natbib when legacy BibTeX workflows or journal templates require it.
Basic Setup
natbib-basic.tex
Commands
\citet{key}textual citation.\citep{key}parenthetical citation.\citeauthor{key}and\citeyear{key}for split control.
Use natbib for author-year and numerical citations in BibTeX-based LaTeX projects.
natbib when legacy BibTeX workflows or journal templates require it.
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[authoryear,round]{natbib}
\begin{document}
\citet{smith2024} reports a strong baseline.
Replications confirm this \citep{lee2025,nguyen2025}.
\bibliographystyle{plainnat}
\bibliography{references}
\end{document}
\citet{key} textual citation.\citep{key} parenthetical citation.\citeauthor{key} and \citeyear{key} for split control.