OpenOffice bibliography

How to make OpenOffice.org (OOo) bibliography database work from Bibtex file

Create the bibliography OOo spreadsheet file

1. Open java OOo-tools
2. Import your bibtex file
3. Export database in csv format
4. Open csv file as a OOo spreadsheet (remember to remove comma separation and replace by tab separation)
5. Save it as a regular OOo spreadsheet

Define it as the bibliography database

In OOo writer

1. File-->New-->database-->Create from spreadsheet
2. Name your new database myBibDB
3. Bibliography database-->Data source-->myBibDB
4. That's it! Now simply cite by

Insert-->Indexes and tables-->Bibliography entry

Importing citations from search engines

Google Scholar

Simply go to preferences and select the import citation in Bibtex, then save. Now all your searches results will allow you to import citation in Bibtex format. Then simply copy/paste it to your personal Bibtex file. Use them in OOo thanks to the java OOo-tools.

Using a good database manager

B3 is a nice java free software that will handle bibliography citing in xml. It is fully operationnal with bibtex, endnote and databases import/export features.

NOTE: I heartly recommend CiteULike.

Creating a simple MS-Word bibliography

One way to create a bibliography in Word is simply by using the paid Endnote software. Its the easiest way.

Another way to create a bibliography in Word is to create your bibliography as a new B3 database, and then to transform it into plain html, and finally to copy/paste it to your word document. You can edit the transformation by modifying the xslt file.

MS-Word vs OOo

1. Equations: Word (with MathType)
2. Bibliography: OOo (combined with OOo-tools)
3. Proofing tool: Word
4. Customized Indexes: OOo