Skip to content
BibTeX

BibTeX field type: number

In BibTeX, the number field is used to specify the issue number of a journal, the number of a technical report, or other identifiers that are part of a larger series. This field helps to pinpoint the exact issue or edition of a series where the referenced work can be found, providing more precise information for locating the material.

Need a simple solution for managing your BibTeX entries? Explore CiteDrive!

  • Web-based, modern reference management
  • Collaborate and share with fellow researchers
  • Integration with Overleaf
  • Comprehensive BibTeX/BibLaTeX support
  • Save articles and websites directly from your browser
  • Search for new articles from a database of tens of millions of references
Try out CiteDrive ► Watch Demo

This field is commonly used in conjunction with the volume field, especially for journal articles and periodicals. For a technical report, the number field would typically contain the report number assigned by the institution or organization that published the report.

Format

The format for the number field is relatively straightforward. In the context of an article entry, it would appear as follows:

@article{citation_key,
  ...
  number={issue_number},
  ...
}

Here, “citation_key” represents a unique identifier for the entry, and “issue_number” represents the number of the journal issue, technical report, or other publication.

Examples

Below are some examples showcasing the application of the number field in different contexts:

Example 1: Journal Article

@article{doe2023study,
  author = {Doe, Jane},
  title = {A Comprehensive Study on Quantum Computing},
  journal = {Journal of Advanced Computing},
  year = {2023},
  volume = {29},
  number = {3},
  pages = {215-230},
}

In this example, the number field specifies the third issue of the 29th volume of the “Journal of Advanced Computing”.

Example 2: Technical Report

@techreport{smith2022analysis,
  author = {Smith, John},
  title = {An Analysis of Renewable Energy Trends},
  institution = {Energy Research Institute},
  year = {2022},
  number = {TR-2022-45},
  type = {Technical Report},
}

In this case, the number field is used to indicate the specific report number assigned by the “Energy Research Institute”.

Utilizing the number field accurately can facilitate the reader in finding the source material more easily and verifying the cited information. It’s an essential detail in scholarly writing and research documentation.