Commercial Bibliographic Tools

Introduction

While reading through material, I get the sense that reviewers look either at freeware or commercial software, and rarely both. My experience has been from the freeware (not the same thing as public domain!) side. Each side has their advantages and disadvantages, and differ in their appropriateness for certain audiences. Certainly a computer scientist using Unix on the net storing a 100 entry bibliography will find the free tools such as BibTeX or Refer more appropriate than purchasing a $500 package that is designed for DOS. On the other hand, an environmental scientist writing MS Word documents, storing a 15,000 entry database, will probably be better off with one of these tools (not that the free tools won't work, but they will be more trouble than its worth for this user).

None of these packages are available via the net -- they must be purchased through the company or through a software distributor. Many companies maintain FTP sites or other net presences to aid in distributing updates and providing information. Often sample copies of the software are available at no or extremely low cost. Some of these are available by anonymous FTP. There are mailing lists for many of the products, either independent or sponsored by the company. I do not subscribe to any of these, so I do not know how useful they are, but I provide the information here in case it is of use.

Contents

References

 Also, there is a mailing list devoted to bibliography software that discusses these packages. While the mailing list isn't technically devoted to commercial software, it looks like that's what is discussed. To subscribe, send mail to LISTSERV@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU (or LISTSERV@INDYCMS.BITNET) with the text, "SUBSCRIBE BIBSOFT First-name Last-name". Jim Morgan also has BIBSOFT archives available in his gopher server under the Electronic Books and Journals tree.

Software

I have only used Reference Manager, and do not use any of these tools currently, so I won't attempt any sort of reviews. Sue Stigleman has some excellent reviews of these programs and others as well. Todd Blayone has done some reviews of software for Chorus. These contain a lot of information, and screen shots too. He reviews and compares the DOS versions of Library Master, Papyrus, Pro-Cite, and EndNote Plus.

EndNote Plus by Niles and Associates

Available for Macintosh and DOS.
DOS version 2.0: $249, $99 for EndLink (Windows upgrade is $49 when available)
Macintosh version 2.0: $299, $99 for EndLink.
Sample: free.

EndNote Plus is a popular package, and the company offers information and support via e-mail. It can import data from Pro-Cite, Refer, and BibTeX, among others. For working with CD-ROM data, you need EndLink. It supports DIALOG, BRS Colleague, SilverPlatter, Knowledge Finder, and MedLine. Sue Stigleman has a examination as of 11/92.

Mailing List: LISTSERV@UCSBVM.UCSB.EDU with text "SUBSCRIBE ENDNOTE First-Name Last-Name".
Internet resources: anonymous ftp 

Niles & Associates, Inc.
800 Jones Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
Phone:      (510) 559-8592
FAX:        (510) 559-8683
Internet:   nilesinc@well.sf.ca.us
AOL:        NilesAssoc
CompuServe: 71172,653

Library Master by Balboa Software

Available for DOS.
DOS version 2.02: $250 ($200 educational, $125 student)
Sample: $5 or by anonymous ftp.

Library Master can import from Pro-Cite and EndNote, among others (including a number of CD-ROM formats).

Mailing List: listserv@acadvm1.uottawa.ca with text "sub LibMastr your name".
Internet Resources: anonymous ftp 

Balboa Software
5846 Yonge St.
P.O. Box 69539
Willowdale, Ontario M2M 4K3
Canada
Phone:      (416) 730-8980
FAX:        (416) 730-9715
Internet:   hahne@epas.utoronto.ca

Papyrus by Research Software Design

Available for DOS.
DOS version 7.0.11c: $99.
Macintosh version 8 expected sometime after March 1995.
Windows version 8 expected not before January 1996.
Sample: $25, counted toward purchase price.

Internet Resources: anonymous ftp 

Research Software Design
2718 SW Kelly Street, Suite 181
Portland, OR 97201
Phone:      (503) 796-1368
FAX:        (503) 241-4260
Internet:   rsd@teleport.com

Pro-Cite by Personal Bibliographic Software Inc.

Available for DOS and Macintosh, Windows in early 1995.
DOS version 2.1: $395, $785 for base plus Biblio-Link.
Sample: free.

Pro-Cite was one of the first personal bibliography packages, and is widely used, especially in libraries. It is extremely flexible and handles material of many types. Sue Stigleman has a examination as of 11/92.

Mailing List: LISTSERV@IUBVM.UCS.INDIANA.EDU with text "SUBSCRIBE PRO-CITE First-Name Last-Name". Jim Morgan maintains mailing list archives.
Internet Resources: WWW, anonymous ftp 

PBS, Inc.
PO Box 5250
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
Phone:      (313) 996-1580
FAX:        (313) 996-4672
Internet:   sales@pbsinc.com

Reference Manager by Research Information Systems

Available for DOS, Windows, and Macintosh.
DOS version 6.0: $349.
Windows version 6.0: $349
Macintosh version 2.0: $349
Sample: free or by WWW or anonymous ftp.

The price given is for the Professional Edition. No pricing is given for a base package. Other options available include the Capture module at $149 which imports/exports formats, and the Companion Package at $199. These prices are the same for all platforms. Upgrades are available at a reduced cost. Sue Stigleman has a examination as of 11/92.

Mailing List: LISTSERV@ris.risinc.com with text "SUBSCRIBE RIS-List".
Internet Resources: WWW, anonymous ftp 

Research Information Systems Inc.
2355 Camino Vida Roble
Carlsbad, CA 92009
Phone:      (800) 722-1227
FAX:        (619) 438-5573
Internet:   risinfo@ris.risinc.com

Other Software
[Back to Bibliography Tools]
7 March 1995
Dana Jacobsen
dana@acm.org