Scholar's Aid 98 Information for Reviewers
By Doyoung Na, the author of Scholar's Aid.
Table of Contents
The origin	
Brief description of Scholar's Aid 98L	
Design and Development Philosophy	
Scholar's Aid must be easy to use	
Scholar's Aid must be flexible	
Scholar's Aid must keep data safely	
Scholar's Aid must be convenient	
Scholar's Aid must be powerful	
Technical Information	
Performance	
Additional Information	
Feature summary	
Feedback from Scholar's Aid users	
The origin

Scholar's Aid was first created in 1996 by a seminarian who wanted to organize his bibliography and found that such programs were ridiculously expensive. He was an experienced computer programmer and decided to make a better and cheaper software for his study and other people who had the same need.
Brief description of Scholar's Aid 98L

The program, called Scholar's Aid 98L, is what perhaps can best be described as a "Reference Processor™." Its function is to store and organize bibliographical data pertaining to a extensive array of source types (books, articles, Internet websites, etc.), and to use this information to generate references of all the most common kinds (full and short footnotes, full and short parenthetical references, bibliographical entries and reference list items). These references can be automatically transferred to documents loaded in a word processor by issuing a simple menu command or by clicking the appropriate button. The format of the resulting reference items can conform to one of the standard styles supplied with the package (Chicago and APA), or to a style designed by the user to meet his own specific requirements.
Design and Development Philosophy
Scholar's Aid must be easy to use
To achieve the goal of easiness, I had to make the user interface as simple as possible. Also, I eliminated unnecessary clicks and steps. For example, suppose you are finding Tillich's Systematic Theology. In other products, you have to click the search button, select the "Author" field, type the name, and finally click "Search" or press the enter key to find the source. In Scholar's Aid, typing few letters(i.e., "Til") in the Catalog view already locates the source because all sources are sorted by the author.
Making a simple interface is not easy. Worse, people might think, "It's so simple, can it do the job?" Tell them do not worry. Under the simple interface, to make it simple, over thirty thousand lines of codes are working busy. Complicated interface means a lazy development.
Scholar's Aid must be flexible
Everybody is different, and his or her field of study is different. Therefore, Scholar's Aid must be flexible in order to help him or her effectively. To make it flexible, many things are customizable and changeable. For example, unlike other products, Scholar's Aid can insert a different font face within bibliographical data. If you have to enter "The meaning of a and w," in other products, there is no way.
Even though it is developed in English, user who uses other language can change the field names and other things. For example, when an English scholar use "and" between two authors of a book, a German scholar can use "und."
TemplateEditor is included and enables users to customize input and output formats for priting and file exporting and importing.
Scholar's Aid must keep data safely
Data is very valuable. Losing data must be avoided. Therefore, Scholar's Aid provides a backup function. Of course, it must be easy, too. Selecting the menu "Backup data" and naming the backup file are all you have to do to backup the whole data. Scholar's Aid compresses the data to save space. If you want, you can backup every four seconds becuase it only takes three seconds to backup the whole data(1500 records) and one second for you to click the menu.
Scholar's Aid must be convenient
To fulfill the requirement, Scholar's Aid provides many convenient features such as:
•	QueryDepository: You never re-enter the same query in the "Search" box.
•	InputAid: Clicking a string inserts the whole string into the text. No typing necessary. It also competes the text when you type few letters.
•	FileTab: Click a tab opens the file. No open dialog necessary.
•	Cutting and pasting and Dragging and dropping for easier and faster text and file editing.
•	Copying source records to other file: Select records and drag them to the FileTab and drop. That's it.
•	Popup Menus: Click the right mouse button. All short-cuts are available.
•	AutoConvert: You see the citations changing while you type.
•	Anchor: Keeps the data while you change the source type. No re-typing necessary.
•	UpdateCenter: Updating the program and add-ons is as easy as selecting the menu "Update via the Internet." No more using web browser to download and unzipping and copying files to the directory.
•	More to list but will stop here to save your time.
Scholar's Aid must be powerful
See the technical information below.
Technical Information

