Title: Borges Bibliography Builder
Author: Dan Knauss
Published: May 4, 2026
Last modified: June 23, 2026
---
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# Borges Bibliography Builder
By [Dan Knauss](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dpknauss/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/borges-bibliography-builder.1.4.2.zip)
* [Details](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/#description)
* [Reviews](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/#installation)
* [Development](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/borges-bibliography-builder/)
## Description
Named for Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986), the Argentine writer and librarian known
for stories about infinite libraries, imaginary books, and labyrinths of knowledge,
Borges Bibliography Builder brings order to scholarly references in WordPress.
The **Borges Bibliography Builder** transforms DOI(s), PubMed/PMID records, BibTeX,
CSL-JSON, manual entries, and supported free-text citations into a semantically
rich, deduplicated, auto-sorted reference list with RIS export for citation managers.
**One-click import.** Paste a DOI and Crossref resolves the metadata instantly.
Paste a PubMed/PMID identifier and Borges resolves it through an authenticated WordPress
REST proxy to NCBI/PMC citation metadata. Paste BibTeX or formatted citations for
books, articles, chapters, webpages, reviews, and theses.
**Nine citation styles.** Choose from Chicago Notes-Bibliography, Chicago Author-
Date, APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE, OSCOLA, and ABNT (Associação Brasileira
de Normas Técnicas / NBR 6023:2018) — all with automatic sorting per style rules.
**Portable.** Static HTML output survives plugin deactivation. No shortcodes. No
database tables.
**Accessible by default.** Semantic list markup, keyboard-operable editing and entry
reordering (Alt+Arrow for numeric styles), visible focus, and optional Block Accessibility
Checks integration help your bibliographies meet accessibility expectations.
**Reference-manager friendly.** Export and reuse your bibliography in common research
workflows. Borges supports CSL-JSON, BibTeX, BibLaTeX, RIS, DOI links, JSON-LD,
and optional COinS metadata for compatibility with tools such as Zotero, Mendeley,
EndNote, JabRef, BibDesk, and other citation managers.
**Reader-facing cite & export.** Optionally add a per-entry Cite / Export panel
to the published bibliography: a static, JavaScript-free disclosure under each entry
with the citation text and one-click downloads in RIS, CSL-JSON, BibTeX, and BibLaTeX.
Off by default; enable it per block.
**Try it first.** Launch a disposable demo in [WordPress Playground](https://playground.wordpress.net/?blueprint-url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dknauss/Borges/main/playground/blueprint.json)
before installing it on your site.
**Translation-ready.** Plugin interface strings use the `borges-bibliography-builder`
text domain, and official WordPress.org language packs are generated as community
translations are approved on translate.wordpress.org.
**Support development.** If Borges saves you time by bringing order to your citations
and joy to your heart, you can [sponsor the author](https://github.com/sponsors/dknauss)
to support ongoing maintenance.
### Known Limitations
**OSCOLA grouped bibliography** — OSCOLA convention requires the bibliography to
be divided into source-type groups (cases, legislation, books, articles, online
sources). Borges currently renders a single alphabetized list regardless of style.
A dismissible notice in the editor explains this when OSCOLA is selected. Grouped-
bibliography support is planned for a future release.
### Development
Full developer documentation, source code, issue tracker, and contribution guidelines
are on GitHub:
[https://github.com/dknauss/Borges](https://github.com/dknauss/Borges)
Bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md
in the repository for development setup, coding standards, and the PR process.
### External Services
This plugin connects to fixed scholarly metadata services only when you explicitly
add an identifier in the block editor — no citation data is sent automatically or
in the background. No account or API key is required for the supported DOI or PMID
lookups.
**DOI metadata**
DOI input connects to the **Crossref REST API** (https://api.crossref.org/) to resolve
citation metadata.
