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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

    7 Search
    7.1 Different levels and approaches:
        1. easy / expert

       2. menu/command driven
       3. browsing term lists / indexes
       4. query expressions
       5. browsings record list
    Pr:   1 easy browsing indexes + direct "Quick Find" by typing string; expert: assisted command driven (see 2);
    2 command driven, assisted by buttons but syntax errors are possible; 3; 4; 5
    En: 1 one query by example template, with syntax control; 4; 5
    Short Record List browsing is default window, database dependent: one record per line, can choose any field to display in up to six columns. Quick Find: enter string based upon sort key. Sort on any displayed field by clicking the column field bar Short Record List browsing is default window: one record per line; can handle up to five columns and use any field to display. Quickly move to record by directly entering a string belonging to a key of the first sort field. Sort on any displayed field by clicking the column field bar. Cannot use term lists here
    RM: 1 Usually only expert; easy "Quick retrieval" hidden in Term Manager; 2: command driven, assisted by buttons;3: no, lists are to pick up termsfor a query, not to index and display records at once; 4; 5 Papyrus: 1 easy browsing database; expert: assisted command driven; 2; 3 quick find from journals, kw and names lists; 4; 5
    Short Record list browsing is default window, not database dependent -and can apply to all lists: one record per line, can choose any field (up to 33); sort on any displayed field by clicking the column field bar. Quick retrieval lets select terms but only from Term Manager and launch <F12> a search (AND or OR) Browsing mode depends on formats built-in or user defined; tabular -usually shorter- format is available
    7.2 Browsing indexes to search
        1. entries show number of related docs
        2. relationships (e.g. x-refs) between entries are displayed
        3. direct selection of index terms and display of related documents
    Pr: 1; 2 n.a; 3 En: n.a.
    RM: n.a. Papyrus: 1; 2 (kw); [3 not a contextual display but a quick search]
    7.3 Query expressions
    Pr: assisted by command buttons to select: fields, operators, terms, previous queries En: assisted by template and buttons to select fields, operators, scope, (+ options: full word, case, use quickindexes, remote search); lists' terms are available only by open, copy/paste
    RM: assisted by command buttons to select: fields, operators, terms, previous queries Papyrus: assisted by command buttons to select: fields, operators, terms
    7.4 Natural language queries
    Pr: no En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: no
    7.5 Search stragey
       1. can save and recall search expressions
       2. can recall previous queries within the same session
       3. can combine previous search steps
    Pr: 1; 2 only if = 1, i.e. explicitly saved and named; 3 yes, new expression can cumulate previous queries still fully editable En: 1; 2 no, only if saved; 3 can search on result : within/refine, add, omit
    RM: 1; 2 (up to 10); 3 (recalled query becomes first expression: others can be added) Papyrus: 1 if the resulting set of retrieved records -group- is saved, the originating query is saved as well: can be re-run and edited; 2; 3 (editable)
    7.6 Can save and recall search result
    Pr: yes, if stored in Groups En: no
    RM: yes Reference Indexes Papyrus: yes Groups
    7.7 Shows hits of each search expression component
    Pr: no, only total records number En: no, only total records number
    RM: total records number also for each line of a multiline query (but not for its internal components not for the last line) Papyrus: no, only total records number
    7.8 Can print directly one or more records while in search/browse mode
    Pr: yes En: yes
    RM: yes Papyrus: yes
    7.9 Refine (search in result)
    Pr: yes En: yes
    RM: yes Papyrus: yes
    7.10 Advanced search features
        1. best match, weighted terms, ranking
        2. fuzzy, sounds like
        3. hypertext-like
    Pr: no En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: 3
    kw file allows links between entries, also records can be linked: search can be limited/expanded to selected/all types of links; number of levels for the same link can also be selected: up- down- posting (thesaurus-like)
    7.11 Input allowed while indexing
    Pr: n.a. (real time) En: n.a. (real time)
    RM: n.a. (real time) Papyrus: n.a. (real time)
    7.12 Instant display of retrieved records
        1. short record list
        2. one record at the time
    Pr: 1 2 En: 1
    RM 1 2 Papyrus: 1 2
    7.13 Highlighting search terms in result ( + jump to next occurrence of term)
    Pr: no En: no
    RM: yes in the Output display --not in the Standard editable one, (no "jump") Papyrus: no
    7.14 Indexing operation
        1. automatic, real time
        2. batch
    Pr: 1 automatic when saving a record En: 1 automatic when saving a record
    RM: 1 automatic when saving a record Papyrus: 1 automatic when saving a record
    7.15 Indexing techniques
        1. any character string
        2. word by word
        3. phrase (adjacent words)
        4. marked portions of fields
    Pr: indexing is ruled only by the system: 1 2 3 En: indexing is ruled only by the system: 1 2 3.
    One built-in quickfind index for authors, user can activate or exclude it. If on, left truncation is unavailable. User can create kw or "any field" quickfind indexes
