Is Biblioscape right for you?

If this is the first time you have heard of Biblioscape and don't know if it is worth the time to explore, you have come to the right place. Since Biblioscape has several modules, each with lots of features, it is easier to divide potential Biblioscape users into several groups. Under each group, the needed Biblioscape features are listed, plus a recommendation about which Biblioscape edition to purchase.

I am an undergraduate student. I am looking for a tool to help me write term papers and a thesis. Since undergraduate students do not need to submit their writings to an academic journal, the advanced formatting power of the references module won't be needed. In most cases, the Lite edition will be enough.

Add, edit, delete, import references.
Copy formatted references and paste them into your paper.
Add notes to a reference.

I am a graduate student. I need a piece of software to help me write my thesis, collect references, manage my research notes, and prepare the manuscripts for journal publication. Graduate students need to read a lot of papers. While reading, they need a well integrated tool to take notes. When it is time to prepare the manuscript for publication, it will be much easier to let computer software generate the formatted citations and bibliography. Biblioscape Standard edition can do all the above.

Import references from the Web.
An integrated notes module to collect research notes and ideas.
Generate formatted citations and bibliography for journal publications.

I am a college professor. I need to manage all my research related information in a single place. Professionals usually have a large collection of references and notes on diverse subjects. Biblioscape Professional edition is designed to manage large collections and even publish them on the web.

Let my students and colleagues access my reference collection on the web.
Categorize my references and notes.
Manage research related tasks and link them to other records.

I need to manage a small library. Biblioscape Librarian edition is designed for department libraries, personal libraries, or libraries of research groups.

Manage book circulation, check-in and check-out.
A serial sub-module for jornal collection.
Manage borrowers, suppliers, and inter-library loans.

I am a member of a research group and am looking for a tool to:

Share a common database among all users.
Make our database accessible on the web.

BiblioRemote server can be used to share a common database among all users. Users from different locatioins can open the same database through BiblioRemote as if it is on their local machine. BiblioRemote comes with Biblioscape installation with 3 concurrent users support. More can be purchased. Biblioscape Pro and Librarian editions comes with BiblioWeb server. BiblioWeb is designed to make Biblioscape database available on the Web with minimal effort. Without the need for any third party software, your Biblioscape database can be published on the Web with just a few button clicks.

Biblioscape editions

Since Biblioscape is designed for different users to be used in different settings, it is sold in different editions. Each edition includes different modules and features tailored for a special group of users. There are no different downloads for each edition. You only need to install the trial copy. Once registered, the registration key will turn the trial copy into the edition that you have purchased.

Lite edition

The Lite edition is for undergraduate students to do research projects or write term papers. The notes module and references module are included for collecting research notes and formatting citations. Since undergraduate students usually do not need to submit papers for publication, some features are disabled like switching to a different citation style, global editing, etc.

Starndard edition

Graduate students have to collect lots of references for different projects, take research notes linked to references, write a thesis and for peer reviewed journals. The Standard edition can satisfy all these needs. Biblioscape Standard can generate formatted citations and bibliographies according to a selected style. If a paper is rejected, all the citations and bibliography can be changed to another journal style instantly.

Professional edition

For professors and researchers, Biblioscape Professional edition includes all the features in the Standard edition, plus the tasks module, charts module, categories module, composition module, and BiblioWeb server to publish Biblioscape database on the Web.

Librarian edition

If a research group has to manage a small library, Biblioscape Librarian edition can be used to manage not only catalogs, but also journal subscriptions. The Librarian edition includes 7 sub-modules: catalog, serials, circulation, interlibrary loan, borrowers, lenders, and suppliers. It is designed for a personal, group, or department library.

Biblioscape feature matrix

Biblioscape consists of several modules and the software is sold in different editions. The Lite edition can be used to organize references, import bibliographic records from different sources, generate a reference list, etc. If you need to use Biblioscape to convert a document with temporary citations into a formatted document with citations and bibliography properly generated according to a particular output style, you need to purchase the Standard edition. For users who want to go beyond what traditional bibliographic software can do, the Professional edition offers 4 extra modules. The Task module is for managing your ToDo lists related to your research. The Chart module can be used to build all kinds of flow charts, organization charts, and link a chart object to references, notes, etc. The Categories module is for tagging records from other modules, as well as building a knowledge base according to the principles of Topic Maps. The Composition can be used to compile your notes into a final draft with table of contents and index automatically generated. The Librarian edition can be used to manage a small library. It includes the following sub-modules: Catalog, Serials, Circulation, Interlibrary Loan, Borrowers, Lenders, and Suppliers. Both the Professional and Librarian editions include the BiblioWeb server, which allows you to publish your reference database on the Web. All versions except the Lite edition include the BiblioRemote server, which allows you to open a Biblioscape database that resides on a remote machine.

Here is a detailed feature list available in different editioins.