* Crossref service: https://www.crossref.org/
* Crossref REST API documentation: https://api.crossref.org/swagger-ui/index.html
* Crossref privacy policy: https://www.crossref.org/privacy/
* Crossref terms of service: https://www.crossref.org/terms/
**PubMed/PMID metadata**
PubMed/PMID input connects through the plugin’s authenticated WordPress REST proxy
to the **NCBI/PMC Literature Citation Exporter** CSL endpoint. The proxy uses a
fixed upstream host and validates the PMID before making the outbound request.
* NCBI APIs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/home/develop/api/
* NCBI/PMC Literature Citation Exporter: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/api/ctxp/
* NLM Web Policies: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/web_policies.html
## Screenshots
[⌊Front-end bibliography output with hanging indents, italic titles, and linked
DOIs, styled by the active theme.⌉⌊Front-end bibliography output with hanging indents,
italic titles, and linked DOIs, styled by the active theme.⌉[
Front-end bibliography output with hanging indents, italic titles, and linked DOIs,
styled by the active theme.
[⌊Discover the Bibliography block in the block inserter by searching for "Bibliography."⌉⌊
Discover the Bibliography block in the block inserter by searching for "Bibliography.
"⌉[
Discover the Bibliography block in the block inserter by searching for “Bibliography.”
[⌊Paste DOIs, PubMed/PMID identifiers, BibTeX, CSL-JSON, or free-text citations
into the import form; hover any entry to reveal copy, edit, and delete actions.⌉⌊
Paste DOIs, PubMed/PMID identifiers, BibTeX, CSL-JSON, or free-text citations into
the import form; hover any entry to reveal copy, edit, and delete actions.⌉[
Paste DOIs, PubMed/PMID identifiers, BibTeX, CSL-JSON, or free-text citations into
the import form; hover any entry to reveal copy, edit, and delete actions.
[⌊Switch to Manual Entry to build a citation field by field — Publication Type,
Author, Title, Container, Publisher, Year, Pages, DOI, and URL.⌉⌊Switch to Manual
Entry to build a citation field by field — Publication Type, Author, Title, Container,
Publisher, Year, Pages, DOI, and URL.⌉[
Switch to Manual Entry to build a citation field by field — Publication Type, Author,
Title, Container, Publisher, Year, Pages, DOI, and URL.
[⌊Correct imported or free-text citations in place with the structured field editor—
fix individual fields without retyping the whole entry.⌉⌊Correct imported or free-
text citations in place with the structured field editor — fix individual fields
without retyping the whole entry.⌉[
Correct imported or free-text citations in place with the structured field editor—
fix individual fields without retyping the whole entry.
[⌊For numbered styles such as IEEE and Vancouver, reorder entries with the up and
down controls (or Alt+Arrow keys) to set citation numbering.⌉⌊For numbered styles
such as IEEE and Vancouver, reorder entries with the up and down controls (or Alt
+Arrow keys) to set citation numbering.⌉[
For numbered styles such as IEEE and Vancouver, reorder entries with the up and
down controls (or Alt+Arrow keys) to set citation numbering.
[⌊Choose the citation style and visible heading and toggle metadata output — JSON-
LD, COinS, CSL-JSON, and the per-entry Cite / Export panel — from the block settings
sidebar.⌉⌊Choose the citation style and visible heading and toggle metadata output—
JSON-LD, COinS, CSL-JSON, and the per-entry Cite / Export panel — from the block
settings sidebar.⌉[
Choose the citation style and visible heading and toggle metadata output — JSON-
LD, COinS, CSL-JSON, and the per-entry Cite / Export panel — from the block settings
sidebar.
[⌊Export the whole bibliography from the sidebar: copy as plain text, or download
CSL-JSON, BibTeX, BibLaTeX, or RIS.⌉⌊Export the whole bibliography from the sidebar:
copy as plain text, or download CSL-JSON, BibTeX, BibLaTeX, or RIS.⌉[
Export the whole bibliography from the sidebar: copy as plain text, or download
CSL-JSON, BibTeX, BibLaTeX, or RIS.
