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Bibliography formatting software: an evaluation template

by Francesco Dell'Orso

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Legend
  • Web resources
  • 1 Identity card
  • 2 Installation
  • 3 General
  • 4 Structure
  • 5 Input/Edit
  • 6 Import
  • 7 Search
  • 8 Thesaurus
  • 9 Output
  • 10 Formatting language
  • 11 Sort
  • 12 Export
  • 13 Manuscript formatting
  • 14 Term/Entry list
  • 15 Documentation


  • .
    F. Dell'Orso, Bibliography Formatting Software: An Evaluation Template
    Last Update: August, 18, 2000

    11 Sort
    11.1 Scope
       1. sorting records within the database
       2. sorting records in output
    Pr: 1; 2; 1 and 2 are different but can overlap En: 1: one criterium by default and several custom; 2 sort the db (or a subset) to export and to print; different sort orders for in-text and bibliography citations in a manuscript
    RM: 1 is the criterium also for the output (apart from manuscript's bibliography) Papyrus : 1 (limited: RN or author) or Group of records; 2: Group of records
    11.2 Basic sort criterium for characters:
       1. operating system's tables
       2. program specific settings and/or tables
       3. user defined table (es. ä = ae)
    Pr: 1; 2 internal regional tables: General (Dutch, English, German, Indonesian, Italian, Portuguese, Modern Spanish), Danish & Norwegian; Finnish & Swedish; French [sic]; Spanish (Traditional: lz before ll). Leading punctuation is always ignored. Apart from Dates and Call Number digits are still letters. 2 stopwords list available see below En: 1 Windows active table for output list. Beginning punctuation is always ignored; default sort (author-year) has got its own -hidden- criterium; two stopword lists available (see below)
    Changing sort criterium / table, requires database rebuild;
    LC Call/Classification and Dewey numbers are taken into account and sorted before digits and letters; Dates are converted into an internal format and sorted consequently
     
    RM: 1; 2 internal regional tables: see above ProCite; can also set "Character sort order" where letters with diacritics are sorted at the end. Leading punctuation and articles are never ignored. Digits are still letters apart from Dates and RN Papyrus: 1; 3: special provision for vowels with umlaut + names with different display form can have same sort form; leading punctuation and English, French, German articles are ignored
    11.3 Sort keys on different levels
    Pr: yes, 2 or 3 levels, 6 levels (each A/D) levels for custom sort order En: various ready options + 5 (each A/D) levels for custom sort order
    RM: yes 3 levels (each A/D) Papyrus : yes, any field -on n levels- under user's control; descending order only for year
    11.4 How to sort the database
    Pr: Pull down menu option or mouse click on the short record list field name bar to sort En: Pull down menu option or mouse click on the short record list field name bar to sort
    RM: setting permanent option or mouse click on the short record list field name bar to sort temporarily Papyrus: button choice on the database main window (All References)  
    11.5 How to sort for printing
    Pr: ready made options from pull down menu En: within the style (see previous) for manuscript's in-text and bibliography citations; sort selected records to export or print
    RM: uses sort order of the selected list of records Papyrus: within the style
    11.6 Database sort is kept over sessions
    Pr: yes En: yes
    RM: yes Papyrus: yes
    11.7 Sort key length can be defined
    Pr: no En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: no
    11.8 Sort for printing belongs to output styles
    Pr: yes, but can be altered on the fly En: only as far as manuscript's in-text and bibliography citations are concerned
    RM: it does not, apart from manuscript's bibliography sort Papyrus: yes, but can be altered on the fly
    11.9 Sort records in output using:
       1. words
       2. single occurrence of a multiple field
       3. marked strings
       4. portions of field and subfield
       5. whole field
    Pr: 2 (names); 4 (custom sort, options for: surname only, year only); 5 En: 2 option for first author in manuscript bibliography; 5
    RM: 2=4 (first author or kw); 5 Papyrus: 2  or words when from a word-indexed field; 5
    11.10 Can alter the sort value of a string
    Pr: no, only leading stopwords (2 lists : authors, generic) En: no, only leading stopwords (2 lists : authors, titles)
    RM: no, (no stopwords available) Papyrus: yes for names that can individually have their sort value + ñ = oe et sim.; built-in stopwords for leading English, French, German articles are out of reach
    11.11 Conditional commands available for sorting
    Pr: no (only custom: if field absent then either first or last) En: no, but embedded in options for authors and anonymous works
    RM: no Papyrus: no, automatic: if field absent then sorted first
    11.12 Sort keys derived from different fields
    Pr: yes; a) when keys are headings ("subject bibliography") any key (single keys can even be selected on the fly); otherwise: b) only authors, titles, date En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: no
    11.13 Ignore initial articles and punctuation marks
    Pr: yes, thanks to customizable stopword files: two lists belonging to each database: 1 general (corporate names included) 2 personal authors En: leading a an the and punctuation always excluded + two customizable stopword files belonging to each database: 1 authors (corporate names included); 2 titles
    Stopwords cannot be disactivated: must be emptied. Stopword in beginning position can be preserved if followed by hard space (Ctrl-Shift-space) Stopwords cannot be disactivated: must be emptied
    RM: no (does not have stopwords list) Papyrus: built-in list of leading English, Frencg, German articles that are automatically skipped; also leading punctuation marks are skipped
    11.15 Other
    Pr: Custom sort lets also choose between: empty fields first or last; all authors or only first; full name vs surname; full date vs year En: special provisions for anonymous works and for edited works after original works by the same author 
    RM: can sort kw within the kw field Papyrus: as noted, names may have 2 forms: display and sort, e.g. de Durfort, Béatrice can be sorted as Durfort, Béatrice



    11.16 Sort can produce headings above sorted records ("subject bibliography")
    Pr: yes, also headings only, without records En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: yes, also headings only, without records
    11.16.1 Sort keys are another item from headings, thus can match or be different
    Pr: no, they are just the same thing En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus: no --apart from names, see above-- they are just the same thing
    11.16.2 Headings might not be displayed within records
    Pr: yes En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus: yes
    11.16.3 More than one level of sort key as headings
    Pr: no, only one, though headings can come from n fields at once En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus: no, only one, from just one field 
    11.16.4 Sort of records under the same sort key
    Pr: print sort order En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus: authors; year; RN or RefID
    11.16.5 Sort occurrences of a repeatable field as headings
    1. altogether 2. all separated 3. just one
    Pr: 1; 2 names kw and any entry separated by //, /, <CR>, <Line Feed> En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus:  2; if headings come from a word-by-word indexed field, headings will be single words and not the whole field
    11.16.6 Records referenced more than once by different sort headings
    Pr: records are fully printed each time (no "light indexes" with cross references) En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus: records are fully printed each time (no "light indexes" with cross references)
    11.16.7 Sort headings can be formatted
    Pr: yes, bold, underline, italics, uppercase En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus:  no (always bold)
    11.16.8 Can produce indexes referencing records in the database by a short element (e.g. RN)
    Pr: yes, with format options for headings En: n.a.
    RM: no Papyrus: yes, with format options for headings (also single words if from field indexed in free-text or title mode)

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    F. Dell'Orso, Bibliography Formatting Software: An Evaluation Template. 1999
    Last Update: December, 28, 1999

     
     
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