FLEXIBLE SOFTWARE FOR BIBLIOGRAPHY PRINTING USING PERSONAL C

THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A HIGHLY FLEXIBLE EXPERT SYSTEM-BASED BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION GENERATOR FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS. THE RECENT PROLIFERATION OF INEXPENSIVE BUT RELATIVELY POWERFUL PERSONAL COMPUTERS HAS LED MANY SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS TO CONSTRUCT COMPUTERIZED DATABASES CONTAINING BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION ON PUBLICATIONS RELEVANT TO THEIR OWN WORK. THE ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRIAL SCIENTIFIC AND SCHOLARLY COMMUNITIES HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL NEED FOR SOFTWARE WHICH WILL ALLOW THE EASY GENERATION OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATIONS FROM SUCH PERSONAL COMPUTER DATABASES, WHEREBY THE CITATION FORMAT CAN BE TAILORED TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE INTENDED JOURNAL OR REPORT. THIS SITUATION CREATES BOTH A DEMAND AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE HIGHLY FLEXIBLE USER-FRIENDLY SOFTWARE TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK. FUNCTIONALLY, THE SYSTEM WILL ALLOW THE USER TO SPECIFY ARBITRARY INPUT AND OUTPUT FORMATS BY MENUS OR EXAMPLES. THE TECHNICAL APPROACH WILL BE TO BASE THE PROCESSING^USING THESE USER SPECIFICATIONS^ON A RULE-BASED EXPERT SYSTEM-ORIENTED APPROACH, USING A HIGH-SPEED PROLOG COMPILER FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS. THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL OF SUCH A SOFTWARE PRODUCT IS WIDE, SINCE THE NEED IS FELT THROUGHOUT THE SCHOLARLY AND SCIENTIFIC WORLDS,