Catalogue

Synonyms: Online library, Literature database, Reference source, Data provider

Meaning

A catalogue is an online bibliographic data source that allows searching, retrieving, and importing metadata for scholarly works such as journal articles, conference papers, and books. In JabRef, a catalogue refers to an external service or repository — for example, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar, CrossRef, or arXiv — from which bibliographic entries can be fetched.

Catalogues provide structured metadata (author, title, DOI, year, etc.) that JabRef imports to enrich or create local entries in a user’s library.

Delimitation (Scope and Exclusions)

  • Not the same as a library: A library is the local .bib file managed in JabRef; a catalogue is an external source from which data is imported.
  • Not the same as a bibliography: A bibliography is a conceptual collection of works; a catalogue is a retrieval system that provides access to such works.
  • Not the same as references: References are selected works cited in a publication, possibly originating from multiple catalogues.
  • Not a search engine in general: Although some catalogues expose web search interfaces, their primary function is structured metadata access.

Validity

A catalogue is valid as long as its public interface (API or HTML interface) is operational and accessible.

Different catalogues may use:

  • standard interfaces (e.g., DOI, OAI-PMH, OpenSearch),
  • custom APIs (e.g., CrossRef REST API),
  • or web-scraping-based access (e.g., Google Scholar).

Naming and Uniqueness

Each catalogue is identified by:

  • its provider name (e.g., “ACM Digital Library”), and
  • its base URL or API endpoint.

In JabRef’s internal configuration, catalogues correspond to fetchers, each implementing a standardized interface for metadata retrieval.

Open Issues / Uncertainties

  • Availability and licensing of catalogue APIs may change without notice.
  • Metadata quality and completeness vary by provider.
  • Rate limits or CAPTCHA systems can restrict automated access.
  • The term “catalogue” is JabRef-specific; other reference managers use “online database” or “data source.”

Library, Bibliography, Citation