Research & Text Retrieval

ORBIS

The search and retrieval engine inside the Nota Bene Workstation

Orbis transforms your writing environment into a powerful research and retrieval system, helping you instantly locate passages, notes, and source-linked text across massive collections of files.

Included in Nota Bene Workstation

Orbis, and the add-on formerly known as Orbis+, are both parts of the Nota Bene Workstation.

Orbis+ expands Orbis to search PDF, DOC, DOCX, RTF, and HTML files in addition to NB and TXT.

What it Does

Find What You've Written — Instantly

Orbis is a free-form text-retrieval system that transforms your computer from a simple word processor into a powerful tool for organizing everything you write—correspondence, research notes, lectures, articles, and more. It makes all your work, along with imported material, instantly accessible as you write, without requiring you to assign keywords or remember filenames.

Once you select the folders or documents to include, Orbis automatically tracks them as they change, letting you search across millions of files in seconds. It displays results in a clean “keyword in context” view, highlights matches, and shows full passages alongside them. You can then insert any result directly into your document with a single keystroke.

When working with notes linked to Ibidem bibliographic records, Orbis can automatically insert the correct citation as you retrieve text. By reconnecting you with relevant passages and preserving source information, it reduces the risk of plagiarism while helping you uncover connections, streamline your workflow, and focus on the creative side of writing.

Key Capabilities

Why Scholars Use Orbis

Instant Retrieval

  • Search while writing
  • Access files from inside the word processor
  • Insert results immediately

Massive Search Capacity

  • Search up to millions of files
  • Handle enormous textbases
  • Automatically track changed files

Contextual Results

  • View keywords in context
  • Open full text in another pane
  • Expand surrounding content as needed

Smarter Search Logic

  • Boolean operators
  • Wildcards
  • Synonym expansion
  • Optional coded keywords

Organized Workflows

  • Sort results by filename, date, or density
  • Retain search histories
  • Define entries by paragraph, sentence, page, and more

Citation Integration

  • Pull citations from linked Ibidem records
  • Detect citation-linked note files
  • Reduce accidental plagiarism

Is it as good as it sounds?

  • Instant access to your own writing

  • Context-rich retrieval across large textbases

  • Citation-aware integration with Ibidem

Bring Your Writing and Research Together

Orbis makes everything you write searchable and usable.

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