Biblioscape assigns a unique record number to each reference as it is added into your database. These record numbers appear in the temporary citations to ensure that the correct reference is used when the paper is formatted. Here is an example of using Reference ID in temporary citation: [Smith, K. 1998 #34]
In the references list Window, the "Reference ID" is shown in the preview header panel. You may also include it in the references data grid as one of the columns. This can be accomplished by going to the menu command "View | Current View | Field Chooser", then dragging the "Reference ID" field from the Field Chooser Window to the data grid column header. In the reference editor Window, you can show the "Reference ID" in the "User Defined" panel by clicking on the splitter bar.
Because the "Reference ID" is used to uniquely identify a record during the formatting of a paper, you need to know the following facts about it:
- It is recommend that you do not "Reference ID" as a means of filing or numbering your office reprints, because you have no control over this number, and it is subject to change when records are moved into another database. Instead, enter your own unique number into the Label field, or the "Accession Number" field, and use that number for your reprints.
- Biblioscape automatically assigns a record number sequentially to each reference as it is added to the database.
- If the same reference appears in two different databases, their "Reference ID" will be different.
- The "Reference ID" is never reused or reassigned within a database. If you permanently delete a reference, that ID number is never used again in that database.
- You cannot modify or reassign record numbers.
- If references are not sorted by any other field, they are displayed in the descending order based on Reference ID number.
Deleting references in the database
If you delete a reference from your database, Biblioscape will put that record in the recycle bin. If you restore that reference from recycle bin back to the database again, it will have the same Reference ID number. But if you deleted that reference from the recycle bin. That record will be permanently deleted from your database. After that, even you typed that record back to the database, another Reference ID will be used.
Uniquely identify a reference in temporary citations
When inserting a temporary citation, Biblioscape needs to uniquely identify that reference. The Reference ID is used by default. This won't be a problem if you always use one database. If you have one database on home computer and keep another one on your work computer, the same record will have different Reference ID on the two databases. Therefor documents with temporary citations from one computer cannot be correctly formatted using database on another computer. That is why we recommend using natural citation instead of the Reference ID in your temporary citations if you have more than one database.