Personal Bibliographic Systems ( PBS )

Personal Bibliographic Systems (PBS) manage the input, storage, retrieval, and output of bibliographic references. The software allows for references to a number of different document types such as journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, reports, unpublished papers, electronic documents, etc. Unlike general-purpose database management packages, PBS are made for bibliographic information, featuring a variety of import profiles for records downloaded from the major international databases, and the automatic generation of dozens of different output styles, including those used by the world’s leading scientific journals. Modern PBS are thoroughly integrated with word processors. The software provides for the import, storage, retrieval, and output of World Wide Web-based information. This survey focuses on the various options and characteristics of PBS. Special attention is paid to structural flexibility, retrieval options, input, display, and output formats.