I can't cite from my jabref file. Can you please help?

Help
1

Hello,

It is my first time to use jabref, I created my reference list on jabref. I used the code \cite{name} in latex but i got question marks. What am i doing wrong?

2

JabRef “only” manages .bib files. So, your issue is more related to LaTeX and BibTeX than to JabRef.

The question marks indicates that, somehow, LaTeX does not find the references associated with your \cite commands.
To get your document with references, you need to compile with LaTeX, then with BibTeX, then with LaTeX again.
BibTeX will output 2 files: One ending with .bbl, the other with .blg. The .blg file logs the errors found by BibTeX. Its content may help you find out what is going on. Also, LaTeX creates a .log file that main content hints.

3

Maybe also the documentation/tutorial here may help you:

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Bibliography_Management#Getting_current_LaTeX_document_to_use_your_.bib_file

To quote from there:
You need to reference the created *.bib file from JabRef in you TeX document using the following lines:

\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{bibfilename}

bibfilename is a placeholder for the actual filename you are using. Thus, if your file is named “MyBibFile.bib” you’ll have to use \bibliography{MyBibFile} (without file extension!)

1 Like
4

I found this example from bibtex website and still got question mark when I cite. I cant really understand, maybe it is too easy but i cant figure it out.

bibtex file:

@misc{ Nobody06,
author = “Nobody Jr”,
title = “My Article”,
year = “2006” }

latex file:
\documentclass[11pt]{article}
\usepackage{cite}

\begin{document}

\title{My Article}
\author{Nobody Jr.}
\date{Today}
\maketitle

Blablabla said Nobody ~\cite{Nobody06}.

\bibliography{mybib}{}
\bibliographystyle{plain}
\end{document}

5

By compiling with latex, bibtex, latex and finally latex, it works on my computer.

The tutorial given to you by matthiasgeiger should be helpful to you (see above).

1 Like
6

It works now. Thank you.