CiteAssist: A System for Automated Preprint Citation and BibTeX Generation
Lars Benedikt Kaesberg, Terry Ruas, Jan Philip Wahle, Bela Gipp
TL;DR
This paper introduces CiteAssist, a system to automate BibTeX annotation generation for preprints and attach the citations directly to PDFs, addressing the challenge of citational metadata being hard to access alongside preprints. It combines PDF parsing via PDF-LIB, metadata extraction with Grobid, and a custom extractor to build BibTeX entries, while also enabling related-paper suggestions through keyword-driven searches. The approach yields a platform-independent workflow, delivering annotated PDFs or LaTeX fragments and a public web interface for easy adoption. The work contributes a practical tool that improves citation accuracy, discoverability, and reading workflows for researchers publishing preprints.
Abstract
We present CiteAssist, a system to automate the generation of BibTeX entries for preprints, streamlining the process of bibliographic annotation. Our system extracts metadata, such as author names, titles, publication dates, and keywords, to create standardized annotations within the document. CiteAssist automatically attaches the BibTeX citation to the end of a PDF and links it on the first page of the document so other researchers gain immediate access to the correct citation of the article. This method promotes platform flexibility by ensuring that annotations remain accessible regardless of the repository used to publish or access the preprint. The annotations remain available even if the preprint is viewed externally to CiteAssist. Additionally, the system adds relevant related papers based on extracted keywords to the preprint, providing researchers with additional publications besides those in related work for further reading. Researchers can enhance their preprints organization and reference management workflows through a free and publicly available web interface.