Do you remember the first thing that crossed your mind when you first saw an iPad? In my case, I was thinking how great it would be to read and annotate PDFs on it! Are wise to invest some time and money into a dedicated PDF management system for their read-cite-write workflow.
Jun 6, 2018 - 10 Best PDF Apps for macOS 10.14. PDFelement for Mac. PDFelement for Mac is an application for various Mac products to view PDF files, edit and manipulate pages, secure and store information, change text and fill out PDF forms. Adobe capture app for mac. Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. ISkysoft PDF Editor. Foxit Reader. Jul 26, 2018 - Preview is a complete free pdf editor because it arrives preinstalled in your Mac device. Functionalities include ability to annotate and view PDF.
With Mendeley and Bookends not supporting annotations on the iPad, there are only two contenders in the race for the best PDF management system: Sente and Papers. If you are on the fence between these two, you have to read this article. App Store links: ($20), ($15).
Mac / Windows links: ($90) and ($80). Since both ecosystems will set you back around a hundred dollar, you might have a hard time deciding which app is the best for you. But even more important than the money is the time you will spend in developing your library. In order to avoid sunk time costs in the future, it is important to consider not only current but also future needs of your read-write-cite workflow. But don’t fret: academiPad is here to help! I tested both PDF management systems in depth, and you can read individual reviews of the Mac and iPad apps in these articles: • • • • My conclusion is that both are decent ecosystems, and you will fare well with both of them.
Sometimes, the differences between both ecosystems are negligible (e.g., adding references, price). However, Papers and Sente differ in the scope of their ecosystem, how references are organized, and what annotations can be done. Since it really comes down to your own needs and preferences what ecosystem is the best for you, it is helpful to keep a couple of core questions in mind while going through this article: • What is the setup of your ecosystem: Do you share your library with other researchers (or computers) who are geographically dispersed? Do you need to integrate Windows computers into your ecosystem? • How do you want to organize PDF articles: Are you okay with organizing PDFs through tagging, or do you prefer organizing them in a folder structure?
• What is your annotation style: How do you use annotations to structure the text? Do you want to make quotes? How important is it to have all your notes at one place? This is a long post, and I obviously recommend reading it in full. However, we are all busy people, so here is the conclusion if you are in a hurry: • Papers has the wider ecosystem (including a Windows app) and is easier to use. • Sente is more difficult to get used to, but has more powerful syncing, organizing, and annotating capabilities.
It is a tough call, indeed. Heck, finding my dissertation topic seemed easy in comparison! However, there is one knock-out criteria that might make your decision very simple, and that is the scope of the ecosystem. The Sente and Papers Ecosystems: Differences in scope and syncing If you are using a Windows machines, you can stop reading right now. Because Papers is the only PDF management system that also has an app for Windows PCs. And since the iOS version of Papers is a universal app, which means that you can access your library also on your iPhone or iPod touch, Papers definitely wins the price for the larger ecosystem.