Project: Look at each of the following tools, and evaluate following the steps below.
Outcome: Create an evaluation document describing each tool.
Steps:
- Pick a tool from the list below and investigate it.
- If the tool is a citation management product, test it by importing records from Highwire, JSTOR, Inspec, Barton, Web of Science using the tool.
- Write a brief description of what the tool is and what it does.
- Answer the questions below.
- Give a recommendation about whether you think this tool should be promoted at MIT.
Tools to evaluate:
- CiteULike
- Connotea
- Sente
- RefViz
- WizFolio: https://www.wizfolio.com/Default.aspx
- GNOME Referencer
- Citespace
- RefRuns
Questions for evaluation:
- Is it a desktop or web application?
- Is it a free open source or fee-based program?
- How big is that learning curve? (How difficult is it to figure out?)
- How many steps to do a certain task (downloading records, exporting records, etc.)?
- How complete and clean are the records?
- How well does it cite web pages and non-traditional sources (ex. data sets, blogs)?
- Does it integrate with word processing software?
- How well does it handle full text?
- Does it store the pdf?
- Can you search & annotate the pdf?
- How many available citation formats are there?
- How customizable is it?
- How easy is it to maintain the collection when you have a lot of records?
- Is there any known use at MIT?
- Does it work with BibTeX?
- Does the application work well with our tools?
- Are there any other defining characteristics?
- Can you use it from off campus easily?
- Who created it?