General

Bibliography Management Software

3. Comparison Grid

3.2. General

1. Database and record structure

2. Database available via WWW

General

Bibus

EndNoteWeb (web based)

RefWorks (web based)

Procite

EndNote

Reference Manager

1 - General size limitations
   1. Number of databases that can be created
   2. Number of databases that can be simultaneously opened
   3. Number of records per database (>= 100.000)
   4. Number of characters per record
   5. Number of characters per field
n.b. As size -apart from issue no. 2- tends to be practically unlimited, only serious limitations are given here

Bibus:1 no internal limits: must consider MySQL and Sqlite limits; 2 only one db open at the time, but more instances of Bibus can bel launched; 5: with MySQL fields other than Author and Abstract (65535 chars)are limited to 255 chars

EW: 1 only one db per account; but unlimited accounts per site licence and (with valid e-mail) per person ; 2 it depends on how many logins are available and the open web sessions 3 10.000

RW: 1 one db per account, but unlimited accounts per site licence and per person; 2 given that, must open another web session to open a different database

Pr: 2 unlimited but cannot be searched simultaneously

En: 2 unlimited but cannot be searched simultaneously

RM: 2 15 that can be simultaneously searched, printed, checked for duplicates etc.

2 - Available functions: summary
   1. Search
   2. Remote search (Z39.50, PubMed)
   3. Print
   4. Export
   5. Sort
   6. Input/Cataloguing
   7. Global corrections
   8. Import
   9. Reformatting during import
   10. Input via catching www html pages
   11. Manuscript formatting (also from within the wp)
   12. Managing term lists
   13. Thesaurus
   14. Duplicates detection
   15. Items Circulation (Loans)
   16. Can activate external files and applications (attachments via OLE or OS' Shell)
   17. Compute
   18. Graphic files management
   19. Publishing database on Internet
   20. RSS a) receive; b) send
   21. Data visualization
   22. OpenURL data source
   23. Other

Available functions

Bibus

(x)

EndNoteWeb

[x]

RefWorks

(x)

Procite

EndNote

(x)

Reference Manager

Bibus: 1 2 3 (can print formatted records from database, no autonomous report function with sort); 4 5 6 8 9 (canned: must adapt/write Python source code); 14 only during import

EW: 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 'Capture' function in the browser's plug-in; 11, 16 only URLs,
18 can import video from YouTube and show them ready to play (FLV flash video format);
23: Administrator can customize various features within the service, view usage statistics

RW: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 18: it will show a thumbnail of the attached graphic file in the Record View window, if it can, otherwise a generic thumbnail 19 (as RefShare folders); 20 can receive RSS and send feeds acting as a feeder; 22 From within the records list a button can sends arguments to the chosen OpenURL Resolver host server for reference linking (test done via demo server); (is also an OpenURL target for direct record download from SFX to RefWorks)
23 Admininstration Module Provides organizational subscription Administrator the ability to customize various features within the service, view usage statistics and manage accounts, can also access "Administrator Central" (a secure location which provides training and marketing materials)

Pr:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 OLE

En:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 14 16 18* 21*
For Palm OS devices functionality see Identity card;
16: can attach up to 45 files per record in dedicated field: objects like spreadsheets or presentations documents, images, PDF files etc.;
18: can include one (only 1) graphic file within each reference in the Figure field: shown as a thumbnail when record is opened in Edit mode; graphics will be referred to in MS-WORD formatted manuscript, also containing dedicated list of figures (see section 13);
16-18: there is option to physically copy graphics and attached files to a [dbn].Data subdirectory so that they can be moved together without broken links;
22: can generate OpenURL compliant metadata from an opened record to the chosen OpenURL Resolver host server for reference linking, can also change the arguments i.e. the kind of metadata sent to the resolver
23: can send data to and receive from EndNote Web; from a db record can try to find in the Internet, download, and automatically attach full-text pdf files along with core bibliographic data; from each record can search relevant full-text in the Internet, download it and attach it to the record

RM:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 14 16 (OLE) 19 (not only publishing but makes it available for editing, adding, duplicating and deleting references); 22 can use OpenURL from within an opened record sends arguments to the chosen OpenURL Resolver host server for reference linking (test done via a demo server)
"Arguments: We include a default argument to search for related online records. You can use this argument as a syntax example if you wish to enter your own arguments here." [excerpt from the official help file]

3 - Functions across different databases
   1. search
   2. print
   3. global corrections
   4. duplicate detection
   5. manuscript formatting