•	Unlimited records
•	Central Database: Modifying a source in file A updates the same source in file B automatically.
•	Innovative ISDE (Indexed Sequential Database Engine) saves the disk space AND accessing time (See the performance section below).
•	OOP (Object Oriented Programming) results fewer bugs and less resource consumption
•	Supported word processors: Word 6, 7, 97, WordPerfect 6, 7, 8, and WordPro 97.
•	Styles supported initially: Chicago and APA. Using the StyleEditor, virtually all styles in the world can be processed.
•	Backup method: Lzh Compression for maximum compression rate and speed.
•	Internet Enabled: Updating and installing the main program and other add-ons.
•	Multilingual bibliography supported (e.g., "Meaning of a and w").
•	Two byte characters (e.g., Korean, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) are supported.
Performance
Tested on Pentium 133 with 32 MB and defragmented hard drive.
•	Sorting time: 0.1 sec for 150 records; less than 2 seconds for 1500 records.
•	Finding the author "Zachariah, Mathai" by typing "Z" in 1500 records: faster than no time.
•	Filtering records that contain "Chicago" in the publisher information: Less than 1 second (54 records out of 1500 records)
•	Backing up to other directory in a hard drive: less than 3 seconds for 1500 records and other files required by Scholar's Aid 98.
•	Restoring : 3 seconds.
Additional Information
Please request any additional information you need to know. I am more than happy to supply it to you unless it is very confidential.
Contact Doyoung Na at dna@scholarsaid.com
Feature summary

•	Unlimited records.
•	True 32 bit application.
•	Multilingual bibliography supported (e.g., "Meaning of a and w").
•	QueryDepository and QueryEditor: You never re-enter the same query in the "Search" box.
•	StyleEditor: You can edit or create a style with it. All styles in the world can be processed.
•	TemplateEditor: You can customize and control input/output formats with it.
•	InputAid List Editor: You can edit the lists that InputAid uses.
•	CaptionEditor: Records are displayed as you wish. Use it for customizing the display.
•	FavoriteTypeEditor: What is your the most frequently used source types? Mine are "single volume book" and "journal article." For a faster and easier access, you can select yours from over fifty source types that are in the "Source types."
•	KeywordEditor: One click finds all records with the keyword you select. Take control your sources with it.
•	LocationEditor: Where is the source? Your school library or your library shelf A? You now can organize your valuable sources by source location, too.
•	PrintPageSetup: Save your page setting with comprehensive options. Colors, fonts, and formatting are all done by one click.
•	Import and export: Do you have data from online data archives or cd-rom? Just make a template for the data and import. Export your data to files formatted by a template. You can make the text format as you wish.
•	Distributable Library file: You can sell or share your bibliographical data with your students, colleagues, and other people as "Share data," "freedata," or "absolute free data."
•	SubSearch for narrowing down your search.
•	AND, OR, and blanket operators for even more powerful search.
•	SpecialCharaters: Inserts special characters (e.g., ë) without copying and pasting.
•	InputAid: Clicking a string inserts the whole string into the text. No typing necessary.
•	Fast InputAid: automatically fills the rest as you type just like Netscape does in the URL box.
•	FileTab: Clicking a tab opens the file. No open dialog necessary.
•	Backup and restore functions for one click backup and restoration of your most valuable data.
•	Restoring deleted records: No more oops!
•	Cutting and pasting and Dragging and dropping for easier editing.
•	Copying source records to another file: Select records and drag them to the FileTab and drop. That's it. 
•	Popup Menus: Click the right mouse button. All short-cuts are available. 
•	AutoConvert: You see the citations changing while you type.
•	Internet enabled: When Scholar's Aid 98 detects a source with web URL, a button will appear. Click it to go to the web page.
•	Integrated Record and Catalog: You can see detailed source data while you are browsing the list.
•	Anchor: Keeps the data while you are changing the source type. No retyping necessary.
•	RecordCopy: Use the data of a record for new record. It saves you time and effort. You do not re-type repeated data.
•	UpdateCenter: Updating the program and add-ons is as easy as selecting the menu "Update via the Internet." No more using web browser to download and unzipping and copying files to the directory.
•	Central Database: Modifying a source in file A updates the same source in file B automatically. 
•	Innovative ISDE (Indexed Sequential Database Engine) saves the disk space AND accessing time.
•	OOP (Object Oriented Programming) results fewer bugs and less resource consumption
•	Transferring citations to your document directly.
•	Seven supported word processors: Word 6, 7, 97, WordPerfect 6, 7, 8, and WordPro 97. 
•	Styles supported initially: Chicago and APA. By using the StyleEditor, virtually all styles in the world can be processed.
•	Import filters for importing itemized data (e.g., MedLine, online database).
•	And a lot more.
Feedback from Scholar's Aid users

I have been using Procite for years, and have been particularly pleased with versions 3.4 and 4.01.  Unfortunately, I stumbled upon your product (SA3s), and now all of that is changed.  Procite is still a very fine program, but SA98L is clearly superior--not only in the quality and quantity of features, but also in conception and in programming.  I am not a programmer, but any program that packs so many useful and well-conceived features into so small a footprint is self-evidently, in my opinion, a superior piece of programming! . . .  In sum, your product is extremely well written, extremely small, extremely efficient, extremely useful, extremely well thought out--and to top it off, extremely inexpensive!   Allow me to both congratulate and thank you for your outstanding product. ---- M., California. 

