Citations and bibliography

At emLab, we typically use BibTeX to manage academic references and ensure our technical reports are properly cited. There are two recommended options for creating and maintaining a bibliography file (.bib):

Option 1: export from Zotero

If you already manage your references in Zotero, you can export a .bib file directly from your library:

  1. In Zotero, select the collection or items you want to export.
  2. Go to File > Export Library (or right-click a collection and select Export Collection).
  3. Choose BibTeX as the format and click OK.
  4. Save the file as references.bib in your project directory.
  5. Link this file in your Quarto YAML header: bibliography: references.bib.

To keep your .bib file in sync as you add references, consider using the Better BibTeX Zotero plugin, which can auto-export the file whenever your library changes.

Option 2: build a bibliography file manually

If you are not using Zotero, you can create and populate a .bib file by hand:

  1. Create a plain text file in your project directory named references.bib.
  2. Link this file in your Quarto YAML header: bibliography: references.bib.

The easiest way to populate your bibliography is by using Google Scholar:

  1. Search for the paper on Google Scholar.
  2. Click the “Cite” button (quotation marks icon) and select BibTeX.
  3. Copy the code block and paste it into your references.bib file.

Citing resources in text

  • Parenthetical: [@costello2016] renders as (Costello et al., 2016).
  • Narrative: @costello2016 renders as Costello et al. (2016).