Formatting utility

Journal Abbreviator

Paste your reference list or BibTeX file below. The engine will instantly parse the text and replace full journal titles with their standardized CASSI abbreviations. Titles it doesn't recognise are flagged, and you can add your own rules.

100% client-side

Raw Input

Custom abbreviations

One rule per line: Full Journal Name = Abbrev., lines starting with # are ignored. Custom rules override the built-in list and are saved in this browser only.

Abbreviated Output 0 Changes
Waiting for input...
How-To Guide

How to abbreviate journal names

Paste a reference list or BibTeX and the tool swaps recognised full journal titles for their standard abbreviations, live as you type.

1

Paste your references

Drop a bibliography or .bib file into the input box, or click Example to try a sample.

2

Watch the live output

Recognised titles are replaced instantly and highlighted in pink; likely journal titles the dictionary doesn't know are flagged in amber so nothing slips through unnoticed.

3

Add your own rules

Open Custom abbreviations and add Full Name = Abbrev. lines for niche journals. Rules are saved in your browser and override the built-in list.

4

Copy the result

Click Copy Text to grab the abbreviated bibliography.

How the matching works

Variant-tolerant, longest-match replacement

Titles are matched case-insensitively against a curated list of ~200 journals, longest entries first, so a full title always beats any shorter fragment. Matching also tolerates a leading The, "&" written as "and", missing colons, hyphen vs. en-dash, and titles wrapped across lines in a .bib file. Everything runs in your browser.

Extensible, and honest about gaps

The built-in list is a hand-checked subset of CASSI, not the full database. Anything that looks like a journal title but isn't recognised is flagged in amber and left untouched, verify it against the official sources below, or add it yourself in the Custom abbreviations panel (the whole built-in list lives in a single, easy-to-edit data file).

Common single-word titles whose abbreviation equals the full name (Nature, Science, Small, Langmuir…) are recognised but never altered or highlighted, so ordinary English words in your text are safe. Abbreviation style follows CASSI for chemistry and ISO 4 / the LTWA more generally.

Frequently asked questions

Is my bibliography uploaded anywhere?
No. Matching and replacement run entirely in your browser; nothing is sent to a server. Custom rules are stored only in your browser's local storage.
Why wasn't one of my journals abbreviated?
The built-in list is a curated subset of ~200 titles, not the full CASSI database. Unrecognised titles are left untouched and flagged in amber, check them against CASSI or the LTWA, or add them as a custom rule.
Can I add my own journal abbreviations?
Yes. Open the Custom abbreviations panel below the input and add one rule per line as Full Journal Name = Abbrev. Custom rules override the built-in list and persist in your browser.
What standard do the abbreviations follow?
CASSI (the CAS Source Index) for chemistry titles, which aligns with ISO 4 and the ISSN List of Title Word Abbreviations (LTWA).
Does it handle variant spellings of a title?
Yes. A leading The, "&" written as "and" (e.g. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces), missing colons (Journal of Physics Condensed Matter), different dashes, any capitalisation, and line-wrapped BibTeX titles are all matched.
Can I see what changed?
Keep Highlight on: each replaced title is marked in pink (hover to see the original), and suspected unknown journals are marked in amber.
CASSI Search Tool ISO 4 standard LTWA (ISSN)

Runs entirely in your browser, no data leaves your device.