Having been using Endnote on a kind of trial basis, it was most refreshing to find scholarsaid. It's database capabilities are clearly far better than Endnote. ---- Tony. 

Scholar's Aid is really a great help to my dissertation! ---- Herbert, University of Essex,  U.K. 

I've been looking for a program like Scholar's Aid for the last two years: yours is the first that understands that humanities scholars need to *quote* as well as cite references. Thank you so much! ---- Nick, U.K. 

I have recently been comparing several reference programs (Scholar's Aid, Endnotes, ProCite, Reference Manager), . . . . . .  I find it [Scholar's Aid] invaluable! ---- Wendy 

. . . Incidentally, I was at a friends house yesterday, and I had a look at the latest PC World magazine - I believe that was the magazine.  They had a brief one page product review of EndNotes and one other piece of software that was even more expensive 395.00.  Hope someday to see Scholar's Aid in there as well, as it is obviously a superior and cheaper software! Keep up the good work.   -----  Scott, Graduate school, Kyoto University, Japan

I am so pleased because, as you know, I just love this programme and think you have done a great service to all those who have to slog through hours of  putting in references and footnotes etc. ---- Stephen 

Well I finally got SA. :) My goodness! Its nearly everything I would want.---- Andrew 

What can I say, Scholars Aid on steroids.  A great program just got better, I have repeatedly mentioned your program to fellow students and to my Masters supervisor.  This is just a great tool for a great price.---- Chris, Australia 

Previous to using Scholar's Aid I managed my bibliography in Sidekick, about the only reasonably priced program I could find for producing a bibliography, an unformatted one at that. I would have to cut and paste each citation one at a time and get rid of extra paragraph marks, tabs, spaces etc. in Word. As far as managing footnotes in Sidekick, forget it, it can't happen. With SA3 I get perfectly formatted citations, footnotes, Bibliography Cited lists, a complete catalog etc. instantly and painlessly right in my Word 97 document. Saves hours. I'll be showing my thesis committee this program. ---- M. at Antioch University. 

Scholar's Aid is a very clever program.  SA is exactly what I need and I am very grateful for your endeavours. ---- H. in Australia 

I've been experimenting with your Scholar's Aid program, and find it not only well thought out from the strictly functional point of view but aesthetically pleasing as well. ---- D. in Italy 

I told a friend who is currently in the midst of her PhD about your program and she loves it!!!!!!!! I would think that schools through out the world that require formal papers would be jumping at the chance to get your program or at least to recommend it to students. Yours is the only program of its kind that I have seen. ---- S. at somewhere. 

Absolutely superb . . . just what I've been looking for for a long time. ---- W. at University of South Africa, RSA. 

Hi, I recently downloaded your 'Scholar's Aid' program and I am enjoying it very much. In fact, I was looking for that kind of program for a long time. I am very happy to find your program. . . . We will tell 'Scholar's Aid' to our friends. They will love it.    ---- C. & J. at Talbot Seminary & Biola Uniersity, CA 

Doyoung, simply, I am in awe. I am a doctoral candidate (pol.sci.) at Miami U (Oxford), and since I have been here, I have been working with WP Macros to simplify my bbl. process. I made it simpler, but I have never stopped thinking about how to do it RIGHT. I can't really do real programming. So, I have about 20 separate files with all my bbl info, and have to call them up, cut and paste. Not for a second did I expect your app to do the job it does -- selecting a word processor of the user's choice, allowing for UL or Italics, or, importing my 120 page ( > 350k) record of all my sources. WOW!!!! This thing is just way too slick. . . .May I put a link to this app on my web site? This is the gold mine find of the year.  ---- J. at Miami University (Oxford), OH 

I think your program has a lot of potential and I wish I would have found it last Summer before I shelled out $165.00 for [_]. ---- G. at Hawaii University, HI 

Nice idea Doyoung: I've been searching for something like this for ages! ---- T. at University College London, United Kingdom 

Firstly let me thank you for your excellent program I have been using it for a few months and have found it a great help. ---- P. at Melbourne University, Australia 

I've been using [_] . . . However, now I've found that your Scholar's Aid is really useful. ---- M. in Japan. 

This is an extremely useful program! ---- R. in IL 

I wish I had something like this five years ago. . . My initial impressions are that this is an extremely useful program, and have already passed on your URL to several other students and to my Thesis Supervisor. ---- C. in Australia. 

What a great program! . . . and I'm going to put a link to your site . . . I'm going to tell everyone I know who does scholarly work about this program! ---- S. in MN. 

Scholar's Aid is a really very helpful piece of software. Thank you for making it available. ---- P. at University of Minnesota.

Scholar's Aid is the reason why you should use a computer for research.
Scholar's Aid and the Reference Processor are trademarks of Scholar's Aid, Inc.