Overview

Papyrus 8.0.6 is a well-designed bibliography- and reference-managing program. Careful incorporation of user feedback and extensive field testing has resulted in a superior product. Relational database design allows users to link notes, graphic images, keywords, journal names, and references to each other. References may be entered manually, by text-file import from online databases, from other reference-managing programs (e.g., EndNote, Procite, Reference Manager, Bookends, or BibTeX), or by direct import from BioMedNet's Evaluated Medline. Word processors compatible with Papyrus include Microsoft Word 5, 6, and 98, WordPerfect 3.x, and Nisus Writer 5.x; any document saved as plain text, RTF, or TeX/LaTeX will also work. Subsets of references may be compiled into "groups," which can be independently spell-checked, sorted, formatted, exported, or edited without affecting the main database. Documentation is superbly written. For those currently using competing bibliography programs and wary of change, evaluating the free Papyrus demo is well worth the effort.

How Long Did It Take to Learn to Use It Productively?

Papyrus' basic features can be mastered easily in an afternoon. However, some of the more advanced formatting and manuscript-processing tasks may require an additional afternoon to master.

Product Quality

Customizability

Reference types, database fields, in-text citation styles, bibliography styles, and import and export formats are completely customizable. The Workbook manual illustrates how to modify properly each of these features in a straightforward manner, yielding quick success for novice and expert users alike. Changing in-text citation styles may be accomplished by placing additional symbolic commands within the citation placeholders. Import formats are the most difficult to create because they must precisely handle the exact format of the source. Data may be preprocessed using an available plug-in filter such as Alphabetize Tags and Outdent Percents. These filters help standardize the incoming references prior to being matched to a customized import format. If registered users require help in creating import/export formats, a sample of the source file may be sent to RSD for assistance.

Ability to Program in Scripts, Add Extension Modules, etc.

None in this version.

Ability to Import and Export in Different File Formats

Import and export formats exist to transfer references to and from other bibliography database programs such as EndNote, Procite, Reference Manager, Bookends, and BibTeX. By configuring one's Web browser to use Papyrus as a helper application, one may import references directly from BioMedNet's Evaluated Medline; details may be obtained from the RSD Web site.

Useful or Unusual Features

Entering Data

Database programs rely heavily on consistent data entry to allow them to perform complex data searches. Papyrus was designed to detect and alert the user to possible data-entry errors as they occur. To facilitate manual reference entry, glossaries of frequently used words and phrases, keywords, journal names, and authors may be built. However, the fastest way to build accurate reference libraries is to import references saved as text files from online databases, or by direct import from BioMedNet's Evaluated Medline. Dictionaries of journal names and abbreviations, author names, and keywords will automatically be assembled during import. Duplicate entries are caught as they are made. Global search and replace functions add another level of error correction and allow users to move information from field to field quickly. Access codes restrict data entry, yet allow use of the database and offer another level of security for maintaining data integrity. Papyrus may be used with third-party spell-checking programs using the Word Services interface. Two such programs are Spellswell Plus by Working Software, and Excalibur (available free by download).

Search Routines

Papyrus employs an impressive multilevel search process to locate and organize subsets of references, notes, and graphics into "groups." Simple or complex searches may be refined using Boolean and relational operators. Each search may be kept separately or combined to yield the desired list. Wildcards may also be used within searches. References may be added to groups as the projects progress. Independent operations may be performed on these groups without affecting the main database; groups merely point back to the main database.

Inserting Citations and Processing Manuscripts

References in Papyrus may be easily inserted into a document using either the drag/drop function or the copy/paste method. Processing the manuscript changes the citation placeholders to in-text citations and creates a bibliography according to the Journal Style Output Format chosen. Placement of the bibliography is at the writer's discretion. References within footnotes must be formatted differently from in-text citations. Papyrus handles this special formatting by adding commands within the reference placeholder. Users accustomed to having Journal Styles provided in a menu, as other programs do, may initially find choosing and loading a journal style less intuitive, but it is not difficult.

