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A free tool for researchers & students

Journal abbreviation normalizer

Upload RIS, BibTeX, Web of Science plain text, or Scopus CSV and download the same file type with JCR/ISO4-style abbreviated journal names.

Normalize journals See how it works
  1. 1. Upload bibliographic exports
  2. 2. We map titles to ISO4 abbreviations
  3. 3. Download same-format files in a ZIP

Upload your files

Standardize journal names for bibliometric imports, reference lists, and manuscript tables without manual lookup.

  • RIS, BibTeX, WoS plain text, and Scopus CSV
  • Output keeps the same file format as each upload
  • JCR/ISO4-style abbreviations with lookup table fallback
  • Up to 5 files / 50,000 references / 100MB total filesize.
Required. We'll let you know once your files are ready. Comma separate multiple addresses.

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RIS (.ris / EndNote .txt), BibTeX (.bib), Web of Science plain text (.txt), or Scopus CSV (.csv). Each output file keeps the same format with abbreviated journal names. Up to 5 files / 50,000 references / 100MB total filesize.
Optional. Helps label citations in your report and exports.
Uploading your files…

This may take awhile depending on file size. Please keep this page open.

What you get

Abbreviated files in a ZIP download, plus a shareable online report.

ISO4-style abbreviations

Known journal titles map to JCR/ISO4 abbreviations; others use ISO4 word rules.

Same format in and out

RIS stays RIS, BibTeX stays BibTeX, WoS plain text stays WoS, and Scopus CSV stays CSV.

Multiple sources

Works with exports from EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, Scopus, and Web of Science.

Shareable report

Every job has a unique public URL with counts and sample references.

Email when ready

Close the page after upload; we email your ZIP download link.

Smile

Spend less time fixing journal abbreviations by hand.

As used by students at ...

  • Monash University
  • University of London
  • National University of Singapore
  • University of California
  • Queen's University
  • University of Reading
  • University of Southern Queensland
  • University of Vienna
  • Massey University
  • University of Texas at Arlington
  • Université Paris Cité
  • Utrecht University
  • Université de Toulouse
  • Vietnam National University, Hanoi
  • University of South Africa
  • Indira Gandhi National Open University
  • Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • University of Indonesia
  • Tecnológico Nacional de México
  • National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
  • Durham University
  • University of Wales
  • University of the Sunshine Coast
  • The University of Western Australia
  • University of KwaZulu-Natal
  • Victoria University of Wellington

How it works

From export to abbreviated journals in three steps.

  1. 1
    Export from your database or library
    Save RIS, BibTeX, WoS plain text, or Scopus CSV.
  2. 2
    Upload and wait
    We abbreviate journal/source fields and email you when the ZIP is ready.
  3. 3
    Download and reuse
    Import abbreviated files into Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, or your manuscript workflow.
Normalize journals free

FAQ

Quick answers about journal abbreviation normalization.

What does this tool do?

It reads RIS, BibTeX, Web of Science plain text, or Scopus CSV exports and replaces full journal names with JCR/ISO4-style abbreviations in the same file format.

Which input formats are supported?

RIS (.ris / EndNote .txt), BibTeX (.bib), Clarivate Web of Science plain text (.txt), and Scopus CSV (.csv).

Which output files do I get?

One abbreviated file per upload, in the same format as the input, packaged in a ZIP download.

Is this tool free?

Yes. Researcher's Friend is free to use. You can process up to 5 files and 50,000 references per job.

How long are my data available?

Your abbreviated files are available for 7 days, then are automatically deleted. Public reports are available indefinitely.