Bibus: n.a., only one db open at the time

EW: n.a. only one open database per login

RW: n.a.: only one open database per user is available

Pr: 5

En: 5 (while formatting a manuscript via CWYW will search all the open db: no choice, close db)

RM: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5
can act across 15 databases, but sort criterion and sort order must be the same; can display -not use- combined term lists

4 - Data type that can handle
   1. textual (link to external proprietary files like PDF ...)
    2. numeric
    3. graphic
    4. audio

Bibus: 1, 3-4 only as attachments

EW: 1 + attachments

RW: 1, 3-4 only as record attachments or linked resources

Pr: 1; 3 OLE; 4 OLE

2: can format and sort Dates and Call number in a special way: for dates, chronological value underneath format; for classification codes: first LCCN, then DDC, then digits, then letters

En: 1, yes; can link -also by drag and drop- to- PDF and URL in 2 specific fields, but in fact it's up to you what to put in those fields: .txt .doc .gif .rtf .htm... and whatsoever; can automatically copy PDF and other attached files to a data subfolder so that their address becomes relative and they can travel with the main record database
3: incorporates thumbnails of graphics in the edit record view, not in the formatted preview; graphics can be incorporated in MS-WORD manuscripts; 3 and 4 also external via Windows Shell

RM: 1; 3 OLE; 4 OLE; can link to -and then open- PDF and URL in 5 specific fields, but in fact it's up to you what to put in those fields: .txt .doc .gif ... and whatsoever

5 - Unicode compliance

Bibus: yes, via Import/Export can also handle ASCII, ANSI, ISO 8859-1

EW: yes

RW: yes, can import, sort, display and enter different scripts (also from right to left: Hebrew, Arabic) based on MS-Windows® Unicode compliance. Nothing really happens within RefWorks (nor is one expected to enter Unicode characters codes like: 00A1).
"keep all your PC based on your preferred language for your regular activity also within RefWorks, load different Windows keyboards and make them available on the Language toolbar, switch to the desired scripts to enter and search data in your references. Select a Unicode font from within the browser do display, print, save unicode characters in the due form. Program automatically loads in language of browser" [from official documentation]

Pr: no

En: yes, can import, sort, display and enter different scripts (also from right to left: Hebrew, Arabic) based on MS-Windows® Unicode compliance. Nothing really happens within EndNote (nor is one expected to enter Unicode characters codes like: 00A1): keep all your PC based on your preferred language for your regular activity also within EndNote, load different Windows keyboards and make them available on the Language toolbar, switch to the desired scripts to enter and search data in your references. Select a Unicode font from within EndNote to display, print, save unicode characters in the due form

RM: no

6 - Command macros

Bibus: no

EW no

RW: no

Pr: no

En: no

RM: no

7 - Password
1. access to database
2. specific tasks

Bibus: SQlite db requires you have read-access to the db file;
MySQL

EW: access to the database: yes; specific tasks: special login for Administration rights (usually the admin login for ISI products at site level is used); see also Network version

RW: access to database: yes; specific tasks: yes
start by password/code at the group level + a) normal user login; b) Administratator rights; c) by communicating either the specific or a general URL, access can be given to anybody without password to RefShare folders to search, print, download, format bibliographies, and to post comments etc. RefShare folders can also be accessed via RSS feed reader (if user selects this option); see also Network version

Pr: none

En: none

RM: none; when opening a database can choose: Read/Write Share (required to post a database on the web and make it available for editing)
Read-Only Share
Read/Write Exclusive (required to perform global editing functions and changing RT and field configuration: this way the database cannot be available via www);
network will require password to be accessed: rights for the RM network version are connected to that password ;
Special installation required to run Web Publisher as a Windows service which avoids the need to keep a db opened

8 - Network version
   1. Multi-user network version
   2. Functions available : a) all ; b) some according to password privileges
   3. One write access vs. many read accesses (read = search, print, manuscript formatting, export)
   4. Many write-and-read accesses
   5. Read only version

Network version	1	2	3	4	5
Bibus	x	x	x	x
EndNote Web	x	(x)	(x)	x	(x)
RefWorks	x	(x)	(x)	x	(x)
Procite			x		x
EndNote			x
Reference Manager	x	x

Bibus: not tested; MySQL db required: can define users with full R/W rights, restricted R/W rights (cannot create or import); Read-only rights: no record-locking

EW: entirely web based, it is only an Internet application
A. databases and application are entirely web based and can be used on Shibboleth, IP authentication+id-pwd. After that, roaming access is possible for 12 months

B. more than one user can share the same account (login) and access the same database;
-- no record locking, last save is the effective one;
C. within a site license, same person can create different authorized accounts and use different databases;