[⌊Readers can expand the per-entry Cite / Export panel on the published page to
copy a citation or download it as RIS, CSL-JSON, BibTeX, or BibLaTeX.⌉⌊Readers can
expand the per-entry Cite / Export panel on the published page to copy a citation
or download it as RIS, CSL-JSON, BibTeX, or BibLaTeX.⌉[
Readers can expand the per-entry Cite / Export panel on the published page to copy
a citation or download it as RIS, CSL-JSON, BibTeX, or BibLaTeX.
## Blocks
This plugin provides 1 block.
* Bibliography A scholarly bibliography block. Add DOI(s), PubMed/PMID records,
BibTeX entries, and supported citations to build a semantically rich, auto-sorted
reference list.
## Installation
1. Upload the plugin files to `/wp-content/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/`,
or install directly through the WordPress plugin screen.
2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ screen in WordPress.
3. Add the “Bibliography” block to any post or page.
4. Paste DOI(s), PubMed/PMID identifiers, BibTeX, CSL-JSON, or supported citations
for books, articles, chapters, and webpages — or add citations manually.
## FAQ
### Which translations are available?
The WordPress.org plugin page’s Languages list is the canonical list of currently
published language packs. English (US) is the source language and is not counted
as a translated locale; other locales appear after their Stable plugin translations
are approved on translate.wordpress.org and a language pack is generated.
The package includes seed PO/MO files for translator review and import in French(`
fr_FR`), German (`de_DE`), Dutch (`nl_NL`), Swedish (`sv_SE`), Spanish (`es_ES`),
Italian (`it_IT`), Portuguese (`pt_PT`), Polish (`pl_PL`), Russian (`ru_RU`), Japanese(`
ja`), Simplified Chinese (`zh_CN`), Korean (`ko_KR`), Serbian (`sr_RS`), Croatian(`
hr`), Brazilian Portuguese (`pt_BR`), Hindi (`hi_IN`), Bengali (`bn_BD`), Tamil (`
ta_IN`), and Telugu (`te`). These files cover plugin interface strings only and
should not be read as official WordPress.org language-pack availability.
### What citation input formats does the Borges Bibliography Builder support?
Bare DOIs, DOI URLs, PubMed/PMID identifiers, BibTeX, CSL-JSON, manual citation
entries, and supported formatted citations for books, articles, chapters, webpages,
reviews, and theses/dissertations. Free-text citations that include an inline DOI
or labeled PMID are routed through the DOI/PubMed resolvers before falling back
to the heuristic parser. RIS is supported as an export format, not as an import
format. You can paste multiple entries at once, up to 50 per paste, and each bibliography
holds up to 200 citations in total.
### Does the ABNT style implement NBR 6023:2018?
Yes. The ABNT option targets Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas bibliography
formatting under NBR 6023:2018, uses the `pt-BR` locale, and defaults new ABNT bibliographies
to the heading `Referências`. Always verify institutional or journal-specific ABNT
variants before submission.
### What happens if I deactivate the Borges Bibliography Builder?
Your bibliographies remain fully readable. The block uses static HTML output, so
all formatted citations stay in your post content.
### What happens if I delete the Borges Bibliography Builder?
Your bibliographies stay in your posts — they are saved as static HTML, not in a
database table the plugin owns. When you delete the plugin, Borges removes only
its own cached lookup data (transient and object-cache entries) and leaves your
content untouched.
### Does the Borges Bibliography Builder work with Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and other citation managers?
Yes. Borges is built around portable bibliography formats rather than lock-in. Zotero
can use DOI links, BibTeX, RIS, CSL-JSON, and optional COinS metadata. Mendeley
and EndNote are best supported through BibTeX/RIS exports, with DOI-backed entries
also friendly to browser importers. JabRef, BibDesk, and LaTeX/Biber workflows can
use UTF-8 BibTeX or BibLaTeX. CSL-JSON is available for citeproc and scholarly data
workflows.
