How do I use my .bib file with TexShop

To get proper citations using TeXShop you need to (at least):

1. Run LaTeX
2. Run BibTeX
3. Run LaTeX
4. Run LaTeX

LaTeX and BibTeX are selected in the drop-down box next to the "Typeset" button.

Assuming that everything else is correct (packages, .bib file, citation commands), this should give proper citations.

edit: Added an extra LaTeX run after running BibTeX as noted in the comments.

I am also new to Latex and was having this problem while using TexShop on Mac OS X. I second what's been said above: you need to run Latex, then Bibtex, then Latex twice. Also: you need to ensure that the file name of the .bib file is the same as the .tex file, and in the same directory. You do not need to specify the whole file directory path in the \bibliography{} command, just the file name e.g. \bibliography{my bib.bib} if it is in the same directory as the .tex file. After a lot of tinkering, I've got it to work!