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Reference Manager Software Review
| Title: |
Reference Manager 9.0 |
| Made by: |
Research Information Systems |
| Platform: |
Windows 95/98/NT |
| Category: |
Bibliography and Reference |
| Price: |
Free trial; $199.00 until June 30, 1999 then $395.95 single user, student discount available |
| Screen Shots |
Reference Manager 9.0 Screen Examples |
| Ordering Info: |
Click here to order
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| Description: |
I just finished writing my Masters thesis (defended and passed :-) and one of the biggest problems that I encountered during writing was finding, managing and presenting my references. Word processors are just not very good at this (actually they are terrible!) I was running between the university library and my computer daily, trying to consolidate all of my existing references, find new ones, learn about the bibliography styles and finally type the references in the chosen style using a word processor.
Once all was done - and I lost some weight, hair and gained an ulcer or two - I found out about a software that does it all. I was so mad that I almost decided not to even look at it. But then I remembered all of you, my dear readers, so I decided to check this software out and write a review. So here it is, and I hope it makes your life easier.
So what is Reference Manager 9?
It is a complete solution to all of your reference needs. It will take care of you from the searching
to the presenting stages. It consists of three tightly integrated modules:
- Internet Reference Searcher,
- Database Manager, and
- Bibliography Builder.
Internet Reference Searcher
Using this module of Reference Manager 9 you can search over 600 databases at over 300 libraries worldwide. Included are: PubMed, Library of Congress, and many other university and public libraries and internet databases. You can also add new sites to this list.
The search interface is easy to use and you can build complex search scripts. In the figure below, I tried to find all books by author: Einstein AND on subject: relativity.
Database Manager
Search was extremely fast since Reference Manager 9 does searches on up to 255 internet databases simultaneously - in parallel! Even on a 56K modem connection my search at 255 libraries worldwide took only couple of minutes. The results of my search were placed into a tabbed page in the database manager module. Every possible book that matched my search criteria was there together with all the citation details. I particularly like the layout of the database manager, shown in the figure below.
The screen is divided into two parts: the top part shows you the details of a record that is selected from the list of all found records shown in the bottom part. You can have many databases or searches and each of them can be accessed by clicking on its tab. All the tools that you need to manage your databases are just a click away at the top button toolbar.
You can customize your records to 35 reference types, each with up to 33 fields. Then, you can search, edit, spell check and build bibliographies.
Bibliography Builder
With this module of the Reference Manager 9 you can Cite While You Write - i.e. insert your citations in various formats into your thesis or a report - directly in Word or WordPerfect. A useful toolbar will appear in your word processor that provides an interface to your reference databases. You can format bibliographies according to hundreds of preset journal styles (I used the Journal of Physics style) or create your own. It is really great when adding your bibliography to your thesis takes only a click of a mouse button. Furthermore, you can revise your styles and your citation scheme anytime even after your thesis is finished.
Reference Manager 9 is really a great time and effort saver. What you used to do with countless visits to the library and the internet, and with painful manual typing, formatting and editing of reference citations in your word processor you can now do with this remarkable reference management software. If you are a scientist, researcher, writer or a student you will definitively benefit from the versatility of the Reference Manager 9.
However, you should not take my word for it - try it yourself:
click here to download a FREE fully functional trial version.
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