bibexpy 2.3.0

Self-hosted, reproducible bibliometric data preparation for Web of Science & Scopus.

BibexPy v2.0.0 "Helium" merges, filters, harmonizes, enriches and exports WoS + Scopus records through a local web interface — with full provenance — and keeps your licensed exports on your own machine. It prepares analysis-ready datasets for VOSviewer, Biblioshiny, BibTeX, RIS, Excel and more.

Install

pip install bibexpy    # macOS / Linux: pip3 install bibexpy
python -m bibexpy      # macOS / Linux: python3 -m bibexpy   (browser opens automatically)

macOS / Linux: on most systems the commands are python3 / pip3 — plain python/pip may not exist (or may point to an old Python 2). If pip3 itself is missing, install it first: python3 -m ensurepip --upgrade (Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install python3-pip). On Windows it is usually python / pip.

python -m bibexpy is the recommended way to start the app — it works on every setup out of the box, with no PATH configuration. The short bibexpy command works too once your Python Scripts folder is on PATH (see the Windows note below).

Requires Python 3.10+ only — no Node.js/npm needed (the interface ships precompiled inside the package). Works on Windows, macOS and Linux.

python -m bibexpy --port 8080        # custom port
python -m bibexpy --no-browser       # server only
python -m bibexpy --storage ./data   # custom storage folder
python -m bibexpy --version

(The short bibexpy command accepts exactly the same options.)

Defaults: UI at http://127.0.0.1:6060, data under ~/.bibexpy/storage, settings/API keys under ~/.bibexpy/.env (managed from the in-app Settings page). Press Ctrl+C to stop.

Add bibexpy to PATH (Windows)

With Microsoft Store Python or pip install --user, the Scripts folder holding bibexpy.exe is usually not on PATH, so PowerShell replies bibexpy : The term 'bibexpy' is not recognized…. Nothing is broken — python -m bibexpy always works. To enable the short command as well:

• Easiest — start the app once with python -m bibexpy: it detects the situation and offers to add itself to PATH — answer Y, open a new terminal, done. (In non-interactive shells it prints a personalized copy-paste command instead; you can also force it with python -m bibexpy --add-path.)

• Manual — paste this into PowerShell, then open a new terminal:

  $s = python -c "import sysconfig, os; c=[sysconfig.get_path('scripts','nt_user'), sysconfig.get_path('scripts')]; print(next((p for p in c if 'WindowsApps' not in p and os.path.exists(os.path.join(p,'bibexpy.exe'))), c[0]))"
  [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path","User") + ";$s", "User")
  

• Or use pipx — pipx install bibexpy manages PATH for you.

Highlights (v2)

• Built-in sample dataset — first launch creates a ready-to-explore Simple Project (real WoS + Scopus exports) so you can try the whole pipeline immediately.
• One-click Smart Merge — probabilistic record linkage (DOI + Jaro–Winkler), confidence scoring, optional borderline review, and a copy-ready methodology paragraph.
• ORCID-first author disambiguation + address harmonization (organization roll-up, country standardization).
• Multi-source enrichment (CrossRef, OpenAlex, Scopus, DataCite, Unpaywall, Europe PMC, Semantic Scholar) with reverse-DOI recovery — verifiable sources only.
• Reproducible, preset-based filtering and a bibliometrically weighted quality dashboard.
• Full provenance: append-only audit log, snapshots, isolated analyses, auto-generated methodology narrative.
• Structured export: WoS, VOSviewer TSV, BibTeX, RIS, CSV, TSV, XLSX.

Links

Website · Docs · GitHub · Paper (SoftwareX)

Citation

Kara, B. C., Şahin, A., & Dirsehan, T. (2025). BibexPy: Harmonizing the bibliometric symphony of Scopus and Web of Science. SoftwareX, 30, 102098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.softx.2025.102098

License

GPL-3.0-or-later