Special Formatting Cases Papyrus Can Handle

• Adding a letter to the year when two papers by the same author from the same year are cited (Jones 1999b)
• Suppressing an author's name when two or more works by the same author are cited together
• Listing an author only once in multiple citations
• Formatting anonymous references
• Disambiguating APA style when two citations shorten to the same author surname
• Adding text notes within a citation
• Citing only the year when the author's name has been used in the preceding text
• Suppressing citation sorting in multiple citations to display them in the order in which they were inserted

Web Publishing

Since Web publishing is widespread, Papyrus provides two reference types specifically designed for Internet sites (Web and FTP) and Usenet citations (postings to newsgroups). A URL field appears in all reference types, since many printed journals also publish full text, abstract, and additional data on the Web; these may be launched from within each reference. For those interested in Web publishing, Papyrus can export references as HTML documents ready to post on a Web site. References or journal entries containing a URL in the URL field become active links in the HTML document.

Additional Features

• 16 predefined reference types with 59 built-in fields, including Issue of Journal, Internet Source, Map, Newspaper article, Notecard, Patent, Presentation at Meeting, Quoted Citation, Slide/Visual, Usenet Post, Dissertation/Thesis, Archived Material, Article in a Journal, Book/Monograph, Chapter in a Book, and Other Reference
• Bibliography output formats or Journal Styles for twelve different disciplines: biology, medicine, psychology, ecology, evolution, botany, forestry, geology, physics, chemistry, humanities, and social sciences.
• Over 130 online database-import formats, grouped into ten import format libraries, to ensure accurate import from text files
• Ability to view references by number or alphabetically by author's last name
• Ability to format papers in TeX and LaTeX
• Apple balloon-style help specific for Papyrus windows
• Extensive foreign character-set recognition, depending upon the script system installed on the user's computer as part of the Macintosh operating system (known as WorldScript). Script recognition supported under the U.S. version of the operating system includes Brazilian, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, French Canadian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish. However, Papyrus supports all the international script systems that Apple provides.

Limitations

Papyrus does not currently support the Z39.50 protocol for direct Internet connections to reference database providers. The option to cite as you write from within your word processor and the ability to search or modify databases over the Internet are not yet possible. RSD intends to address these minor limitations in future versions.

Feature for feature, Papyrus competes well with all existing commercially available reference and bibliography managing programs. The program's most notable aspect is the attention given to helping users maintain consistently entered data irrespective of the source. This is the first Macintosh version of Papyrus that is written with Apple's MacApp programming framework and is not a port of the preexisting DOS/Windows version. This allows users to take advantage of drag and drop, Apple Events, balloon help, WorldScript compatibility, and full support for 68K and PowerMac machines.

Technical Support and Documentation

The technical support for Papyrus is extraordinary. RSD is responsive to user questions, comments, problems, and customized formatting needs. The manuals are well written and offer many ways to learn Papyrus effectively. Because RSD understands that different people learn in different ways, they have written their documentation to accommodate those needs. The manuals are split into three parts: Workbook (tutorial-like, example driven), Concepts (fundamental ideas), and Reference/Shortcuts (detailed explanation of each feature along with time-saving shortcuts). Help options from within Papyrus include general help, help/shortcuts for the front window, balloon help specific to Papyrus, and a direct connection to the RSD Web site. Subscription to the Papyrus user's group (accessible via email or via the Web) provides a forum to interact with other users and the technical support staff at RSD. An archive of the newsgroup and monthly status reports are both accessible through the RSD site, informing users of updates, bug reports, and new import/export formats.

Target Users

Papyrus is designed to be useful to all writers, whether student, faculty, or professional, and is versatile enough to be useful to all disciplines from the liberal arts to mathematics.

Comments

Papyrus is a welcome newcomer to the Macintosh desktop-publishing world. The implementation of features is notably mindful of the needs of the end user. Most features found in Papyrus extend the abilities of similar features found in software of the same genre. The more one uses Papyrus, the more powerful one discovers it to be.