Collections Workflow: From Paste to Export#

Collections Workflow: From Paste to Export#

This tutorial walks through the complete workflow of building a reference list using OokCite collections.

For collaborative writing, the most reliable pattern is to keep a local .bib file under version control and use an OokCite collection as the verification and export layer around it.

Before you start#

  • Keep your manuscript bibliography in references.bib or library.bib

  • Commit that file alongside the manuscript source

  • Use an authenticated OokCite session if you want import/export and collection search

  • Restart your MCP client after adding OOKCITE_API_KEY, because many clients do not hot-reload stdio server environments

Step 1: Format citations on the App page#

  1. Go to ookcite.turtletech.us/app

  2. Switch to the Paste tab

  3. Paste your raw references (one per line, or numbered)

  4. Click Format all

  5. OokCite resolves each reference against its citation corpus, using bounded provider fallbacks when needed, and formats it in your chosen style

Step 2: Save results to a collection#

After formatting, each result has a Save to collection dropdown:

  1. Click Save to collection on any result

  2. Pick an existing collection, or click + New collection to create one

  3. For batch results, use the Save to collection button at the bottom to save all at once

  4. A toast confirms “Saved to My References”

Step 3: Open the Collections page#

  1. Click the link in the toast, or navigate to Collections in the top menu

  2. The collections page shows a two-pane layout:

    • Left: your collection list with entry counts

    • Right: the selected collection with formatted citations

Step 4: Organize with tags#

  1. Click + tag under the collection header

  2. Type a tag name (e.g. “thesis”, “chapter-3”, “2026”) and press Enter

  3. Tags appear as filter pills in the sidebar – click to filter

Step 5: Add more citations directly#

Use the quick-add bar at the bottom of the collections page:

  • Search tab: type a DOI, ISBN, or free-text query (e.g. “Henkelman climbing image NEB”)

  • Manual tab: fill in citation fields by hand (title, authors, year, journal, etc.)

Step 6: Export#

  • Click Export .bib to download a BibTeX file with Better BibTeX keys

  • Click Copy all formatted to copy the full bibliography as rich text

  • Each entry has its own Copy button for individual citations

Step 6a: Working with a local bibliography#

If your project already has references.bib in git:

  1. Import that file into the collection with import_bibliography

  2. Use search_collection to check whether a cited paper is already present

  3. Use check_duplicates before large merges or cleanups

  4. Export back to BibTeX when you need a fresh audit snapshot

Treat the collection as a working mirror of the bibliography, not the only copy.

Step 7: Share (optional)#

  1. Click Share in the collection header

  2. Copy the generated read-only link

  3. Anyone with the link can view the collection and export it

  4. Revoke the link at any time by clicking Revoke