Get Started

RefKit parses a bibliography and applies a Citation Style Language (CSL) style to produce citations and a bibliography. Choose a language tab to follow the same workflow in Python or TypeScript, JavaScript with checked types.

Install

Use Python 3.10 through 3.14 or Node.js 22.19 or newer. The package managers pip and npm install the corresponding binding:

Python

python -m pip install refkit

TypeScript

npm install refkit-js

Node.js initializes RefKit during import. Browser applications initialize the WebAssembly module before using the same objects.

Building Python from source

Pip selects a compatible wheel when available. A source build requires Rust and Git and retrieves pinned revisions of the Hayagriva bibliography engine and Citationberg CSL model. The first build needs network access unless those revisions are cached.

Render a citation

Save the example as first_citation.py or first_citation.ts:

Python

import refkit as rk

source = """
@article{doe2024,
  author = {Doe, Jane},
  title = {Fast Citations},
  journal = {Journal of Citation Tests},
  year = {2024}
}
"""
library = rk.Library.parse_bibtex(source)
document = rk.Document(library, rk.Style.load("apa"), locale="en-US")
rendered = document.render([rk.Citation("intro", "doe2024")])

print(rendered["intro"].text)
print(rendered.bibliography.text)

TypeScript

import * as rk from "refkit-js";

const source = `
@article{doe2024,
  author = {Doe, Jane},
  title = {Fast Citations},
  journal = {Journal of Citation Tests},
  year = {2024}
}
`;
const library = rk.Library.parseBibtex(source);
const document = new rk.Document(library, rk.Style.load("apa"), { locale: "en-US" });
const rendered = document.render([new rk.Citation("intro", "doe2024")]);

console.log(rendered.get("intro").text);
console.log(rendered.bibliography.text);

Run the file:

Python

python first_citation.py

TypeScript

node first_citation.ts

Both produce:

(Doe, 2024)
Doe, J. (2024). Fast Citations. Journal of Citation Tests.

Library holds normalized references. Style selects the citation rules. Document combines them with a locale, and each Citation names a result. RenderedDocument gives you the named citations and the bibliography of entries they cite.

Choose the next task

Task	Continue with
Understand normalized records and editable source	Choose a bibliography model
Inspect entries, fields, and diagnostics	Parse bibliographies
Render groups, locators, and ordered citations	Render citations
Preserve comments and duplicate occurrences during edits	Edit raw BibTeX
Canonically format a bibliography	Format BibTeX
Process Python dataframe columns	Use Polars expressions

How RefKit works connects these tasks through the shared object model.