Yesterday, I received a very interesting question — a patron was curious to know two things:

1. Is there a way to directly import information from Philosopher’s Index into EndNote?
2. Does Harvard provide us with a connection filter for the Index as it does for the HOLLIS catalogue?

The answer to the first question is no — though it is actually fairly easy to import records from Philosopher’s Index into EndNote.  All that is required is to perform a few extra steps to make this happen.  (I’ll outline what you need to do, next.) At present, you can only directly import results from Philosopher’s Index into RefWorks.

To the second question, the answer is yes — Harvard does provide a connection filter for the Index, so you will be able to import the references you find in the Index into EndNote without having to do a lot of extra reformatting or data entry.

Here’s how to import references from Philosopher’s Index into EndNote.  I will pretend that I am looking for MW Barnes’ article, “Vulgarity,” to illustrate how to do this.

1. Login to Philosopher’s Index via HOLLIS, using your Harvard ID and PIN.
2. When you get to the Advanced Search page in Philosopher’s Index, enter “barnes” into the first row’s  first search box, and set the drop-down menu to “Author, AU =”; on the next line, enter in “vulgarity”, and set that drop-down menu to “Title, TI =”.  Click the Search button.  You should get the one result, listing the complete bibliographic information: M.W. Barnes, “Vulgarity,” Ethics 91(1), October 1980, 72-83. Check the box next to the reference.
3. Above the results, you should see a link named “Print/Save/E-mail.”  Click on that.
4. This screen should appear:
5. Set the first drop-down box to “Full Format.”  Then move down to the radio buttons next to the “Save” button, and choose the option for whatever operating system you are using.
6. Click on “Save,” and save the files as a text/notepad file to whatever location you chose.
7. Open EndNote, and open an existing library or create a new library.  (Obviously, make sure that you have EndNote installed on your computer first.)
8. Go to the File menu, and choose the “Import” option.  In the box that appears, click on the “Choose File” option and select the text/notepad file.  Then click on the “Import Option” button.  From that list, select “Philosopher’s Index (CSA).” This is the filter that Harvard provides to import references from Philosopher’s Index into EndNote such that you do not need to reformat the data or retype it all in.
9. If you do not see this option, click on the “Other Filters” option, which should be in bold typeface among the options.  Once you do that, you will get a very long alphabetical list of filters.  Scroll down this list until you see “Philosopher’s Index (CSA)” — highlight that, and click “Choose.”  This filter will now be one of your import options.
10. When you return to the Import Box, click on “Import,” at the bottom of the box, which should import the references directly.

I realize that what I’ve just outlined above may seem complicated at first, but, once you have the hang of using EndNote, it’s actually a fairly easy process to import references into the software.

I am very happy to demonstrate these steps in person, so please feel free to contact me to set up a training session.

Also, if you have other questions about using bibliographic management software, please let me know.  I’d be very happy to answer them.

I often receive questions from patrons on how to properly format footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies when writing a paper or a dissertation. I usually tell the inquirers that the format will depend on the citation style that they use, which may be one that they’ve learned in earlier years, or one that their professor or adviser prefers. I try to ask if they have a sense of what this style might be, since there are several citation styles from which to chose, like APA, MLA, or the Chicago Manual of Style, and respective guides on how to put footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies in these formats.

But, is there software that can help you manage your bibliographies and notes? The answer is yes. There are three with which I am familiar: EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero. I won’t go into great detail here about each of these — two of my library colleagues have already written an excellent comparison of EndNote and RefWorks, and Zotero provides a great Flash demonstration on its Web site. Nonetheless, I will offer my own comments where I think they’re appropriate, since any of these three packages has the potential to save you a lot of time and effort when writing lengthy papers or books.

EndNote and RefWorks

EndNote and RefWorks are two software programs designed to help you manage your citations and bibliographies. At present, Harvard subscribes to RefWorks, and it is thus free to authorized users. Access to EndNote is not currently provided by Harvard, and those wanting to use it will have to subscribe to it on their own.

A comparison of the two packages is outlined here. A guide for using RefWorks may be found here. This guide will tell you how to access RefWorks via the “E-research@Harvard” page.  Update 8/12/2008: All of the information formerly found in this paragraph is outdated, and has been replaced with updated information in the new site, “Using RefWorks, EndNote, and Other Citation Tools.”

I have not used EndNote very much, so I cannot comment on it. I have, though, used RefWorks, and have found it difficult to use. Importing references from databases is not easy to do, and when I have been able to import references, using RefWorks to manage my citations has also proven challenging. Others may have a different experience of using it, though, and I’m curious to learn more from them about their experiences with the software.

Zotero

According to its Web site, “Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. It lives right where you do your work — in the web browser itself.”

