How to Add References to Your Bibliography in LaTeX Without Citations

In academic work, the bibliography is crucial in LaTeX as it lists the used references. Occasionally you want to include a reference in the bibliography without citing it explicitly in the text. This guide explains how to do that in LaTeX and offers solutions for both BibTeX and biblatex.

Streamlining References with CiteDrive & Overleaf

For an integrated and collaborative web reference management solution that pairs smoothly with Overleaf, consider giving CiteDrive a shot. CiteDrive is a potent tool for LaTeX users, making it simple to manage references while guaranteeing impeccably organized bibliographies and citations. It maintains team synchronicity as the BibTeX file auto-updates whenever items are inserted, removed, or altered. By linking your CiteDrive project to an Overleaf project, the bibliography updates automatically — this saves time and enhances precision. To jumpstart your experience with CiteDrive, take a look at the blog post on Overleaf: https://www.overleaf.com/blog/better-bibliography-management-with-overleaf-citedrive-and-bibtex-biblatex.

Adding References without Citations in BibTeX

1. Open your LaTeX document in an editor and locate the section where you define your bibliography.
2. Utilize the \nocite{key} command withthe key of the reference you wish to include.

Here’s an example of how it looks in BibTeX:

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{references}
\nocite{ref3}
\end{document}

1. Compile your LaTeX document using the appropriate tools (e.g., pdflatex, bibtex, and pdflatex) to generate the updated bibliography.

Including References in biblatex

If you are using biblatex, the process is quite similar:

1. Open your LaTeX document in an editor.
2. Locate the section where you define your bibliography using the \printbibliography command.
3. Use the \nocite{key} command followed by the key of the reference you want to add.

Here’s an example of how it looks in biblatex:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[style=authoryear]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{references.bib} 
\begin{document}
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
\nocite{ref3}
\printbibliography
\end{document}

Compile your LaTeX document using e.g. pdflatex, biber, or pdflatex to create the updated bibliography.

Adding uncited references to your LaTeX bibliography is feasible and beneficial when you want to include important but not directly cited sources. You can use the \nocite{} command in BibTeX or biblatex for this purpose. This approach allows you to expand your bibliography and acknowledge more sources, all while maintaining your document’s coherence.