My university has an institutional license for Refworks. I've recently
started using it. I used Endnote briefly and this seems like a product
with similar features except that it runs entirely on line (as opposed
to installing software and maintaining data on a local drive).
Refworks will allow you to import data from on-line library and
database searches or you can import from Endnote v. 8 or higher. You
can also input individual entries using a form which follows any number
of different style templates (including user-defined).
Advanced search capabilities allow you to search through your
bibliographies (which can be organized in different folders). Refworks
will also pull up any exact duplicate records or "near matches" to help
you clean out redundancies.
Bibliography output formats include Word for Windows 2000 or later,
Word for Mac 98 or later, HTML, Rich Text Format, and Text format.
Bibliographies can be exported in any number of pre-programmed styles
(Chicago, MLA, Turabian, etc.). It looks like there are well over 100
different styles, but you can also create your own (or modify existing
styles). It didn't take me long to create my own export style, and I'd
think that most people on this list wouldn't struggle much figuring it
out. The process will intimidate many into using one of the presets.
There is a downloadable plug-in called Write-n-Cite that allows you to
run an abbreviated version of RefWorks inside Microsoft Word. I haven't
tried it.
Data (or portions thereof) can be exported into XML, tab delimited,
"RefWorks Tagged Format" (for sharing with other RefWorks users), a
citation list, BibTex, or directly into EndNote, Reference Manager, or
ProCite).
There are a handful of start-up options and preferences (which folder
to start with, how many reference to display on a screenpage,
etc.). The site can run in English, French, Spanish, or in one of four
other oriental languages. The interface is satisfactory and basically
intuitive (by which, I mean that I can leave it alone for several
months and still find my way around when I come back to it). There is
good documentation via on-line tutorials and helpfiles.
I'm not associated with RefWorks in any way. The program seems to do
all the basic things I need to do, so, I'll probably continue to use it
for my relatively simple needs. If my institution let its subscription
lapse, I probably would not spend the money for an individual
subscription. But I don't rely that heavily on a bibliography manager
at this point.
Jesse
jesse_hurlbut@byu.edu