NVivo 13/R1: Import bibliographies

Import/export references in NVivo 13 via RIS or XML; attach files, store abstracts/keywords as memos or attributes, and link to existing project files.

Aug 26, 2026
Knowledge

Title

NVivo 13/R1: Import bibliographies

Answer

Import bibliographies

You can import bibliographic references and related source files from Citavi, Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero, and RefWorks:

referenced source files present in (or linked to from) the originating reference management tools are imported as data files
references without linked source files have externals automatically created for them Externals
the bibliographic reference data is imported as file classification attribute values for the data files or externals Classifications
reference abstracts, keywords and notes can be imported into linked memos (in addition to becoming attribute values, in the case of abstracts and keywords).

Bibliography reference files in RIS or XML format can be imported.

If files referenced in an imported bibliography are already in your NVivo project, the relevant references are not imported.

Import references

On the Import tab, in the Bibliography menu, select the reference management tool you want to import references from.
Locate the file to import, and open into the Import Bibliographic Data Assistant.
Set the import options:
1. Name files by Select how imported data files and automatically created externals are named—by title or author and year.
2. Assign files to Select to assign all imported bibliographical data to the Reference classification (recommended), or to different classifications according to the data type, e.g. journal article, book.
3. (Step 2) Select folders to place imported data files and automatically created externals.
4. Select whether to import referenced source files.
5. Select whether to create memos from reference abstracts, keywords and notes.
Click OK.

NOTE

File descriptions are only 512 characters. To ensure complete reference abstracts are imported, select to create memos during import. This also allows you to code and query the abstract.
If you want to import file attachments and figures from EndNote, make sure the EndNote reference library is available on your computer (or on a network drive), so that NVivo can extract the files and figures.
Files attached using the RefWorks 'attachment feature' (available with institutional licenses only) cannot be exported from RefWorks via the RIS file, so they cannot be imported into NVivo.

How bibliographic references are imported into NVivo

For each imported reference NVivo checks whether a matching file already exists—if there is no matching file an external is created. Matching files in the exporting tool are imported along with their reference data.

By default, imported files are named by author and year of the publication but you can use publication title.

Imported files and automatically created externals are assigned a file classification, where their bibliographic reference information is stored as attribute values.

By default, all files and externals are assigned the Reference classification. This allows you to see all your references in a single classification sheet. It also allows you to use common attributes to create queries on different types of literature—for example, all references published in a particular year.
Alternatively, you can create separate file classifications for each reference type—for example, Journal Article, Book etc.

The reference information is imported as follows:

Author and year (or title) are used to name the file—this information is also stored as attribute values on the file.
The abstract becomes the description of the file. It can also be imported into a linked memo so you can code and query it. Importing abstracts in memos also ensures that the complete abstracts are imported—the description field is limited to 512 characters.
Keywords are imported as attribute values on the file. They can also be imported into a linked memo.
Notes are optionally imported into a linked memo—if you do not select this option then they are not imported.
All other reference information—for example, journal and volume—is stored as attribute values for the file.

NOTE

A file (containing the content of the file attachment) is created when the reference includes a file attachment that can be imported into NVivo, otherwise an external file is created (containing no content).
If there are multiple items in a reference field—for example, multiple authors—they are separated by a semicolons within the attribute value.
Attribute values can store up to 255 characters—text after the first 255 characters is not imported.
If you have a very large reference library it may take some time to import into NVivo—consider importing smaller groups of references.

How files associated with references are handled

When you import references, you can choose to import content from file attachments, file URLs (file://host/path) and figures.

If you choose not to import content, then the reference is imported as an external, with a link to the file. The reference information is stored as attribute values on the external.

If you choose to import content, where possible, NVivo imports the file as a new file—for example, as a PDF or picture file. The reference information is stored as attribute values on the new file.

If for any reason a file cannot be imported, then NVivo creates an external to represent the file attachment. The reference information is stored as attribute values on the new external, and the external has a link to the file. Files cannot be imported when:

The file is password or copy-protected—PDFs are sometimes protected.
The file is not in a supported format. Files
The file cannot be accessed—for example, the reference library is not on your computer or cannot be accessed across your network.

Only one file attachment, URL or figure per reference can be imported into NVivo. For example, if a reference contains multiple file attachments, then, by default, the first file attachment is imported. The path and file name for all file attachments, URLs or figures are recorded in the file attribute values.

URL Name

NVR1Mac-Content-files-reference-management

NVivo 13/R1: Import bibliographies

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Import bibliographies

Import references

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