Evaluation of EndNote 4 Reference Management Software
| Date | 01 April 2000 |
| Published date | 01 April 2000 |
| Pages | 55-59 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb040777 |
| Author | PaulLITC Sandford |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Evaluation of
EndNote 4 Reference
Management Software
by Paul Sandford, LITC, South Bank
University
Following earlier comparative evaluations of
software for the management of references and
citations by Maggie Shapland, reported in LIBS
89/90,
February 2000, in which EndNote 3.1.0 was
included, there has been a release of EndNote 4 by
ISI ResearchSoft. The new version is described as
an online research tool, a reference database and a
bibliography maker. This new evaluation refers to
the earlier evaluation comments and adopts similar
categories for evaluation to facilitate comparison.
These are, with new categories shown in italics:
• Hardware requirements and Interface
• System Software requirements
• New Features since last evaluation
(EndNote 3)
• Database Structure
• Limitations and Indexing
• Retrieval of References
• Addition, Deletion an Modification of
References
• Formatting and Output of retrieved
references
• Documentation and Help Facilities
• Update on Advantages and Disadvantages
• Cost/Benefits
• Conclusions
This evaluation was conducted from the viewpoint
of a new user of
RM
software, in an environment
where RM software has not been in common
use.
It therefore concentrates on meeting user
needs.
Hardware requirements and
interface
EndNote 4 is a 32-bit application, running under
Win 95, 98, 2000 and NT 4. It requires a 486 PC or
higher with a minimum 16MB RAM and 11 Mb
hard drive space.
System software requirements
The evaluation revealed that some configurations
would not allow the automatic installation of
a
key
pre-requisite, MS Rich Edit 5.3. nor the smooth
installation of Add-ins to MS Word Tools. This
was the case with a Win NT installation, in which
installation under an administrator account was
needed but not a problem using standalone Win 95
which installed smoothly and rapidly. In the
former case, it was necessary to uninstall EndNote,
Run MS Installer found on the EndNote disk, then
re-install EndNote. Rapid email response from the
EndNote helpdesk - Donna Kirking
[donnak@isiresearchsoft.com] - helped to resolve
the problem.
More complete installation troubleshooting guid-
ance in the EndNote manual would be desirable.
Yes,
it is 445 pages already but one more on this
would be welcome.
The website for the new UK distributors, Adept
Scientific, states "To use the EndNote Add-in, you
must be using Microsoft Word 7/95 - 2000 or
WordPerfect 7 - 9."
New features since last
evaluation
a) Improved Library (List) window display
• Choice of up to 5 fields to view in the
Library window.
• Adjustable column widths in the Library
window.
VINE 121
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