Bibliographic Software

Bibliographic Software

» Biblioscape Express 2 & 3 and Biblioscape Pro
Express 2 version is very simple and fits on and can be ran from a 3.5 floppy disk (better yet a zip disk), along with your references and notes. This enables you to be mobile in which computers you use. Express 2 version provides limited reference importation, a field for notes, and simple reference and note searching. You must cut and paste all references. Express 3 version is somewhere between version 2 and Pro. Pro is a suite and is greatly extended in all aspects. It includes a tree-based note feature, improved reference source importation, and many other features. Express 2 & 3 version support only Chicago, MLA, and APA. Pro provides scores of styles. Biblioscape Pro is not quite as "smart" in citing references directly into your word processor document, as some of the programs below are, so you have to tidy things up just a bit before considering your project complete. You would not need a PIM (see below) if you use the Pro version. Express versions 2 & 3 are freeware, Pro version is $150. Go to http://www.biblioscape.com/ for more info or to download the Express version or a demo of Pro.


» Citation

Very good bibliographic and reference importation software. Imports references from the world over. Has a simple search function. It supports scores of formats, and has "smart" citation directly into your word processor documents. Though it has a place for them, notes cannot be arranged hierarchically as they can be in PIMs (see below). Citation places a menu into your word processor to facilitate its use. Student price is about $80, though if a professor requires it as part of a class, a college bookstore can buy it for $35 or the student can buy it directly for $50. Go to http://www.citationonline.net for more info or to download a demo.


» EndNote

In it features, EndNote is similar to Citation. Many prefer EndNote over Citation. It imports references from the world over, and has a simple search function. It supports scores of other formats. It also offers document templates, and very "smart" citation formatting that cites perfectly and directly into your word processor documents. Though it has a place for them, notes cannot be arranged hierarchically as they can be in PIMs (see below). EndNote places a menu into your word processor to facilitate its use. Student price is about $80-$100, depending upon where you buy it from. Go to http://www.endnote.com/ for more info or to download a demo.


» NotaBene Scholar's Workstation

A powerhouse suite that has been under development off and on since the early 1980s. Version 6.1 was released in 12/02. Includes bibliographic, powerful reference importation, note taking, detailed text and reference search, a full and integrated word processor, and other features. It is indeed a very powerful program and does it all, but is complex and takes a good while to set up and learn to use well. (I would strongly suggest becoming acquainted with it during a summer if you want to become comfortable with it). It offers scores of styles, and "smart" citation directly into its integrated word processor. It also has special features for religious studies scholars and anthropologists. The demo functions for an evaluation period. Student price is $250. Professor Harrawood uses NotaBene and enjoys demonstrating it to students who are seriously interested in it. You would not need a PIM (see below) if you use NotaBene. Go to http://www.notabene.com/ for more info or to download a demo.


RefWorks

An entirely web-based bibliographic, note, reference importation, and note and reference search program is at http://www.refworks.com. The plus is that this can be used anywhere from any computer with Net access. Minuses are that (1) you are dependent upon an Internet connection that will inevitably be much slower than software based on your computer (unless you pay about $50 per month for DSL), and; (2) you will forever pay monthly or yearly fees to RefWorks, and if your subscription ever lapses past a grace period...there goes much of your work!


» ScholarsAid Lite and Pro


Comparable in scale to Biblioscape Pro, ScholarsAid is a quite powerful suite that includes bibliographic, note-taking, reference importation, and detailed search of both. The Lite version is only minimally limited, namely in the number of files you can create in it and the reference sources it can import from. ScholarsAid does not yet provide Turabian citation. The program currently provides Chicago, MLA, and two other styles that can be downloaded into the program at the software's home page. The Pro version, however, has a complex function that enables you to re-program Chicago into Turabian, or create citation styles from scratch even (anyone up to the challenge!?). ScholarsAid places a menu into MS Word to facilitate its use. The citation "intelligence" is similar to that found in Biblioscape, so you have to tidy things up just a bit before your document is complete. You would not need a PIM (see below) if you use ScholarsAid. The Lite version is by far the most feature-packed freeware version of available bibliographic software. Both Lite and Pro cites references directly into your word processor documents, and the notes you type into its information manager can be shot into documents. Student price for the Pro version is $74. Go to http://www.scholarsaid.com/ for more info. Version 4 of Pro will be released in early 2003.