Many excellent features, however, set Papyrus side-by-side, and sometimes above, the competition. Automatic name standardization ensures that author/editor names will be properly formatted; date completion allows one to enter, for example, "90" for "1990"; a duplicate warning dialogue-box keeps one from typing the same entry twice; a fully automated journal abbreviation feature magically replaces a "shorthand" entry with the complete journal title; context (field) sensitive author, journal, and keyword glossaries are always only a keystroke away; a "notecard" feature allows one to append a whole series of searchable notes/memos to single reference; and if one always enters titles in sentence style, Papyrus can convert it to title style if the a bibliography format demands it.

In terms of the general implementation of the Papyrus data entry/editing screen, we have already noted that this is the only part of the program that utilizes a "modern" pull-down-menu environment. Within this environment, Papyrus's presentation of "plain-English" field names, and its ability to hide and/or collapse fields offers welcome relief from the glut of (sometimes incoherent) nomenclature that some other programs present. Three minor weaknesses, however, should be noted. First, Papyrus supports only eight record/reference types. This can make entering some less common materials (e.g., conference papers) a little more awkward than in other programs. Second, Papyrus lacks a pop-up preview feature. This feature (common to Library Master and ProCite) allows one to view a formatted reference without leaving the input screen. In Papyrus one must initiate a separate "List" or "Edit" procedure. Such a feature would be especially convenient given the way the small number of reference types occasionally forces one to experiment with data-entry conventions. Finally, I disliked Papyrus's insistence that I leave the editing environment every time I wanted to edit another reference. Unlike most other database programs, one cannot scroll through, or jump to, other references. One must exit the editing screen and initiate a search procedure to select the next entry.

Importing/Exporting

Unlike some other bibliographic databases (e.g., EndNote and ProCite) Papyrus includes full-featured support for importing data in its "base" package. A wide assortment of on-line databases, CD-ROMs and bibliographic programs are supported. I imported data from two bibliographic databases. One hundred references imported from Endnote (primarily articles) were very well received by Papyrus. Very little "tidying up" was needed. Two hundred references imported from ProCite (a healthy mix of books, articles, edited books and conference papers) had to undergo a two-step conversion and were less successfully imported. Although the data were transferred, a lot of editing was required. All in all, the people at Research Software Design are committed to helping users get their data (whether it resides on a CD-ROM or a word-processing file) into Papyrus. While no bibliographic program performs magic, Papyrus does offer good low-cost support.

Searching

Boolean and relational operands, and wildcard characters allow for the creation of complex queries. Since up to 11 fields are indexed (including, if one desires, the Comments and Abstract fields) performance is excellent. (Computers can search indexed fields much quicker than non-indexed fields.) Most impressive is the way that Papyrus makes it extremely easy to manipulate groups of selected references (subsets). Thus, generating course-related or essay-specific bibliographies is a breeze.

Bibliography Generation

Stand-alone bibliographies can be sent to the screen, the printer or a text file. (Annotated or subject bibliographies present no special problems.) Papyrus can write directly to the following file formats: ASCII, the Windows and DOS versions of Microsoft Word and Word Perfect, and the DOS versions of WordStar, WordStar 2000, XyWrite/Signature, PC-Write, ChiWriter and TEX. Therefore, the resulting file can easily be retrieved by these word processors and fine-tuned (e.g., hanging indentation can be added, etc.).

Papyrus can also be more closely integrated with these word processors. Like EndNote and ProCite, Papyrus automates the insertion and formatting of in-text citations and the production of a works cited list. It also provides a "Cite" function that pastes formatted references into a word processor's footnote window. Turabian format styles for initial and subsequent footnotes are included among Papyrus's impressive list of supported style sheets. This function operates somewhat differently in "single-tasking," task-switching and Microsoft Windows environments. (It works most elegantly in a Windows environment where it cooperates with the Clipboard.) In each case, however, one can gain access to Papyrus and transfer data without exiting one's word processor.

General Assessment

Papyrus, though lacking the versatility of Library Master, the power of ProCite and the consistent pull-down-menu interface of Endnote, brings together a wealth of features that make it an attractive, and unique, package. Without a doubt, it presently offers the biggest bang for the buck. Moreover, it has more "personality" than all of the other packages combined. For example, it is the only program that, in the early hours of the morning, thanks a user for their persistence and suggests that it is time to go to bed. Moreover, the manual is (almost) fun to read. (I'm presently studying a subsection entitled "Data sources from Hell.") Macintosh users, who do not wish to miss out on the fun, can wait for the compatible version now under development. A true Microsoft Windows version is scheduled to follow.