Like LibX, Zotero is a Firefox extension — so, it won’t work with other browsers like Internet Explorer or Safari. (Again, it’s another excuse to download Firefox and try it out.) The tool is free and open source. And, it boasts a number of nifty features, like automatic capture of citation information from Web pages; storage of files, Web pages, and images; and formatted citation export, meaning that it will automatically generate a bibliography for you in one of many styles, with more being added.

From my experience, Zotero is a bit intimidating at first. However, once you get the hang of it, it is relatively easy to use, and will make managing your bibliographies much less time-consuming. The Zotero programmers work very hard to make sure the product is as user-friendly as possible, and are eager for user feedback.

To take a tour of Zotero, go to their Web site and click on the “View Tour” button on the right-hand side of the page. A list of its features can be found in the lower part of the home page, just under the screen shot graphic.

If you would like a demonstration of Zotero, whether individually or in a group, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to meet with you. Zotero, in my view, is best demonstrated “live,” rather than with static screen shots, to show off all of its functionality.

Update: 10/03/2007

Scott McLemee has written a great review of Zotero for InsideHigherEd.com

A Caveat

In all of this, I would caution against letting any one of these software packages do all of the work for you. Make sure to go over your bibliography and notes to make sure that they’re formatted correctly, and consult a print guide if necessary. For example, I find that Zotero sometimes does interesting things with APA format such that it needs correcting. Technology is a great tool, but don’t let it become a crutch to support sloppy research and writing.

I’ve been asked several times during my tenure here at Harvard about citation management software.  Last September, I wrote a post about the topic, outlining EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero.

Recently, while attending a training session on EndNote, I learned that a new iSite is now available, Using RefWorks, EndNote, and Other Citation Tools.  Here, you can link to comparisons of the three software packages, learn about their strengths, weaknesses, and use, and where to go for additional training.

This is a very useful site, especially for those who are writing long papers, books, or theses.  You can link to the site via the link above.  Additionally, I’ve placed a link on the Department of Philosophy Writing Resources page.

Please let me know if you have any questions about these tools.  They really can become a life-saver, especially if you have a large number of citations and references to keep track of, and to format for publication or for thesis submission.

But, is there software that can help you manage your bibliographies and notes? The answer is yes. There are three with which I am familiar: EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero. I won’t go into great detail here about each of these — two of my library colleagues have already written an excellent comparison of EndNote and RefWorks, and Zotero provides a great Flash demonstration on its Web site. Nonetheless, I will offer my own comments where I think they’re appropriate, since any of these three packages has the potential to save you a lot of time and effort when writing lengthy papers or books.

EndNote and RefWorks

EndNote and RefWorks are two software programs designed to help you manage your citations and bibliographies. At present, Harvard subscribes to RefWorks, and it is thus free to authorized users. Access to EndNote is not currently provided by Harvard, and those wanting to use it will have to subscribe to it on their own.

A comparison of the two packages is outlined here. A guide for using RefWorks may be found here. This guide will tell you how to access RefWorks via the “E-research@Harvard” page.  Update 8/12/2008: All of the information formerly found in this paragraph is outdated, and has been replaced with updated information in the new site, “Using RefWorks, EndNote, and Other Citation Tools.”

I have not used EndNote very much, so I cannot comment on it. I have, though, used RefWorks, and have found it difficult to use. Importing references from databases is not easy to do, and when I have been able to import references, using RefWorks to manage my citations has also proven challenging. Others may have a different experience of using it, though, and I’m curious to learn more from them about their experiences with the software.

Zotero

According to its Web site, “Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. It lives right where you do your work — in the web browser itself.”

Like LibX, Zotero is a Firefox extension — so, it won’t work with other browsers like Internet Explorer or Safari. (Again, it’s another excuse to download Firefox and try it out.) The tool is free and open source. And, it boasts a number of nifty features, like automatic capture of citation information from Web pages; storage of files, Web pages, and images; and formatted citation export, meaning that it will automatically generate a bibliography for you in one of many styles, with more being added.

From my experience, Zotero is a bit intimidating at first. However, once you get the hang of it, it is relatively easy to use, and will make managing your bibliographies much less time-consuming. The Zotero programmers work very hard to make sure the product is as user-friendly as possible, and are eager for user feedback.

To take a tour of Zotero, go to their Web site and click on the “View Tour” button on the right-hand side of the page. A list of its features can be found in the lower part of the home page, just under the screen shot graphic.

If you would like a demonstration of Zotero, whether individually or in a group, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to meet with you. Zotero, in my view, is best demonstrated “live,” rather than with static screen shots, to show off all of its functionality.

Update: 10/03/2007

Scott McLemee has written a great review of Zotero for InsideHigherEd.com

A Caveat

In all of this, I would caution against letting any one of these software packages do all of the work for you. Make sure to go over your bibliography and notes to make sure that they’re formatted correctly, and consult a print guide if necessary. For example, I find that Zotero sometimes does interesting things with APA format such that it needs correcting. Technology is a great tool, but don’t let it become a crutch to support sloppy research and writing.