### Why would I enable CSL-JSON?
Enable CSL-JSON if you want your bibliography data to be reusable by scholarly tools,
scripts, or services without scraping the visible citation text.
### Can I export the bibliography data?
Yes. In the editor you can download the whole bibliography as CSL-JSON, BibTeX,
BibLaTeX, or RIS, copy any single citation, or copy the full bibliography as plain
text. You can also enable a per-entry Cite / Export panel that places the same RIS,
CSL-JSON, BibTeX, and BibLaTeX downloads — plus the citation text — directly on
the published page for your readers. The reader-facing panel is static and JavaScript-
free and is off by default.
### Can I access bibliography data via API?
Yes. The plugin exposes read-only REST endpoints at `/wp-json/bibliography/v1/posts/
/bibliographies` and `/wp-json/bibliography/v1/posts//bibliographies/
`. Published posts are readable publicly; non-public posts require permission
to edit the post. The single-bibliography route also supports `format=json`, `format
=text`, and `format=csl-json`. Editor-only authenticated endpoints handle CSL formatting
and PubMed/PMID resolution; they do not persist citations by themselves.
### Does the Borges Bibliography Builder work on WordPress Multisite?
Yes. Borges works on WordPress Multisite, including network activation. If you encounter
issues on a specific network configuration, please report them.
### What PHP and WordPress versions are supported?
PHP 7.4+ and WordPress 6.4+. Borges Bibliography Builder is tested up to WordPress
7.0.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“Borges Bibliography Builder” is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
* [ Dan Knauss ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dpknauss/)
“Borges Bibliography Builder” has been translated into 1 locale. Thank you to [the translators](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/contributors)
for their contributions.
[Translate “Borges Bibliography Builder” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/borges-bibliography-builder)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/borges-bibliography-builder/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/borges-bibliography-builder/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/borges-bibliography-builder/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/borges-bibliography-builder/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.4.2
* Resolve DOI and labeled PMID identifiers embedded in free-text citation pastes
through the existing CrossRef and PubMed resolver paths.
* Fall back from embedded-identifier resolution to the heuristic free-text parser
before showing unsupported-input guidance.
* Add free-text sample documentation for supported embedded DOI/PMID citation inputs.
* Stabilize numeric citation reorder E2E coverage against editor readiness races.
* Clarify that RIS is supported for export, not import.
#### 1.4.1
* Clean up after the plugin when it is deleted: uninstalling now removes the plugin’s
cached data — the formatter and PubMed/PMID transients (across all sites on multisite)
and its object-cache groups where the host supports it. Bibliography blocks already
saved in your posts are left untouched.
#### 1.4.0
* Add optional per-entry Cite / Export affordances to the public bibliography:
a static, no-JS `` disclosure panel under each entry with the citation
text and one-click downloads for RIS, CSL-JSON, BibTeX, and BibLaTeX. Enable
it per block with the new “Per-entry Cite / Export” toggle in the Metadata output
panel; off by default.
* Pre-compute BibTeX and BibLaTeX export data in the editor so the front-end downloads
work without activating the plugin, and derive readable download filenames from
each citation (for example, watson1953.ris).
* Only pre-compute export data when the feature is enabled, so bibliographies that
do not use Cite / Export incur no extra editor work.
* Use a secure-context-safe helper for generating citation and bibliography IDs.
* Remove a dead, never-loaded duplicate of the PMID resolver (includes/pmid.php)
to eliminate a function-redeclare risk.
* Fix DOI imports for works that Crossref labels with a non-standard type such
as “monograph” (common for university-press books), which previously failed to
import; unrecognized types now map to a sensible CSL type or fall back gracefully
instead of aborting the import.
