free · in-browser · no upload
Drop your MODS file. We'll convert it to CSL-JSON right here in your browser, your file never leaves your device.
Select your file here to get started
or drop your file here.
Accepts .xml, .mods
How it works
Click the dropzone above or drag a MODS from your desktop. Files of any size, there's no upload, so there's no upload limit.
The conversion runs entirely in this tab using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Your file never touches our servers, we don't have any.
Get your CSL-JSON the moment the conversion finishes. Convert another, or close the tab.
Your file is never uploaded. The entire conversion runs in your browser using WebAssembly. We can't see what you convert because we have no server to see it.
Server converters cap free users at 1-2 GB and gate larger files behind a paid plan. Since nothing uploads, our limit is whatever your browser can handle.
No account required. No watermark on the output. No queue. Drop a file, get a converted file.
Why convert MODS → CSL-JSON
MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema) is the Library of Congress XML format used by DSpace, Fedora, Islandora, and most institutional repositories and catalogs. This converts a MODS record to CSL-JSON so you can reuse the metadata in Zotero or a pandoc workflow. Title, authors, year, host journal, volume, issue, pages, DOI, ISSN, and subjects all carry across. Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
You exported a record from a repository as MODS XML and need it in CSL-JSON for Zotero or a pandoc workflow. Drop the .xml here and get CSL-JSON back.
Authors or the journal are missing.
Author names must be in name elements with namePart family/given, and the journal in a relatedItem of type host. Records using only display-form names may not map cleanly.
Formats involved
MODS is a file format we support converting. Detailed format information is being added, for now, drop your file in the converter above and you'll get the conversion you came for.
How to open
Most operating systems open this format with a default application; if not, search for a free reader/viewer for the format.
CSL-JSON is the modern interop format for citation metadata. Zotero exports it natively (right-click a collection → Export → CSL JSON). Pandoc consumes it as `--bibliography file.json` for reference rendering. Every major reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley, Citavi, Papers, Bookends) reads or writes it. Defined by the Citation Style Language project; covers ~100 fields across journals, books, chapters, theses, software, datasets, and more. The de-facto replacement for BibTeX in modern academic toolchains.
How to open
Any JSON viewer or text editor. Zotero imports via File → Import → CSL JSON. Pandoc references it as bibliography input. JabRef, Citavi, and Bookends all accept CSL-JSON drop-ins.
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FAQ
Yes. No signup, no watermark, no daily file count limit. Every conversion runs in your browser, your file never touches our servers because there are no servers.
Nowhere. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. Your file is never uploaded to our servers. We don't have any servers handling files, there's nothing for us to log, store, or accidentally leak.
Whatever your browser can hold in memory. Practically, this means a few hundred MB on most computers, significantly larger than the 1-2 GB caps that server-upload converters charge for. Very large files (multi-GB) may require closing other browser tabs first.
File interchange. Cross-tool bibliography exchange between reference managers. The most common reason to convert is compatibility, CSL-JSON works in places where MODS doesn't, or vice versa.
Most operating systems open this format with a default application; if not, search for a free reader/viewer for the format.
Once the page is loaded, the conversion itself runs entirely offline. The first time you use a tool, your browser downloads the conversion library (a one-time cache). If you reload while offline, the page won't load, but you can install the site as a Progressive Web App for full offline use.
Single file at a time for now. Batch conversion is on the roadmap, for now, drop one file, download the result, then convert the next.
