How to import a file exported from the Cochrane Library ?

charpent
The Cochrane Library site seems to be a recurrent source of problems, both for importing one item at a time via the connector (not my present subject) and for mass-importing (large) results from a more or less general query (my current problem).

The format used by the Cochrane Library seems _sui generis_. A bit of Googling led me to this page : https://ifsblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/24/cochrane-to-ris/ , which documents a two-step way to convert this file format to RIS, thus allowing importation. A small test shows that it works (never mind Word : emacs is enough to find-and-replace "abstract"...).

Questions :

1) Is this format "close to" a known bibliographic format ? I. e. something that could be sed-ed or emacsed into something readable by Zotero ?

2) Does this format bears any resemblance to the one used by the Connector ?

3) Is there somewhere on the Cochrane Library site some way to ask for a "more standard" export file format ?

4) apart from the website quoted above, do utilities exist to do this conversion ? The only utilities I'm aware of in the Linuw world (i. e. bibutils) do not recognize the Cochrane format.

5) Any other suggestions ?
  • charpent
    One more data point : I tried to save one reference (displayed in the browser : see http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/o/cochrane/clcmr/articles/CMR-16762/frame.html) with the "Save to Zotero" button(which looked as a "page with lines on it" icon). Nothing happened.

    Going back to the list of results (which had only one result), and trying to save to Zotero with the same button (which looked like a folder icon) displayed a dialog box allowing me to selec the reference, which I did. An error message telling me that "A problem occured with the "Wiley Online Library" translator. Trying with DOI translator", which inserted in the collection something bearing no relation to what was sought : see http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/14651858.CD003137.pub4.

    The problem might no be limited to the Cochrane library but be related to all Wiley Online Library pages...
  • adamsmith
    1) RIS is the closest

    2) Zotero scrapes Cochrane trials from the page, it doesn't use the export format. It uses standard Wiley export for Reviews

    3) I don't know, but I'd suspect they aren't interested because people will have optimized their tools for the current format (though adding standard RIS as an option would definitely be nice...)

    4) Not that I'm aware
  • charpent
    Thanks for your answers.

    I made a few more trials. My conclusions so far :
    * Trials :
    - one can save ONE trial either from the "list" page or the individual trial display page. This uses "Wiley Online Library, which gives a correct reference (up to details...).
    - trying to save a few references from the list page fails : the info box appearing says that an error has occurred in "Wiley Online Library" and tries to fall back to DOI. After a while, this infpo box disappears, and nothing lands on the collection.
    * Other reviews, economic studies, HTAs, method studies : saving ONE reference from the "list" page works. Saving from the displau of a given studies imports a "Web page without snapshot", and no bibliographic reference.
    * Cochrane groups : dinno (I didn't have any in my search set).

    So this is mixed news : Zotero is usable for "online" selection and saving of selected references (reminding to go to the "list" page for non-Trials pages), but won't allow for "mass" import. The mass import needs exporting, then manual conversion (adding End-of-record marks (easy) then conversion (not that easy)) of the exported file.

    Since the Wiley export format is not documented (as far as I know), it is not obvious to guess the mapping of Wiley headers to RIS headers. The study of files converted by the "RIS export" tool referenced above gives only hints.

    Any hints on other informations ?
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