refdb handbook: covers version 0.8.5
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Chapter 7. Data input

Table of Contents
Writing RIS datasets
The Emacs RIS mode
Input filters

This chapter explains the ways how you can generate reference data suitable for the database. We'll cover manual generation of RIS files and automatic conversion of other bibliographic data with the help of input filters.

To actually import the resulting RIS datasets into the refdb database, use the addref command of the refdbc command line client, as explained in the next chapter.

Writing RIS datasets

Overview

The RIS format is a tagged file format with the following general rules:

A file can hold one or more references
Each reference starts with a newline. This also means that every RIS file starts with an empty line.
There can be only one tag per line.
The tag must be at the very beginning of the line.
If the contents following a tag are very long, the logical line may be split by appending a slash "/" to the end of each screen line to increase human readability. The next line(s) must not use a tag.
The tags consist of two capital letters denoting the type, followed by two spaces, a dash, and another space.
The first tag of each reference is the Type tag (TY - )
The last tag of each reference is the End tag (ER - )
The sequence of all other elements is arbitrary.

Therefore a minimal RIS file may look like this:

       
TY  - BOOK                  
AU  - Hoenicka,M.          
TI  - The refdb manual
PY  - 2001
ER  -

: This is the empty line generated by a linefeed character (0x0A) that precedes every RIS citation, even at the start of a RIS file.
: This is the mandatory first tag, the type specifier. In this case, we're looking at a BOOK entry.
: This and the following lines are the contents proper of the citation. All additional tags would go here as well
: This is the mandatory last tag which closes the citation. Although invisible here, this tag also has a trailing space like all others.

RIS tags

The following list shows all available tags and their use.

Note: Please keep in mind that a full tag consists of the letters mentioned below followed by two spaces, a dash, and another space. E.g. the first tag below would be written as "TY - " in a RIS file.

TY

This tag specifies the type of the reference and must be the first tag of each RIS dataset, preceeded by a newline.

Format: This can be any of the following strings:

ABST (abstract reference)
ADVS (audiovisual material)
ART (art work)
BILL (bill/resolution)
BOOK (whole book reference)
CASE (case)
CHAP (book chapter reference)
COMP (computer program)
CONF (conference proceeding)
CTLG (catalog)
DATA (data file)
ELEC (electronic citation)
GEN (generic)
ICOMM (internet communication)
INPR (in press reference)
JFULL (journal - full)
JOUR (journal reference)
MAP (map)
MGZN (magazine article)
MPCT (motion picture)
MUSIC (music score)
NEWS (newspaper)
PAMP (pamphlet)
PAT (patent)
PCOMM (personal communication)
RPRT (report)
SER (serial - book, monograph)
SLIDE (slide)
SOUND (sound recording)
STAT (statute)
THES (thesis/dissertation)
UNBILL (unenacted bill/resolution)
UNPB (unpublished work reference)
VIDEO (video recording)

ER

This empty tag denotes the end of the reference. It must be the last tag of each RIS dataset.

ID

This is the unique ID that refdb generates when a reference is imported into a database.

Note: You should not create the ID tag manually. It is ignored when adding the dataset, but it may overwrite an existing entry if you update a reference. Along the same line, you should leave the ID tag alone if you retrieve a dataset from the database and plan to update it.

Format: Integer >0.

TI

This is the title of a publication. For BOOK and UNPB references this is the same as the BT tag.

Format: A string with unlimited length.

T2

This is the secondary title of a publication, e.g. the book title for a CHAP reference.

Format: A string with unlimited length.

T3

This is the tertiary title of a publication, e.g. the series title for a CHAP reference.

Format: A string with unlimited length.

AU

Synonym: A1. This is the name of one author of the reference. If a reference has multiple authors, each author is specified with an AU tag on a separate line. The number of authors per RIS dataset is not limited. The sequence of the authors in the authorlist will be determined from the sequence as they appear in the RIS dataset.

Format: A string with up to 255 characters in the form: Lastname,X.[Y. ...][,Suff.]. The firstnames and middle initial must be abbreviated. It is not possible to use more than one middle initial.

A2

Synonym: ED. This is the name of an editor of the reference, e.g. an editor of the book in which a CHAP reference was published. The same restrictions as for AU apply.

A3

This is the name of a series editor of the reference, e.g. an editor of a series of books in one of which a CHAP reference was published. The same restrictions as for AU apply.

PY

Synonym: Y1. This is the primary publication date.

Format: A string with the format "YYYY/MM/DD/otherinfo", where YYYY denotes the four-digit year, MM and DD denote the two-digit month and day, respectively, and otherinfo denotes any other information with up to 255 characters. If any of these parts is not available, it can be left out, but the slashes must be present. E.g. "1999///Christmas edition" is a valid string.

Y2

This is the secondary publication date.

N1

The notes. This can be any form of additional information, like pointers to corrections or editorials, or just personal notes about the contents of the reference.

Format: A string with unlimited length

N2

Synonym: AB. The abstract of a reference.

Format: A string with unlimited length

KW

A keyword. If a publication has multiple keywords, each goes on a separate line preceeded with this tag. Keywords are crucial to find references in larger databases.