* Fix the default Chicago Notes-Bibliography style (and OSCOLA and MLA) dropping
the publication year on every entry; those styles used an issued-date form the
formatter does not render. All bundled styles now show the year, guarded by a
regression test.
* Title-case author names and titles that Crossref or PubMed return in ALL CAPS(
e.g. “TURING” / “I.—COMPUTING MACHINERY AND INTELLIGENCE”) so they no longer
render shouting; already-cased text, initials, organizations, and non-Latin scripts
are left untouched.
#### 1.3.4
* Refresh the translation template and 19 seed PO/MO locale pairs from current
source strings.
* Add i18n artifact validation to CI so POT, PO, MO, and public language-pack wording
stay aligned.
* Clarify that bundled seed language files are translator/import material and WordPress.
org Languages remains canonical for official packs.
* Update docs for the current maintenance state and archive historical planning
notes out of active paths.
#### 1.3.3
* Restore DOI imports in browser-based WordPress Playground by resolving DOI metadata
through Crossref’s CORS-friendly CSL transform endpoint.
* Serialize DOI lookups to respect Crossref’s public concurrency limit when multiple
DOIs are pasted together.
* Add a PubMed/PMID sample to the Playground starter content alongside DOI and
BibTeX examples.
#### 1.3.2
* Add optional Block Accessibility Checks compatibility: soft-detects the BAC plugin
and registers four editor checks (empty bibliography, missing heading, raw URL
link text, all metadata disabled). Borges works normally when BAC is absent.
* Harden Playwright E2E plugin-row locator to exclude WordPress update notice rows,
fixing CI strict-mode violations.
* Regenerate translation template (POT) with 81 strings, up from 41; covers PHP
error messages, BAC check strings, BibLaTeX export labels, and citation reorder
controls.
* Extend banner generation script with locale and RTL support flags.
#### 1.3.1
* Raise per-bibliography hard cap from 50 to 200 citations. Bibliographies between
100 and 199 citations now show a dismissible editor notice warning about potential
formatting slowness on shared hosting. The per-paste limit (50 entries) is unchanged.
#### 1.3.0
* Enforce an explicit 50-citation total cap per bibliography block with inline
editor warnings, replacing the silent 51-entry formatter cliff.
* Guard all async editor mutation flows (paste/import, manual add, delete, style
switch, structured edit) against stale results from superseded in-flight format
requests.
* Remove redundant formatter call in the manual-entry add path; the merged bibliography
is now formatted once instead of twice.
* Prune non-runtime vendor documentation and images from the release zip and exclude
composer.lock, reducing release package weight.
* Cache successful PMID proxy responses and deduplicate pending DOI resolution
requests to reduce avoidable network traffic.
* Refactor editor side-effects into focused hooks: useCitationImportActions, useManualCitationActions,
and useBibliographyExportActions.
* Extract PHP PMID resolver, cache, and permission logic into includes/pmid.php.
#### 1.2.0
* Add BibLaTeX export from the editor exports panel.
* Highlight 1.2.0 interoperability features, recent 1.1.x accessibility fixes,
and ABNT (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas / NBR 6023:2018) support in
the readmes and changelogs.
* Add PMID input resolution through an authenticated WordPress REST proxy to the
NCBI/PMC Literature Citation Exporter API.
* Add manual reordering controls for numeric citation styles, including keyboard
Alt+Arrow movement.
* Reformat the full bibliography after citation mutations so cached display text,
sort order, and metadata stay aligned.
* Improve sort parity with style-family dispatch, author-date tie-breakers, and
JS/PHP coordination fixtures.
* Improve accessibility names for saved citation URL links and block toolbar controls.
* Harden Playwright accessibility and Playground smoke tests for shared WordPress
Playground servers.
* Add compact matrix coverage for all nine styles, formatter output, export ordering,
and PMID REST proxy regression before tagging 1.2.0.