Features	Lite	Std	Pro	Lib
General
Folder: Organize records into folders. A single folder tree for all modules. Any query can be added to the folder tree as a search folder. A link folder can be created to make records reside in more than one folder.	x	x	x	x
Search: Full text fast search returns results instantly. Search words are highlighted in result record display. Advanced search is available to query against individual fields with logical operators. Any search can be saved as a search folder.	x	x	x	x
Cross links: Link a record to any record from other modules, as well as Web URL, file, or free text.	x	x	x	x
Preview: Live preview panel can be used to edit records without openning it. Formatted preview is also available with hyperlinked search words.	x	x	x	x
Field lookup: Lookup Lists display all unique values of a selected data field, along with the number of occurrences of each unique value. Relevant records can be retrieved by double clicking a list item.	x	x	x	x
Delete and restore: Recycle bin holds all deleted records. Deleted records can be restored with a single click or to be permanently removed from the database.	x	x	x	x
BiblioRemote: Open a remote database through BiblioRemote server. The remote database can reside on another computer in the same building or in another country.		x	x	x
References module
Import filter: Bibliographic data from any data sources can be imported with a proper import filter. The user can create new or edit existing import filters.	x	x	x	x
Output style: References can be displayed in any any style, for example MLA, APA, etc. A large number of styles are provided for different journals. Users can also create new ones.	x	x	x	x
Capture references: Search Web-based bibliographic databases from inside Biblioscape, and click a button to capture search results into a Biblioscape database with the right import filter. New import filters can be created by users.	x	x	x	x
Global edit: The content of a data field can be changed at once for all selected references.		x	x	x
Eliminate Duplicate: Duplicate records can be found and removed. Fuzzy search is supported for finding duplicates.		x	x	x
Citation and bibliography: Format manuscript to convert temporary citations into formatted citations and bibliography according to the selected style.		x	x	x
Word processor: Integration with Microsoft Word and Corel WordPerfect.		x	x	x
Natural citation: Use words or phrases to uniquely identify a reference in a temporary citation instead of using a Reference ID. If references are moved to another database, temporary citations don't need to be changed.		x	x	x
Notes module
Take notes and organize notes in a tree structure. The text in your note can be formatted with all the standard options, including fonts, color, background color, superscript, subscript, paragraph alignment, bullet list, number list, etc. Notes can be used to organize captured Web pages. All the graphics and hyperlinks of captured web pages can be properly displayed.	x	x	x	x
Categories module
Categories tree: Organize categories in a tree structure.	x	x	x	x
Tagging: Classify records from other modules like references and notes with categories.	x	x	x	x
Linking: Link a category to records from other modules.			x	x
Topic maps: Build topic maps like structure using categories.			x	x
Tasks module
Create and organize tasks in a tree structure. Group tasks by Priority, Status, Date Created, etc. Track the progress of a task by marking its percentage completed.			x	x
Charts module
Draw a flow chart with an easy to use chart editor. Link chart objects to records from other modules including references, notes, etc. Organize your charts in a tree structure. The position of each chart in the tree can be rearranged by drag and drop.			x	x
BiblioWeb
Publish databases on the Web with BiblioWeb server. No other web server required. Runs on any Windows machine. Full text search runs fast returning results instantly. Search words are highlighted. Users with a Write account can add new references to the database using a Web browser. Import references over the Web with the right import filter, so you don't need to enter references one by one. Marked references can be displayed in any of the output styles that exist in Biblioscape.			x	x
Composition module
Organize notes into an outline. The same note can be reused in multiple outlines. Drag and drop references to cite or added to the suggested reading list. Drag and drop records from categories module as index terms or glossary terms. Compile the notes into a final draft with table of contents, index, suggested reading list, glossary, plus formatted citations and bibliography.			x	x
Library module
Manage library collection data using 56 data fields, organized into several groups including Bibliographic, Holding, Request, Order, Serial, and General. Manage serials and related activities including tracking, routing, etc. Display circulation activities by borrower, status, subject, etc. Checks out books for library patrons, add notes, easily change due dates. Checks in books returned by borrowers. Automatically reminds librarian about Hold status. Puts a hold on a checked out book. Shows a reminder when that book is returned. Manage inter-library loan requests, track loan status, log shippings, etc. Manage borrowers, lenders, and suppliers.				x

Biblioscape modules

After several major releases, Biblioscape has evolved from a traditional bibliographic software into a Research Information Manager. Biblioscape helps researchers to get all kinds of information organized in a single database, and link them together to build a knowledge base. It consists of 7 modules addressing different aspects of a researcher's needs.

Core modules

References module is for storing, managing, and searching for bibliographic references. Bibliographic records from different sources can be imported into a Biblioscape database with the appropriate import filter. References are organized into folders. Several searching tools are provided to query the database.
Notes module is designed to collect any free text information that does not fit into the reference database. A note can be your ideas, comments, background information about an author, etc. Notes are organized in a tree structure. A note can be linked to other notes, references, tasks, etc.

Advanced modules

Categories module is for users with a large database. It can be used as a tagging system to classify your information including references, notes, tasks, etc. It can also be used to build a knowledge base with concepts organized in a tree structure and linked to references, notes, web page, files, etc.
Tasks module is a simple To Do list manager that is integrated with the References and Notes modules. It is designed to manage tasks related to your research, so you won't need a separate program for it. Tight integration with other modules of Biblioscape make it an ideal tool to manage research related tasks.
Charts module can be used to draw flow charts, organization charts, etc. A chart object can be linked to the References, Notes, Tasks, and Library modules. You can draw a chart to express ideas and procedures in your research, and use SQL to connect objects in your chart to other modules in Biblioscape.
Composition module is for book and thesis writing. For a large writing project, you can use the composition module to assemble your notes into an book outline, inset references as citations or suggested reading, add records in the categories module as index term or glossary term. You can then compile a final draft with table of contents, index, formatted citations and bibliography, suggested reading list, and glossary all automatically generated.

Web modules

Internet module can be used to search online bibliographic databases via a web browser. With a single button click, your web search results can be captured into a Biblioscape database. Besides capturing bibliographic records, you can also use the Internet module to capture web pages.
Biblioscape also includes a web server application, BiblioWeb. With just one button click, your bibliographic database can be published on the Web. Web users can be assigned Read or Write privileges to browse, search, even add and delete bibliographic records using a Web browser. This is the easiest way for a research group to share a common bibliographic database on the Web.

Library modules

Library module is for managing a small research library. It could be a researcher's personal library, a department library, even a small corporate library. It includes 7 sub-modules to handle different tasks in library automation. These are: Catalog, Serials, Circulation, Interlibrary Loan, Borrowers, Lenders, and Suppliers.