D. different users are allowed to share groups of records with R/W different rights set by the owner

RW: by definition an Internet network application, from several points of view:
A. databases and application are entirely web based and can be used usually on IP identification + login
B. more than one user can share the same account (login) and access the same database
-- no record locking, last save is the effective one;
C. within a site license, same person can create different authorized accounts and use different databases;
D. databases, or portions of them, can also be shared by publishing their specific URL (or only a general one) and let users search what is shared and have some, all, rights to: export , print, format a manuscript, post comments that will be notified ... etc. (no records editing though): this function is called RefShare and it does not expect the user to run RefShare but just a browser session
E. a user can create IDs with read-only password and give it to others with this limitation

Pr: It can work with multiple users, but: no record-locking. Not really a "network version"

EN: It can work with multiple users, but: no record-locking. Not really a "network version". Anyhow, must purchase individual licences for each user. Besides: mixed versions -Mac & Windows- network can operate. Each individual preferences file is on different users machines

RM: single user desktop edition includes RM Web Publisher with editing capabilities (see Database available via WWW):
network edition offers the same functions as the single user (special price and conditions, see Identity card); first control is at MS-Windows' sharing permission level;
within RM desktop:
a) only for one user at the time when the database is opened in Read-Write Exclusive, nobody else can access the db until it is closed;
b) Read-Write Share: all the logged users can perform anything apart from: Global edit, Chang db sort order, Field Type edit, Synonyms in Term Manager;
db ca be opened in one Read-Write Share and many Read-Only Share mode;
db ca be opened in Read-Write Share;
db can be opened in Read-Only Share
3 4 5 are all possible different configurations, but no administrator can control those access modes apart from Windows sharing/protection rights: to select one type of log in is left to the user.
No record or field locking is provided: many users in Read-Write Share mode can open and modify the same record and the same field: it will be saved on the last exit from that point of view.
N.B. As already mentioned, functions like: change database sort order, global edit, field and reference type edit are reserved in Read-Write Exclusive mode to only one user, whilst others cannot access the database.

9 - Documentation

   1. Reference manual
   2. Tutorial
   3. Context-sensitive help screens

Bibus: several scattered web pages (starting point or the wiki), not a complete manual, no contextual help

EW: online tutorials and online help, not contextual, also with an internal search functionality

RW:

2: various tutorials + full help online, not contextual

Pr:

Users' Guide in English, bound, TOC, index; not an alphabetic nor systematic reference manual. Complete, precise, clear, reliable (does not solve difficult tasks)
chap. "Guided tour" + on-line help. (Shorter manual only for read-only Data distributor version)
yes but not really contextual; MS-Windows like, contains less info than the printed Guide

En:

Users' Guide in English, only as Adobe PDF file; not an alphabetic nor systematic reference manual. Complete, precise, clear; see the online help to get more secure, though not definite, information
"Getting started" on CD as PDF + Guide Tour printed + tutorials on CD and online
not contextual at all

RM:

Users' Guide in English: it is not an alphabetic or systematic reference manual. Could be more precise and complete. Only published as a PDF file.
"Getting started guide" printed, also as part of the full PDF guide + tutorials on CD and online
yes contextual and complete -with few exceptions

RefWorks (web based)

Procite

EndNote

Reference Manager

General

3 - Functions across different databases 1. search 2. print 3. global corrections 4. duplicate detection 5. manuscript formatting

4 - Data type that can handle 1. textual (link to external proprietary files like PDF ...) 2. numeric 3. graphic 4. audio

5 - Unicode compliance

6 - Command macros

7 - Password 1. access to database 2. specific tasks

8 - Network version 1. Multi-user network version 2. Functions available : a) all ; b) some according to password privileges 3. One write access vs. many read accesses (read = search, print, manuscript formatting, export) 4. Many write-and-read accesses 5. Read only version

9 - Documentation

1. Reference manual 2. Tutorial 3. Context-sensitive help screens

3 - Functions across different databases
1. search
2. print
3. global corrections
4. duplicate detection
5. manuscript formatting

4 - Data type that can handle
1. textual (link to external proprietary files like PDF ...)
2. numeric
3. graphic
4. audio

7 - Password
1. access to database
2. specific tasks

8 - Network version
1. Multi-user network version
2. Functions available : a) all ; b) some according to password privileges
3. One write access vs. many read accesses (read = search, print, manuscript formatting, export)
4. Many write-and-read accesses
5. Read only version

1. Reference manual
2. Tutorial
3. Context-sensitive help screens