How to Upload BibTEX into RPS

Ok firstly it is not going to work first time. You may want to use RIS. You may have to try several times. (See below).

Here are some stuff which allowed me to import a pile of my papers into RPS today.

Where is import screen in RPS

The RPS import screen can be reached via the first RPS screen you reach after logging in, on the "Navigation" panel (top left) by clicking on the orange plus + to the right of the Publications active link.

Revealing the link to the import screen

Clicking on + on the RPS "Navigation" panel reveals the Import option (and changes + to -).

Click on the Import link to reveal the "Import" screen.

Using the RPS import screen

Use "Browse..." to select your BibTEX file. Click the radio button to the left of "BibTeX". Press the blue "Upload" button.

RPS response quickly if it (as it usually does) finds an error. Indeed its not too slow if all is well.

RPS does not like my bibtex

Work around 1: use RIS

Convert your bibtex to RIS format. Upload as per bibtex but select your RIS file and then use the other radio button (i.e. the radio button to the left of "Reference Manager/EndNote").

bib2ris

A bibtex to RIS converter can be faked by piping the output of bibutils' bib2xml into xml2ris. E.g.
bibutils_5.6/bin/bib2xml missing.bib | bibutils_5.6/bin/xml2ris > missing.ris
You may get error messages on the conversion. These may be a hint as to why RPS did not like your bibtex file. Fixing them may give you a bibtex file that RPS will accept.

Work around 2: Clean up your bibtex file

It appears RPS import does not like bibtex entries which use # (e.g. in month). Try removing them.

It appears RPS import does not like bibtex entries which do not have a title. Try providing a title or removing the entry.

Keep trying until RPS import is happy.


W.B.Langdon Back 4 November 2015