Import .bib Files to PERRLA – Bring your library and research notes with you

If you do research, you probably have references scattered across tools like Zotero, EndNote, or Mendeley. Now PERRLA will take those .bib exports and turn them into usable (accurate) references in PERRLA. Whether you import a single entry while you’re working in a paper or drop in an entire exported library, PERRLA converts the entries into high-quality, publication-ready references & preserves research notes when they’re present.

Why this matters

Moving references between apps shouldn’t feel like a data migration project. Students, grad researchers, instructors, and librarians told us they wanted an easier way to move their existing bibliographies into PERRLA – without retyping, losing notes, or guessing which fields landed where. Importing .bib files speeds up setup, reduces manual work, and keeps the ideas and annotations you already captured attached to their sources.

How it works – a quick overview

You can import .bib files two ways – while you’re working inside a paper, or from the PERRLA Online References Module. Both methods use the same import engine and the same quality checks:

If you add a single reference while working in a paper, PERRLA reviews the entry and then adds the finished reference directly to your paper.
If you upload multiple references at once, PERRLA imports them into your library in a default state. You can then review and add individual items to papers as needed.

What gets imported

PERRLA pulls in as much bibliographic information from the .bib file as is compatible with the PERRLA reference engine – title, authors, year, DOI/URL, abstracts, and other standard fields when available. If your .bib export included notes, PERRLA imports those notes and attaches them to the corresponding reference as a Research Note. When you add that reference to a PERRLA paper, the research notes are visible in the Research Notes panel and can be dragged into your document as needed.

Because PERRLA’s reference engine is more detailed and specific than typical .bib engines, we ask users to review imported references before they’re added to an individual paper. That review step helps make sure we map fields correctly and deliver an accurate APA, MLA, or Turabian reference – not just a best-effort approximation.

Supported sources and formats

We support standard .bib exports from common tools like Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and online databases. If your export uses the ambiguous reference types (not books, journal articles, or websites), you may be prompted to identify the type of reference (for example, anthology, interview, or legal work) so we can map fields correctly to a specific APA/MLA/Turabian template.

Limitations and what’s coming

PERRLA does not import attachments or PDFs from .bib exports yet. We plan to add attachment import in 2026.
Large libraries have no hard file-size limits, but we recommend uploading big exports through the PERRLA Online References Module rather than importing them inside a paper for a smoother experience.
We currently support standard .bib text variants – BibLaTeX and some custom formats may not import cleanly.

Quick tips

Export from Zotero/Mendeley/EndNote using a standard BibTeX/.bib export.
If you included research notes in your export, double-check that the notes appear in PERRLA after import so they travel with the reference.
For imported entries labeled as “miscellaneous” in other apps, use the review step to pick the right reference type so PERRLA can create a precise citation.

Need help or have feedback?

If you run into trouble or have questions, our support team will help: support@perrla.com. If you’d like to try this on an especially large library or want help mapping tricky reference types, tell us – we’ll walk you through it.

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