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Reference Management Software
In the summer of 2000, I purchased software to help me keep track of all the articles, books, etc. that I have read or plan to read (especially those items relating to the work I do as a librarian). Such software usually allows you to use its interface (which is increasingly Z39.50 compliant) to:
- search databases (online library catalogs and proprietary databases such as those provided on Wilson Web or by Silver Platter)
- import citations into a database file the software creates on your computer
- organize your database of citations from a controlled vocabulary you create
- export selected citations and bibliographies into word processing documents in standard formats (such as MLA, APA, etc.) or user-defined ones.
You can also type your citations into the database, as well. These software programs are referred to by a number of phrases: reference management, bibliographic management, bibliography processors, personal bibliography software, bibliography formatting software, etc. While researching which product to buy, I assembled the following list of the leading publishers of reference management software as well as evaluations of those products that people have posted on the web:
Products
Reviews, Evaluations, and Guides
- CHORUS
- The "Electronic Research" section of CHORUS, a website created by the UC-Berkeley College Writing Programs, offers substantial reviews and a helpful chart that allows you to pick which two (of five offered) packages you want to see a side-by-side comparison of.
- Nature Software Reviews
- Published in July 1999, this excellent collection of reviews of the leading products is only available on the website of Nature.
- Bibliographic Software
- Created by Steve Osborne, a graduate student at the School of Library and Information Science, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, this very thorough page offers links to every package out there as well as to product-specific listservs, reviews, and other useful info.
- Personal Bibliographic Managers
- The website of Biblio-Tech Review offers this review of Endnote, ProCite, and Reference Manager. Includes an excellent overview of typical functions of reference management software and what the limitations are for such programs.
- CTICH Brief Guide to
Bibliographical Software
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- Overview of Personal Bibliographic Software
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- Bibliography Formatting Software: An Evaluation Template
- This website from Francesco Dell'Orso of the University of Perugia in Italy provides a detailed and technical comparison of the three ISI ResearchSoft programs (Endnote, ProCite, Reference Manager) and Papyrus.
- Evaluation of Reference Management Software on Windows 3.1
- Posted on the web by Maggie Shapland, University of Bristol, in 1998, this site reviews examines Papyrus ProCite, Reference Manager, Idealist, Endnote, GetARef, and Citation 7.
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