These programs manage the creation and editing of documents in your word processor, and automate the insertion of bibliographic and in-text citation information.
StyleEase from StyleEase Software, LLC
StyleEase is the most comprehensive solution we’ve seen. It covers all aspects of document preparation, and has the most complete menu of reference entry possibilities. StyleEase is the only program we’ve seen that verifies that each bibliographic entry contains all of the required information. And most impressively, you only interact with one form screen per reference entry, where a lot of the other programs take you through a series of screens.
It’s also the only program we’ve seen that allows you to insert or delete sections (abstract, new chapters, appendixes, tables of contents, and so on) at any time. Most of the other programs set these sections up when you create the document, and that’s your only chance.
StyleEase has an easy to use interface and does a lot of little things right, like automatically converting names into correct format and automatically updating your table of contents and page numbering.
The APA and MLA versions of StyleEase include a database of bibliography entries that allow you to instantly reuse and edit citations and reference entries in any document you create.
Includes free updates whenever a new version of a manual is published.
Available for download or on CD for APA, Chicago/Turabian, Seminary, and MLA Styles. Works with any version of Microsoft Word on any Windows computer. The APA product (and only the APA product) also works on Macintosh.
Reference Point from Reference Point Software, LLC
Reference Point’s templates are available for many different word processors, and work with. Reference Points templates work well, are fairly comprehensive, and are generally easy to use. Our biggest complaint is that you have to cascade through a series of screens to complete a reference entry, and you can’t easily add or delete sections in a document after you’ve created it.
Available for download for APA and MLA Styles. Works with numerous word processing programs on both Windows and Macintosh computers.
This program is a runner-up to StyleEase, lacking some of the polish and extra features. A solid value, especially if you’re using a word processor other than Word, or if you’re working on a Macintosh, on which StyleEase is not available.
FormatEase from Guilford Publications
FormatEase is the predecessor to StyleEase, written by the same programming team over ten years ago. It does an okay job, but lacks polish, and is missing several important features. FormatEase has an outdated and visually sparse appearance, does a poor job of handling online and electronic reference entries, and lacks a modern help system.
Available for download or on CD for APA Style. Works with Microsoft Word.
APA Style Helper from the American Psychological Association
Amazingly enough, We’ve heard absolutely nothing good about this software from the APA itself. Our own experience confirms the opinions expressed by numerous reviewers: this is a poorly designed, awkward to use program that you should avoid
Available for download or on CD for APA Style. Works with Microsoft Word.
Many users have reported abandoning use of this software after purchase and buying an alternative.
APA Perrla from Perrla
One of the early entries in the APA formatting software world, along with FormatEase. Although Perrla has updated its capabilities to cover the Fifth Edition of the APA Manual, its user interface hasn’t been updated and remains clunky. There are better choices.
Available for download for APA Style. Works with Microsoft Word.
APA Referencing Macros from Southern Ocean
In a phrase: sparse and inexpensive. This software provides reference entry management and not much else in terms of document preparation. Its top-level reference entry menu has a different look and feel than any of the others, but entering bibliographic information is difficult and confusing; in fact, our testers couldn’t get a single entry to work properly.
Available for download for APA Style. Works with Microsoft Word.
Recommendations
Our conclusion: StyleEase remains our choice for students and professionals seeking an easy to use, comprehensive solution for document preparation on Windows computers. It does everything and its interface is easy to navigate. StyleEase offers more flexibility in creating and editing documents than any of its competitors, verifies the completeness of your reference entries, and includes free upgrades. For Macintosh users, we recommend StyleEase if you’re using APA Style, and we recommend Reference Point for other styles.
Click one of the following links for a $5.00 discount on StyleEase: