> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.papers.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.papers.ai/citing-and-references/bibliography-and-citations.md).

# Bibliography and citations

The **References** panel in the left sidebar connects to reference managers so you can browse your library and insert citations without leaving the editor. It works for LaTeX, Typst, and MyST files. Word documents use a separate citation picker in the DOCX toolbar instead.

## Insert a citation

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open References

Open the **References** panel in the left sidebar.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Connect a source

Connect a reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley, or the ReadCube reference manager) if you haven't already, or set a `.bib` file as your source instead. Use **Create new .bib file...** if you don't have one yet.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Find the reference

Search or browse for the reference you want.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Insert it

Click **Insert citation**. Papers AI adds the citation key at your cursor and, if you're using a `.bib` file as the source, appends the entry to it.

For a Word document, use the **Insert citation** and **Citation style** controls in the DOCX toolbar instead of the References panel.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="success" %}
If you're not sure a reference is formatted correctly, ask the AI to check or clean up a `.bib` entry for you. See [Using AI](/using-ai/using-ai.md).
{% endhint %}

## Remove a citation source

In a Word document, each source inside a multi-source citation has its own remove control in the citation popover. Open the popover, find the source you want to drop, and remove just that one. The citation renumbers automatically. Removing the last remaining source deletes the whole citation.

## Citation style

Set a project-wide default from the **Citation style** picker in the References panel header. It covers LaTeX, Typst, and MyST citations and their preview rendering, with a bundled set of styles that now includes field-specific conventions like Vancouver, AMA, and NLM, alongside the usual APA/IEEE defaults.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Word" %}
Word documents use their own separate **Citation style** control in the DOCX toolbar, independent of the References panel picker.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="LaTeX" %}
The project-wide style applies automatically. Override it in source with `\bibliographystyle{...}` if you need something the picker doesn't offer.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Typst / MyST" %}
The project-wide style applies automatically to the preview and rendered output.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## Things to know

* PubMed isn't a connected provider. Export your references as RIS or BibTeX from PubMed, then add the file as a `.bib` source.
* Citation insertion is disabled for file types that don't support citations, and for board files.
* A Word document's `BIBLIOGRAPHY` field becomes static text once it's round-tripped through Papers AI. Word can still manually refresh it from the document's sources, but it's no longer a live, auto-updating field.

## Troubleshooting

<details>

<summary>Insert citation is unavailable</summary>

Check that the active file format supports citations.

</details>

<details>

<summary>No references appear</summary>

Reconnect your provider, or refresh the panel.

</details>

<details>

<summary>The wrong .bib file gets updated</summary>

Re-select your default `.bib` file in the References panel.

</details>

<details>

<summary>A citation appears unresolved</summary>

Confirm the key exists in your `.bib` file, then refresh.

</details>

## Next steps

* [Working with Word documents](/writing-and-editing/working-with-word-documents.md)
* [Using AI](/using-ai/using-ai.md)