Some on the list might be interested in this:

http://www.colwiz.com/

From the press release (http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_releases_for_journalists/110304.html

New free software, launched today by Oxford University scientists, gives researchers the tools they need to collaborate more efficiently and quickly with colleagues scattered around the world and working in a variety of different research areas.

The colwiz (?collective wizdom?) R&D;platform manages the entire research lifecycle from an initial idea, through a complex collaboration, to publication of the results. It is being launched through Isis Innovation?s Software Incubator ? a new programme designed to promote software start-ups from the University of Oxford.

?At the moment researchers are using a dizzying array of different applications to communicate and collaborate,? said colwiz Chief Scientist Professor David Gavaghan of Oxford University. ?These might include Google Apps, Microsoft Live Services, LinkedIn, Yammer and Social Text. But because these are separate applications they don?t do everything and don?t always talk to each other, and this slows researchers down. colwiz replaces this hotchpotch with an integrated suite of tools custom-built for fast and efficient management of the research process.?

Mark, many thanks for the information. I really like this idea. Do you know more projects of this type, perhaps?
Best regards,
Wojciech

Wojciech wrote:

Mark, many thanks for the information. I really like this idea. Do you know more
projects of this type, perhaps?
Best regards,
Wojciech

Mendeley (http://www.mendeley.com/ and Zotero http://www.zotero.org/groups/ do something similar. There is also http://www.researchgate.net/ though I don't know if there is any downloadable software with that. Qiqqa (http://www.qiqqa.com also seems to be heading into that direction. There is of course EndNote and other traditional referencing packages.

However, I'm most impressed with Citavi so far (http://www.citavi.com/ It seems by far the most sophisticated and most powerful, in terms of analytical features.

These also differ on the basis of revenue models. Either you pay a lot of money for the software upfront or they are free but there is built-in advertising or you will have to start paying once you exceed the online storage. Usually the ones you pay for tend to give you more features and more control, and they still might have online back-up and communities.

A quick note about Colwiz (not outlining software, but since it's been mentioned here...):

I spent a couple hours looking at it today. Innovative but a frustrating experience for me. Doesn't seem to be possible to edit one's library in the Desktop app without an internet connection (you can read offline, but apparently not edit). That's a deal-breaker for me. Latex integration is useful. Adds are distracting. Zotero remains for now the best solution for me.

Hi!
Thanks for all your tips. Since I had in mind not only bibliographic software but rather attempts to build more complex instruments for research information management, Mendeley seems to be the most interesting for me at the moment. And yes, I am also impressed by Citavi. From my part, I?d like to suggest having a look at Planz:
http://kftf.ischool.washington.edu/planner_index.htm
As it is promoted: ?Take control of the information in your life through one consolidated interface. Plan by typing your thoughts freehand. Link your thoughts to files, Web pages, and email messages. Organize everything into a single, integrated document that helps you manage all the projects you want to get done.?
Has anybody used it?

?At the moment researchers are using a dizzying array of different applications to communicate and collaborate,? said colwiz Chief Scientist Professor David Gavaghan of Oxford University. ?These might include Google Apps, Microsoft Live Services, LinkedIn, Yammer and Social Text. But because these are separate applications they don?t do everything and don?t always talk to each other, and this slows researchers down. colwiz replaces this hotchpotch with an integrated suite of tools custom-built for fast and efficient management of the research process.?

This all sounds very good, but what Professor Gavaghan doesn't mention is _why_ researchers use all these separate applications. Is it because they want to make their life difficult? Is it because they are desperately CRIMPing for the perfect tool? Or is it simply because they enjoy many of those applications?

I am not a sociologist, but I would dare to word the following social statement: our societies are becoming ever more complex and interlinked. The research world is no longer as isolated as it once was. If it were so, all researchers would be on ResearchGate http://www.researchgate.net/ and nowhere else. But they are also on Linkedin because much of research nowadays takes place within private corporations and these researchers also want to keep their professional profile online. Many are also on Facebook because they have a life outside research. They use Google Apps because they are very convenient and powerful... etc.

Trying to provide everything in one place is in my humble opinion a lost cause in the complex world were we live. The way to go is connectivity and convergence. Yes, integration of different excellent applications may not be excellent per se, but it provides a more flexible environment than any single one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, my own firm has switched to Google Apps not because it is perfect solution, far from it; but because there is such a richness of professional applications that plug into the platform.

I appreciate that Colwiz has a Linux client; at the same time, as far as I can tell, the only integration with external applications available is with word processors. In the day of Android phones that support Google calendars out of the box, wouldn't one expect Colwiz at least syncing with Google calendar? Or have I missed it?

Re-reading my last post, I realise it may sound quite negative for the Colwiz effort. I should clarify that while I believe that the search for the ultimate tool is futile, I do appreciate integrated environments focused on specific uses _as_long_as_ they can easily exchange information with other applications.

For example, I believe that the current range of online project manager tools available (Huddle, Glasscubes, Wizehive and many others) offers some powerful working environments. Though none of them may be perfect, most provide some way of linking to the outside world and benefit from this accordingly.

Wojciech wrote:

And yes, I
am also impressed by Citavi. From my part, I?d like to suggest having a look at
Planz:
http://kftf.ischool.washington.edu/planner_index.htm

This software has also been mentioned on an earlier thread: http://www.outlinersoftware.com/messages/viewm/6912

Has anyone had a serious go at adopting Planz as an information overlay solution? I'd be interested in your experience. The concept sounds interesting but I wonder if it works as well in practice.