🚀 go-pugleaf

Those of you who use the Mac may be interested in the following description of
my use of EndNote Plus as part of my research plan. Actually, the following
description would apply to anyone who uses a database to take research notes.

I set up a database in FileMaker Pro based on the traditional way that I take
research notes on index cards. The first field is EN citation, where I type:
Coohill, 1992, p. 143. I also have a hidden field that adds the necessary
brackets for EN Plus - �Coohill, 1992, p. 143�. I created this hidden field
just so I didn't have to bother with typing the brackets all the time. Within,
FileMaker Pro, I can also create an automated list of sources to cut down on
typing, but I haven't done that yet because I simply have too many sources and
the menu would be enormous, although I may insert the most commonly used
sources. The rest of the fields are taken up with the research note itself.
Each record in the database is equivalent to an index card, if you care to
think of it that way.

I then have a button defined to sort my cards (by the number that I place in
my "outline" field. I'm a well-organized chap. ;-) ) and export certain fields
as text. The text file I end up with is an organized first draft of my
research paper, with the EN citation placed at the end of each "card's" text.
So, the text might look something like this:

Coohill argues that the debates on the Education Bill of 1870, and the high
degree of party betrayl displayed by the liberal dissenters, point to an
emerging "ideology of party," which grew quickly and strongly until 1886.
�Coohill, 1992, p. 143� One of the problems with his analysis is that it is
clear that he's out of his mind and must have been dropped on his head as a
child.


So, when I run the EN Plus through my paper (using the feature that creates
auto references), it turns all my bracketed citations into full ones.

What all this means is that I only have to type my entry once when taking my
notes, and don't have to re-type it when writing the draft (since the draft is
"written" automatically from my database). So, basically what I'm saying is
that you can save lots of time by having other programs that you use "work"
with EN Plus. Of course, all my database is doing is exporting text (the
bracketed citation) which, as far as databases are concerned, could mean
anything. But EN Plus "reads" that text specially, so it works well.

Now I've got three programs (FM Pro, EN+, and Word)working together! I've very
happy, and so is my wife (who's also using the database for her MA thesis).

I'd love to hear if anyone out there is interested in this sort of thing, or
has suggestions for improvement or changes. Also, I'll be glad to send out a
copy of the database to those of you who use FM Pro 2.0.

-Joe Coohill,UC Santa Barbara