The citation workflow reinvented.
Reference managers have always been clunky to use and not user friendly at all. They all work the same and only in a subset of word processors. Their funny button bar or semi-hidden script menu items take you out of your concentration and force you to continuously switch between two applications. And on top of that they make your word processor dog slow. We thought it was time to reinvent the citation workflow.
Control, Control. Your library at your fingertips
Papers2 introduces Citations, a revolutionary new way of writing your papers. The new status item in your menubar allows you to bring forward a familiar Papers search field. Even simpler, just hit the control key twice in a row, and it pops up as well, giving you instant access to your entire personal library of research, no matter in which application you are working and without leaving it.
Simply start typing and Papers will present you with all papers matching your query. Double-click a result, or use the arrow keys and hit enter to reveal a set of actions. Want to cite this paper? Just hit enter again and Papers will insert the citation and disappear, allowing you to continue to focus on what really matters, your manuscript. And when you are done writing, simply hit control, control and select the format bibliography option. Done.
Whereas in most reference managers building a citation of multiple papers is a pain, it could not be simpler in Papers. After you've found the first article you want to cite, simply start typing your next query and Papers holds on to the first paper in the form of a blue token below the search field. Repeat the process until you are ready to insert the full citation, that's all there is to it.
Beautifully formatted
Once you have inserted your citations adding a beautifully formatted bibliography is only two keystrokes work. Papers supports the latest Citation Style Language (CSL) 1.0 open source standard, and makes full use of all the rich information you have available in your Papers library.
Works everywhere
But perhaps the single most powerful feature is that the Citations feature works everywhere! Of course in your favorite word processor, including all flavors of Microsoft Word and Apple's Pages. But also in any other, from TextEdit to TextMate. Even more, it works in all applications on your Mac. Want to cite an article in your Keynote or Powerpoint presentation? Simply hit double-control, the main Papers application does not even need to be running. Wish to insert a reference to a paper in an email to your colleague? Just hit double-control. Want to mention it in a forum post you are writing in Safari? You get the idea. Plus Papers is smart enough to only show the options that are relevant in the program you are currently working in. For example, call up the Papers search window in the Finder and you get the option to reveal the PDF for an article. Your entire personal library of research never more than two keystrokes away.
Your Manuscripts
There is one more thing. Since Papers now knows everything about the manuscript you are writing, wouldn't it be great if it would help you organize them in one go? It does exactly that. The first time you add a citation to your manuscript, Papers will automatically create an entry for it in your Papers library under the Manuscripts section in the source list. Papers is smart enough to create the right type of paper, depending on the program you are working in. Remember how you always got lost in the dozens of versions of your manuscripts? Papers makes that a thing of the past, it even creates an actual thumbnail and indexes the manuscript for you so it instantly searchable.
And when your new manuscript gets published, you promote it to your main library with one click of a button. Papers will even attach the original manuscript file as a supplement and add the paper to the "My Papers" section automatically. That is Citations for you!
Add your first manuscript
To add your first manuscript, open a document you are working on and hit the control key twice, or choose the About Manuscripts and Citations option from the Papers status item menu at the top of your screen for more information.