional metadata types. EndNote, a proprietary format, is widely used in commercial reference-management software and contains more extensive fields for notes, file attachments, and custom tags.

RIS (Research Information Systems) is an ISO standard that uses a flat text structure where each line begins with a two-letter record type followed by an error‑checked field code. It is supported by many academic databases and reference managers. The open XML‑based format, CrossRef DOI XML, stores citation records as structured elements and is frequently used for metadata exchange between publishers and indexing services.

Modern initiatives, such as JSON‑based citation standards being drafted by the Crossref and the International DOI Foundation, aim to provide a flexible, machine‑readable format that can accommodate new types of scholarly objects beyond traditional articles. Tools and libraries are available to convert between these formats, enabling workflows that integrate data from institutional repositories, publisher feeds, and research libraries.