code: def get_plaintext_citations(bbl):
      
      # Handle path or content
      if os.path.isfile(bbl):
          with open(bbl, 'r') as fh:
              bbl_content = fh.read()
      else:
          bbl_content = bbl
      # Get a list of bibitems, taking the first item out as it is *before* the
      # first \bibitem
      bibitems = BIBITEMS_REGEX.split(bbl_content)[1:]
      # Delete the text after the \end{thebibliography}
      bibitems = [ENDTHEBIBLIOGRAPHY_REGEX.sub("", i).strip() for i in bibitems]
      # Clean every bibitem to have plaintext
      cleaned_bbl = [bibitem_as_plaintext(bibitem) for bibitem in bibitems]
      return cleaned_bbl
docs: Parse a ``*.bbl`` file to get a clean list of plaintext citations.
  
      :param bbl: Either the path to the .bbl file or the content of a ``.bbl`` \
              file.
      :returns:  A list of cleaned plaintext citations.