    RM: 1 in non-indexed fields; 2 in non-indexed fields; 3 also more words inside the string (indexed fields require truncation symbol) Papyrus: 1 2 3 (any string is automatically made searchable, but proper indexing for user-defined fields is under user's control)
    7.16 Scope of searching
        1. one or more distinct fields
        2. cluster of fields
        3. full text = any field
        4. same occurrence
    Pr: 1 yes with field indicator (RT included); 2 limited to three clusters; author, title, date; 3 yes, default En: 1 pull-down menu selection (RT included); 3 any field
    RM: 1 (RT included); 2 (predefined: non/indexed fields, authors, titles) Papyrus: 1 (RT included); 2; 3 ("general" but does not include either kw or journals)
    7.17 Case sensitiveness
    Pr: no En: yes if Case option is on
    RM: no Papyrus: no
    7.18 Diacritics
    Pr:: no difference, "Göthe" = "Gothe" En: difference : "libertà" cannot retrieve "liberta"
    RM: no difference (can be used only in: Authors, kw, Titles, Notes) Papyrus: no difference
    7.19 Can use and nest parenthesis
    Pr: yes En: yes; but implicitly: vertical priority: the up most is the first and inner most within the implicit expression, e.g. (((1 and 2) not 3) or 3)
    RM: yes; but implicitly: vertical priority: the up most is the first and inner most within the implicit expression, e.g. (((1 and 2) not 3) or 3) Papyrus: yes
    7.20 Priority within search operators and queries
    Pr: set by using parentheses, the inner most comes first En: vertically: first comes the first cfr. previous
    RM: no explicit parentheses; vertically: first comes the first cfr. previous Papyrus: set by using parentheses, the inner most comes first
    7.21 Boolean operators
        1. AND
        2. OR
        3. NOT (unary)
        4. AND NOT (binary)
        5. XOR
    Pr: 1 2 3 4, 5 indirectly En: 1 2 3 4, 5 indirectly (two steps: OR + omit ref. AND)
    RM: 1 2 4 Papyrus: 1 2 3 4, 5 indirectly
    7.22 Relational operators
    contains    <>    <    <=     >    >=    range    equal
    Pr: contains, <>, <, <=, >, >=, range in dates (or via: x > y and x < z), equal En: contains, <> as "omit", <, <=, >, >=, range, equal
    RM: range in dates, RefID (RN); <= for earlier than today's date in Reprint status=On request Papyrus: contains < <= > >= equal (by adding a backslash to the search string, e.g.: Author=Smith,P\ will not match "Smith, Paul")
    7.23 Can combine boolean and relational operators
    Pr: yes En: yes
    RM: yes, but (only range) Papyrus: yes
    7.24 Truncated search
        1. explicit or implicit
        2. right
        3. left
        4. r/l
    Pr: 1 yes (* ASCII 42) 2; 3; 4 : operator "contains" En: 1 implicit 2; 3 left unavailable when using quickfind indexes; 4 (see 3)
    "contains" is like "=" equal, with implicit l/r truncation; whereas explicit l/r truncation ( *xxx*) is used with "=" e.g. AUTHOR contains ale, AUTHOR = *ale*, no: AUTHOR contains *ale*,)  
    RM: r/l explicit in indexed fields; r/l implicit in non indexed fields Papyrus: 1 explicit; 2; 3; 4
    7.25 Can search by position: b/e field and/or occurrence
    Pr: yes En: no
    BEGINS WITH field or occurrence (names and kw), implicit right truncation: "D'Alema", AUTHOR BEGINS WITH "D'Alem" ok; not: AUTHOR BEGINS WITH "D'Alem*"); same for field ends with  
    RM: no Papyrus: no
    7.26 Search for not/empty fields
    Pr: yes (dedicated operators: EMPTY, NOT EMPTY) En: yes, empty: "field"is [blank];
    not empty: "field"is [blank] + Omit showing references;
    RM: "yes", only in indexed fields: look for records (RefID range) then exclude (NOT) or include (AND) any character * (non-indexed only accept * as a real character \*) Papyrus: yes
    7.27 Internal wildcards (e.g. *?)
    Pr: no En:no
    RM: no Papyrus: yes * for any character
    7.28 Can combine boolean, relational, parenthesis, truncation etc.
    Pr: yes En: yes
    RM: yes (as long as provided) Papyrus: yes
    7.29 Adjacency and proximity operators
    Pr: no, but "xxx yyy zzz" is adjacency (with " " delimiters) En: no, but xxx yyy is adjacency (without delimiters)
    RM: no proximity , but xxx yyy zzz is adjacency (without delimiters) Papyrus: no, but xxx yyy is adjacency (without delimiters)
    7.30 Search only within the same occurrence of a repeatable field
    Pr: no En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: no
    7.31 Search only within the same paragraph
    Pr: no En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: no
    7.32 Stopwords
    Pr: no (only for sorting purposes) En: no
    RM: no Papyrus: yes, system-controlled; but user can decide how many characters make up a "word"
    7.33 Z39.50 Searching  
    Pr: yes, embedds previous "companion" BookWhere?® package En: yes
    use special -simplified- search interface; can search different databases simultaneously; can save result in db without conversion; can save search expressions; can modify or add new hosts and configure; can configure conversion filters; use same interface as normal searching function; cannot search different databases simultaneously; can save result in db without conversion; can modify or add new hosts and configure; can configure conversion filters; connection files and filters are individual files
    RM: yes, embedds previous "companion" BookWhere?® package Papyrus: no
    use same interface as normal searching function; can search different databases simultaneously; save result in db without conversion; can modify or add new hosts and configure  

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



     
     
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