Pro Cite 5.0 Information Toolbox to Manage References
Pro Cite 5.0
Information Toolbox to Manage References
| by Dale Farris, President, Golden Triangle PC Club July 2000 ProCite 5 is another superb reference application from ISI ResearchSoft, a division of ISI (Institute of Scientific Information), a Thomson Scientific Company. Thomson is a leading global e-information company with annual revenue of approximately $6 billion. Note: See the Reviews link in the home page of this site to take you to a link to a review of Reference Manager and End Note, excellent products also available from ISI ResearchSoft. Whether you are a researcher, writer, librarian, information specialist, student, or consumer, who wants to keep track of information from the Internet or to manage other data collections, ProCite provides a nice solution to such a problem. This neat program helps you control reference information that can originate from sources such as online databases, CD-ROM's, library automation systems, or even email. With ProCite, you can easily edit your references and instantly search for and retrieve information. You can easily format, to your specifications, sorted lists, such as bibliographies, publication lists, acquisition lists, catalogs, or directories, and you can also link ProCite with your word processor, cite references in reports or papers, and automatically generate a bibliography. Key Concepts ProCite organizes information in a database that contains records, and each record is represented by a workform, which contains up to 45 fields. This database concept follows standard principles in any database program, but novices with little experience with any database may need a little more time learning ProCite. However, others with existing database experience and knowledge should more quickly move through the natural learning curve with ProCite. The record serves as the basic unit of the database, and each record is a unique collection of information specific to one book, journal, musical score, or whatever the user is wishing to organize and reference. ProCite handles variable-length records, so you are not limited to a particular length for each record, or even each field. The workform is a fill-in-the-blank form used to help organize the information in each record. ProCite includes predefined workforms that handle the most common works, such as journals or books. You can also modify this format and create additional workforms. Appendix B in the excellent user manual further describes the 39 pre-built workforms and the 45 available fields. Examples of these nifty workforms could be used to organize data about journal articles, letters, sound recordings, newspapers, dissertations, trade catalogs, video recordings, web pages, or even email messages. A field in a workform is a portion of a record that contains information of a single type, such as a title or a date. Each field is indicated by a field name, such as "Author" or "Title," and a field number. You identify a field by its name, number or its contents. As in most modern-day databases, by entering each type of information in a separate field, you can easily find information, in keeping with the standard "lowest atomic level" concept of database field criteria. This also allows you to output each field of information in any order, which gives ProCite great flexibility in creating bibliographies, one of the primary uses of ProCite. New Features in Version 5 Easily move between various lists of records Quickly search PubMed and Z39.50 databases on the Internet "Cite While You Write" in Word and WordPerfect (various versions) Locate unlinked citations Display full ProCite records when selecting a record from multiple matches Re-display a list of records to choose another citation for insertion URL's automatically become "hot" links Apply styles to citation numbers Define a unique in-text citation format to allow accurate footnote formatting Define second format for subsequent in-text citations from the same source View preview of current workform definition while creating or editing styles View preview of formatted output using a style while selecting the style Czech, Polish, and Cyrillic languages added to sort options Sort using Windows system language setting Converts data from various ProCite databases Common Features Sample database included to aid in learning Customize record list to display fields Preview Pane displays record formatted with selected output style "Go To" command to find references Drag and drop between databases Import records from saved text file Search and import records directly from an online database Capture Web page information (Windows Only) Link a reference to a Web page or file Duplicate checking Create groups of virtual subsets of a database "Cite While You Write" Generate bibliographies from a record list Create bibliographies with subject headings Print bibliographies Prepare a manuscript with a bibliography Create and modify forms and output styles Export delimited records Target Customers Although one could consider loading and using this fine program on a home pc, ProCite is really more suited for a library environment, research institutes, laboratories, or other information publishing and research functions. The focus is on professional writing that would more likely be published in scholarly journals, research papers, theses and dissertations, or grant research reports. Graduate students will be very interested in the many features in this program that will answer most all their reference citing needs. Comparable Applications ProCite is one of many similar highly specialized applications that especially appeal to researchers and writers, including ISI ResearchSoft's own Reference Manager, SeeCite Software's "Bibliographica," Sonny Software's "Bookends Plus," See Change Corporation's "BookWhere? 2000," Oberon Development, Ltd's "Citation," and Research Software Design's "Papyrus." Integration With Other ISI Applications ProCite is developed and supported by ISI ResearchSoft, the same company that also sells Reference Manager, EndNote, and Reference WebPoster. This means ProCite will easily allow one to integrate references found from online databases or Web sites into Reference Manager. With this latest release of ProCite, ISI has begun to solidify their strong hold on this important genre of reference software, and all these fine applications can be considered essential in any serious research setting. ProCite Recommendation ProCite is absolutely essential for all university libraries, and many of the larger public libraries serving larger markets. Wherever there are an abundance of researchers, writers, students and teachers, there should also be found this excellent resource. However, use of this tool will require some time to learn how to use the many built-in features. Prices $395.95 |