Biblioscape documentation is maintained by a team which includes Biblioscape tech support people, TeamBsp members, and volunteers. Any registered users of this web site can become a volunteer and add pages to Biblioscape handbooks. The site admin and TeamBsp members have the privilege to edit the contents submitted by volunteers.
Welcome to the Biblioscape user community.
Biblioscape user community is for everyone. It includes developers, tech supports, expert users, power users, neophytes, even surfers just looking for the right tool. We all communicate in English, but are not necessarily native speakers. Some power users contribute import filters and output styles, some may help others by answering questions. To build a community of people with such diverse backgrounds, we all have to respect each other. Tech savvy users have to be patient with computer-challenged people and explain things in step by step detail. English speakers may have to ask twice when they don't fully understand a post with broken English. We don't want to make this community like some user groups where novice users are afraid to ask questions.
What you get out of it depends on what you put into it. Biblioscape is a feature rich powerful tool. The drawbacks of such tools is a steep learning curve. The number of modules and the amount of features may be daunting at first. You should start with the basics, learn just the parts that you need, and expand your knowledge gradually. Once you are comfortable with the basics, you may want to learn how to make import filters to import references from different sources, and how to create output styles for different journals. You may then realize that to create a really flexible and powerful import filter, you have to know regular expressions. In order to build a special purpose query, it will help a lot if you know SQL. If you do not have a strong background in software use, it may take a while for you to take advantage of all the things Biblioscape offers. But the good news is that you can grow with such a system.
Ask questions in a proper way in the right forum. The number one purpose of this web site is to provide a place for users to ask questions. But it works very differently from email based tech support. In an email, you can bundle 10 issues in a single email. But in the forum, you should only include one issue per posting. To make the forums a more pleasureable and productive experience for all, be sure to read and keep in mind the forum posting tips.
A user community will not survive if no one jumps in and helps out. The contribute page mentions a number of ways you can help out the community. Once you have Biblioscape installed and running, you are qualified to help others. Actually the best help a user can get is from his/her peers. If you have just figured out a problem, many others may face the same problem. While your memory is fresh, you can write the best help postings. A power user or a developer cannot match that; once they know more about the system they have lost the perspective they had when they'd just solved a problem.
In order to keep the online book clean and up to date, please follow the rules listed here when adding comments to book pages. The book editors reserve the rights to delete inappropriate comments. Comments are hard to maintain, often unvalidated, and will confuse readers; thus, the following kinds of comments are discouraged:
The following kinds of comments can be posted in a book page:
If your questions are successively resolved in support forums, you are welcome to post a comment about it in the relevant book page. It may be very helpful to other users. Periodically, book editors will incorporate these kind of comments to the book page.
Documentation is team work. Every one can contribute. Once you are registered at this web site, click the "Add new comment" to give your opinion about a page. You also have the privilege to post a new forum message. Once you have established credibility and want to add new pages to the online books, you can email support@biblioscape.com asking for permission. In most cases, we will add the page for you. Only for trusted long time Biblioscape users and contributors, you will be given the privilege to add a page to one of the online books directly. Other members can only read your page, only TeamBsp members can edit and re-organize any book page.
Biblioscape interface is English only. It is possible this may change in the future. For now, the only thing you can translate is the user's manual. Since almost all users of Biblioscape have at least a college degree, adding locale support to the program user interface is a low priority.
If you are interested in translating online books into another language, please email: paulchen@biblioscape.com
如果你有兴趣将Biblioscape资料译成中文，请联系： paulchen@biblioscape.com