Qu'est-ce qu'une clé de citation dans BibTeX (et comment l'utiliser efficacement) ?

Last updated: May 28, 2025 (originally posted on January 8, 2023)

When writing academic documents with LaTeX, Markdown, or tools like Quarto and R Markdown, citation management is key—and that starts with the citation key.

What Is a Citation Key?

A citation key is a unique identifier used in BibTeX to reference a specific source in your .bib file. In LaTeX, you cite a source using the \cite{key} command. In Markdown-based systems such as Quarto or R Markdown, the equivalent syntax is [@key].

The citation key ensures that your reference points to the correct bibliographic entry—making it essential for structured, professional documents.

Example of a Citation Key in BibTeX

Here’s a typical example of a BibTeX entry:

@article{smith2021great,
  author  = {John Smith},
  title   = {The Great Article},
  journal = {Journal of Great Articles},
  year    = {2021},
  volume  = {1},
  number  = {2},
  pages   = {3-4}
}

In this case, the citation key is smith2021great. This is what you would use in your document like so:

\cite{smith2021great}

Or in a Quarto/R Markdown file:

[@smith2021great]

How to Choose a Good Citation Key

While you can technically use any unique string without spaces or special characters, best practices include making citation keys:

• Descriptive: Helps you recognize the source at a glance.
• Consistent: Follows a clear pattern.
• Compact: Avoids overly long or complex strings.

A common pattern is:

AuthorLastName + Year + Keyword

Example:

smith2021great

This naming convention improves organization and makes writing citations more intuitive.

Why Citation Keys Matter

• 🔍 Findability: Easier to search and cite in long documents.
• 📄 Clarity: Reduces confusion in collaborative writing or version control.
• 🧠 Memory-friendly: You’re more likely to remember miller2020climate than something generic like ref1.

Using Citation Keys with CiteDrive

If you’re using CiteDrive to manage your references for Overleaf, Quarto, or Jupyter Notebooks, citation keys are automatically generated based on your selected pattern. You can also customize them to suit your workflow.

CiteDrive ensures that:

• All citation keys are unique
• Formatting is LaTeX- and Markdown-safe
• You can update citation keys without breaking your document

This makes reference management smoother, especially in larger projects.

Final Thoughts

Citation keys may seem small, but they’re foundational to efficient and accurate reference management in LaTeX and Markdown environments. Choose your keys wisely, follow a consistent naming convention, and let tools like CiteDrive handle the heavy lifting.

Need help organizing your .bib file or managing citations in Quarto or Overleaf? 📚 Try CiteDrive today — the cloud-based citation manager built for academic writing.