Valuable 'plug-ins' for research

Words such as plug-in and app have quickly become mainstream in popular usage today. But how often are they used for more than just providing mobile facebook uploads, weather updates, or Guitar Hero World Tour access at your finger - or should I say thumb - tips? And do they have any value beyond diverting  attention from that research paper that is due tomorrow?

Here are a couple of plug-ins that might help you catch up on your research:

1. Library Catalogue Plug-in (LibX)

• No need to "Connect from Home" - EZProxy connects you to our uWaterloo Library access rights by right clicking on any webpage and selecting “Open this page with EZProxy"
• Install a library catalogue search tool bar that will be available at the top of each webpage you visit
• Turn every ISBN/ISSN or PubMed ID number into a direct link to the uWaterloo library catalogue

2. RefWorks plug-ins (RefGrab-It and RefMobile)

• RefGrab-It can be used to transfer bibliographic data for any webpage into your online account
• RefMobile makes articles easier to read and save to RefWorks on your smartphone or PDA