#### 1.1.1
* Fix Block Accessibility Checks (BAC) integration shipped in 1.1.0: register against
the current BAC API, harden the soft opt-in, and load validation checks reliably
so the `empty_bibliography` error and `heading_missing` warning fire as documented
when the BAC plugin is active.
* Fix editor focus-ring regression so keyboard focus on entry actions remains visible.
* Fix Playground demo blueprint to install from the latest release zip rather than
a stale path.
#### 1.1.0
* Add optional Block Accessibility Checks (BAC) integration: when Troy Chaplin’s
Block Accessibility Checks plugin is active, the bibliography block registers
two authoring-time checks — an error if no citations have been added, and a warning
if no heading is set so screen reader users navigating by heading can find the
section.
* No functional change when BAC is not installed.
#### 1.0.2
* Fix browser-based WordPress Playground demos by explicitly enabling the Playground
Intl feature in addition to the kitchen-sink PHP extension bundle.
* Keep the GitHub demo blueprint and WordPress.org Preview blueprint aligned for
Intl-enabled citation formatting, with regression coverage.
* Clarify translation wording so the readme distinguishes bundled seed PO/MO files
from official WordPress.org language packs.
#### 1.0.1
* Fix Playground/editor bibliography formatting by using the WordPress REST API
fetch helper for formatter requests.
* Add the WordPress.org Preview blueprint at the documented assets path with the
required PHP extension bundle for citation formatting.
#### 1.0.0
* Initial public release as Borges Bibliography Builder.
* Add references from DOIs, DOI URLs, BibTeX entries, supported formatted citations,
or manual entry.
* Format bibliographies in Chicago Notes-Bibliography, Chicago Author-Date, APA
7, MLA 9, Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE, OSCOLA, and ABNT (Associação Brasileira de
Normas Técnicas / NBR 6023:2018).
* Automatically sort entries per style rules and skip duplicate manual or pasted
entries.
* Save static HTML output so bibliographies remain readable after plugin deactivation.
* Output Schema.org JSON-LD by default, with optional COinS and CSL-JSON metadata
layers.
* Export CSL-JSON, UTF-8 BibTeX, and RIS; copy individual citations or the full
bibliography as plain text.
* Preserve Unicode quotation marks in BibTeX exports for Zotero, Mendeley, and
other citation-manager imports.
* Provide reference-manager-friendly metadata and exports for Zotero, Mendeley,
EndNote, JabRef, BibDesk, LaTeX, and CSL/citeproc workflows.
* Improve accessibility with keyboard navigation, visible focus, block-local notices,
semantic bibliography markup, and no deprecated bibliography-entry ARIA role
in newly saved output.
* Provide read-only REST API endpoints for programmatic bibliography access.
* Bundle seed interface locale files for translator review/import while using WordPress.
org language packs as the canonical availability signal.
* Harden the WordPress.org release package with third-party notices and Plugin
Check cleanup.
* Standardize GitHub, Playground, and release-download links on the approved `borges-
bibliography-builder` slug and zip name.
* Add CI/runtime coverage for Multisite network activation and expanded PHP utility
behavior.
* Confirm compatibility wording through WordPress 7.0 testing.
## Meta
* Version **1.4.2**
* Last updated **7 days ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 6.4 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.0**
* PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
* Languages
* [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/) and
[Russian](https://ru.wordpress.org/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/).
* [Translate into your language](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/borges-bibliography-builder)
* Tags
* [academic](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/academic/)[bibliography](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/bibliography/)
[bibtex](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/bibtex/)[citation](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/citation/)
[doi](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/doi/)
* [Advanced View](https://test.wordpress.org/plugins/borges-bibliography-builder/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/borges-bibliography-builder/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/borges-bibliography-builder/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Dan Knauss ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/dpknauss/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/borges-bibliography-builder/)
## Donate
Would you like to support the advancement of this plugin?
[ Donate to this plugin ](https://github.com/sponsors/dknauss)