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What does this error message from BibDesk mean?

warning: found " at brace-depth zero in string (TeX accents in BibTeX should be inside braces)

Does it mean I can't use \"{a} in BibTeX? Instead should I use {\"a}? That sounds weird. Please help me clarify the issues around this warning message.

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The {\"{a}} or {\"a} input may seem weird, but it's required by BibTeX rules. – egreg Sep 1 '12 at 21:43
@egreg That sounds like an answer in the making to me :-) – Joseph Wright♦ Sep 1 '12 at 21:51
@ereg While \"{a} works in .tex, is there any reason for the BibTeX rules to avoid it? – FEQ Sep 1 '12 at 22:11

1 Answer

up vote 7 down vote accepted

The input {\"{a}} or, more simply, {\"a} is required by BibTeX rules. This has to do, I believe, with the possibility of delimiting fields either with braces or double quotes.

Note that this syntax is needed also for the other accents in order to ensure correct sorting (according to English rules) of authors' names.

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