Are any of the Endnote users here familiar with Reference Point Software’s product? As far as I can tell RPS does the same things as Endnote but at a much lower cost. What does Endnote do to make it worth the price. I’m not afraid to spend the money on Endnotes if it will provide me with more functionality. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
I am not familiar with RPS, but from the website, it appears that if you only use MLA or you only use APA, RPS migtht be what you want. The power of EN is that it can format references in many styles, many different journals.
Thanks Leanne,
I do know that RPS is a MS Word template that only deals with one type of style, which is fine for my needs (APA 5th actually). It seems that EN will allow searching and downloading into the database from indices? EN is not very clear on their site and nobody responds to direct email questions. Thanks again, hopefully someone else can chime in?
@lsellers wrote:
Thanks Leanne,
I do know that RPS is a MS Word template that only deals with one type of style, which is fine for my needs (APA 5th actually). It seems that EN will allow searching and downloading into the database from indices? EN is not very clear on their site and nobody responds to direct email questions. Thanks again, hopefully someone else can chime in?
Yes, EndNote allows online searching and downloading of references from databases into your EndNote library. This feature is a definite plus for conducting research. EndNote provides a variety of connection files which allow you to connect directly to a designated database (unless a subscription or login is required). You could also use EndNote’s filters to import references in certain cases where a connection file is unavailable.
In looking at your first posting, other issues you may also want to consider:
1. Do you think at some point you may want to work collaboratively with others (who may be using EndNote) and will RPS allow exporting of your references in a form that your colleagues may import them into EndNote? If so, then using EndNote may be a better fit for all parties.
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Do you think you might have plans to publish your research and if so, do the publications use APA or another format (e.g., Chicago) style? It seems that RPS pricing is based per template so if you may need to purchase additional templates which will add to your intiial software cost. On the other hand, EndNote includes many styles but it may be more than what you may need.
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Do you think your work may call upon having to work with images/figures, URLs, equations, audio files, pdf files? If so, EndNote enables adding and cataloguing these materials within a library which you may then incorporate in your work. (It’s also easier to manage materials which are “all in one place” than scattered in different folders or locations on your computer.)
EndNote’s APA style may need some tweaking to accommodate electronic resources as outlined by the APA Style Guide to Electronic Resources (2007). I’ve also found it necessary to make some other adjustments for a few of the reference types to conform to APA requirements, although the key types (i.e., book, book section, journal article, magazine, etc.) work fine. But I’ve found this a minor trade-off to EndNote’s expansive capacity for online database searching and ability to manage and cataloge a wide variety of reference materials.
Thank you Chick,
This is the type of information I was hoping to find. Could you elaborate a bit (or point me to a source, I do value your time) on the cataloguing of PDF files? I’m wondering if you can perhaps save a copy of the PDF, mark it up with descriptors and then use those descriptors at a late date for a “mini literature search” that is directed to just the files you possess?
Am I on the right track? If you can do this, and with the collaboration elements you mentioned earlier it would seem that EN does have a valuable advantage over RPS.
Thanks again for the assistance.
Reference Point Software’s template for APA style focus is on getting a paper done. It does more than manage a reference list and you can use EndNote with Reference Point.
If you are not an APA wizard like me, you might appreciate the document formatting and tools included w/ Reference Point such header and subheader formatting, etc.
References & citation info in a document created w/ the template travel w/ the document so if you work on more than one computer all you have to do is email the document to yourself. There is no need to sync a database,etc.