When adding a reference, the new record is assigned the same reference type as the last selected reference. If you want to change to a different type of reference, click the Reference Type entry at the top of the field list, and select the reference type that you need. You should select the reference type before entering data into other fields because each reference type has its associated data fields. Only data fields associated with the current reference type are shown in the "User Defined" panel and the field labels change accordingly. However, you can change the reference type at any time, and the information you have entered is retained and transferred to the corresponding field of the new reference type. Besides determining which data fields to be shown and their labels, reference type also determines how the reference is going to be formatted in citations and bibliography.
Biblioscape has about 30 pre-defined reference types which should be enough for most users. A reference type can be easily customized and you can also create new reference types. Before doing so, you should study existing reference types carefully to see if they can accommodate your references. Here are a few tips about choosing the right reference type.
- Use Book for books written by one or more authors, and use Book Edited for books edited by one or more editors (whether they are books in a series or not).
- Use Book Section for references that are part of an edited or non-edited book. Example would include a book chapter or a single article in a published conference proceedings.
- The reference type Electronic Source should be used for a Web page or ftp site. Email discussions should be cited as Personal Communications, just like any other correspondence.
Customize reference types
Click menu command "Tools | Options" and select the "Reference Types" tab, you can then click the "New" button to add a reference type. To change the field label for a reference type, select the cell corresponding to a data field and a reference type. Change the label to anything you like. If you leave it blank, that field will not be shown in the "User Defined" tab when the reference is of selected type.