Technical Log: JabRef First use

[Dapscoptyltd]

JabRef works by storing your references in a database. I created a database during the installation process. There are a couple of easy preferences to double check but the naming and placing of the ReferenceDb is easy. I’ll be using this as a test and development of my JabRef education program.

• I placed the db in the DataResearch directory, in the root of warrenlewington folders.

  Figure 1: My first database location.

Actually using the software is interesting.

It is a little more complex than I thought it might be, and I need to go through a learning curve. Browsing the app was a little scary initially! But then I added my first couple of entries. This is straightforward,

1. Click the New BibTeX entry button.
   • The Select entry type dialog or window opens.
2. Select the entry type (in this case I selected "book").
3. Enter the details for the new entry type.
4. Click the Save or Save all button.
   • The entry is saved.

My next task in mind was how do I get entries out of the database? Well, that wasn’t hard. There seems to be multiple methods. My first real attempt was this:

1. Select a couple of entries.
2. Click Edit. The Edit menu displays, (Figure 1)

Figure 2: The Edit menu provides a range of options.

3. Click ‘Export selected entries to clipboard’. The ‘Select export format” window opens.

Figure 3: The select export format window displays the possible reference types that can be chosen, and which are embedded in JabRef.

4. Select the reference format you would like.
   • Figure 3 shows Harvard RTF was selected.
5. Go to the document you want the reference in.
6. Paste the entry. The entries I selected in the ‘ReferenceDb’, then chose ‘Harvard RTF’ format, then pasted into this document, are shown below. Cool.

Lawall, C. (2012), 'Blast-Related Concussion', Traumatic Brain Injury.

Schmitt, K.-U.; Niederer, P. F.; Cronin, D. S.; Muser, M. H. & Walz, F. (2014), 'Ballistic and Blast Trauma', Trauma Biomechanics.

Web Search

There are a range of web searches on some of the databases we are going to be researching. I ended up with a range of potential references in the ReferenceDb by doing a search. More on this later. Figure 4: The new entries automatically entered when directed. This was fun and easy to get the reference summaries, and import abstracts, details of the papers, and all nicely loaded into the relevant table fields, ready to be referenced.

But it was let down by the Springer search preventing the download of chapters. Of course the site requires a log-in, which must come from our Mac Uni library account log-in, or establish your own.

• This assumption proved correct, which I established at a later date.

This is a foible of the sophisticated scripting and authentication systems that are being used by the IT departments. It isn’t a fault in the JabRef application.

[Dapscoptyltd]

As at 01 June 2017, I have found the use of JabRef to be surprisingly easy with some familiarity. I am very happy with JabRef. Next step is to develop understanding of the database structure and attempt to integrate that into the QGIS database?