Bibcode

Adoption of Bibcode
– The Bibliographic Reference Code (refcode) was developed for use in SIMBAD and the NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED).
– It has become a de facto standard and is now used more widely, including by the NASA Astrophysics Data System.
– The term ‘bibcode’ was coined by the NASA Astrophysics Data System.
– The bibcode is widely used in the field of astronomy.

Format of Bibcode
– The bibcode has the form YYYYJJJJJVVVVMPPPPA.
– YYYY represents the four-digit year of the reference.
– JJJJJ is a code indicating where the reference was published.
– VVVV represents the volume number in the case of a journal reference.
– PPPP gives the starting page number.

Examples of Bibcodes
– Example bibcode: 1974AJ…..79..819H.
– Reference: Heintz, W. D. (1974). Astrometric study of four visual binaries. The Astronomical Journal. 79: 819–825.
– Example bibcode: 1924MNRAS..84..308E.
– Reference: Eddington, A. S. (1924). On the relation between the masses and luminosities of the stars. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 84 (5): 308–332.
– Example bibcode: 1970ApJ…161L..77K.
– Reference: Kemp, J. C.; Swedlund, J. B.; Landstreet, J. D.; Angel, J. R. P. (1970). Discovery of circularly polarized light from a white dwarf. The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 161: L77–L79.
– Example bibcode: 2004PhRvL..93o0801M.
– Reference: Mukherjee, M.; Kellerbauer, A.; Beck, D.; et al. (2004). The Mass of Mg (PDF). Physical Review Letters. 93 (15): 150801.

Related Concept
– Digital object identifier (DOI)

References
– M. Schmitz; G. Helou; P. Dubois; C. LaGue; B.F. Madore; H. G. Corwin Jr. & S. Lesteven (1995). NED and SIMBAD Conventions for Bibliographic Reference Coding. In Daniel Egret & Miguel A. Albrecht (eds.). Information & On-Line Data in Astronomy. Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 0-7923-3659-3.
– The ADS Data, help page. NASA ADS. Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)