BibBreeze: A Referencing Package that Automates Bibliography Reconstruction

Note

For information regarding the details and purpose of the branches of this repository, please read the Instructions-Descriptions.md markdown file. Also, to see the output and capabilities of this package please look at the BibBreeze.pdf as an example.

Introduction

This LaTeX package, called BibBreeze written using LaTeX3, is a referencing package that automates bibliography reconstruction, eliminating manual effort in reference handling. It reorders disorganized fields for bibliography entries, fills in missing fields, and produces polished, referencing style-compliant bibliographies—optimized for researchers, academics, and writers. Currently, the package's referencing style is designed for APA (with both numeric and author-year in-text citations) with more styles (Harvard, Chicago, AMA, etc.) to come.

Key Features

• Advanced Automation: Leverage algorithms that parse through bibliography data from .bib files, to automate the handling of incomplete or misstructured entries:
  • Recognises embedded entry fields, such as a booktitle field in conference proceedings entry that may combine the conference title, location, and date, and distributes them into their proper structure.
  • Differentiates between subtypes of entries sharing a single BibTeX key (e.g., @inproceedings), such as presented conference proceedings versus those published in books or journals.
  • Embeds actionable prompts directly in the bibliography output, providing instructions for manual edits when automated fixes aren’t sufficient.
• Designed for Academic Use: Also tailored for journals requiring APA referencing with numeric in-text citation, offering a time-saving solution for academic writing.
  • Note: Users wishing to use the standard APA style (author-year in-text citation) can do so with a simple modification, as explained in the BibBreeze.tex file or in the Instructions-Descriptions.md file.
• Seamless Integration: Works effortlessly with LaTeX projects using BibLaTeX.

• Full APA 7th Edition Compliance: Accurately implements all guidelines of the APA 7th edition for various entry types such as articles, books, conference proceedings (presented, published in journals or books), and theses (PhD and masters).

## Why This Template?

• Other widely used referencing packages, such as BibLaTeX's default APA style and Springer Nature's universal referencing package, lack this level of automation. For example:
  • They may overdeliver by printing unnecessary fields, such as a paragraph-long note field.
  • They are unable to recognise embedded fields.
  • They cannot distinguish between subtypes of an entry sharing the same BibTeX key.
  • They do not prompt users with instructions when critical fields are missing.
• Strict APA 7th Edition Compliance: Adheres to the strict guidelines of the APA 7th edition, down to correct order and punctuation. To the observations and tests of this developer, other packages have notable flaws in this regard, such as:
  • Missing "&" for two or more authors in the Springer Nature's package.
  • Printing duplicate "http" prefixes in URLs or DOIs in BibLaTeX's default APA style.
  • Including unnecessary fields by APA standards such as paragraph-long notes in both APA packages (BibLaTeX's default and Springer Nature), leading to non-compliant output.
• Superior Solution for Referencing: By addressing these automation and compliance issues, the BibBreeze package provides a superior solution for accurate referencing, reducing manual effort and ensuring consistency across academic writing.

Installation and Setup

1. Clone this repository: https://github.com/mamadgit/BibBreeze.git
2. Include the template in your LaTeX project:

- Add the provided .bbx and .dbx files to your project directory.

• Configure BibLaTeX to use this style in your .tex file (according to the .tex provided).

3. Compile your document using a LaTeX editor (e.g., Overleaf, TeXShop) with BibLaTeX enabled.

Contributing and Feedback

• For bug report or questions, please open an issue in the Issues tab.
  • For general discussions, check out the Discussions tab.