How do you keep track of research online?

February 24, 2007

I am working on a few major research papers for grad school, so I have been thinking about how to best help myself stay organized in dealing with all of the research articles I am sifting through and notes I need to take, not to mention the painstaking process of citing all those articles! I have been looking for good tools to help me, especially web 2.0 tools that might keep me a bit more sane. Here is my progress…

I began thinking that a good start would be Google Docs & Spreadsheets. It appeals to me because I am already familiar with the interface, have tags set up for each course, and can access the document from any computer. It has great formatting, and seamlessly integrates with my daily Gmail and other Google obsessions. Because I enjoy security, I make sure to log in to https://docs.google.com, adding the s to make it secure. Ok, so I will draft my papers in Google Docs.

I also use Google Notebook to keep track of interesting websites I come across. Tragically, I tend to note them and then never go back to check it out. Sometimes I go search my notebook when I think I might have noted something previously, but it ends up being pretty much a black hole. It’s still fun to note stuff, though. How much will this help me with my research, though? Well, theoretically as I am searching Google Scholar I can annotate pages that I come across for later review. What I end up doing more often than not, however, is downloading everything I find that looks relevant, and then sifting through it later. I have a folder full of twenty or so PDF files that I am sifting through now, so no real need to Google Notebook it.

So I did a quick search in Google using the query APA +Firefox, since I am writing my papers in the APA Format. I do have the Publication Manual handy, but I still could use some help with citation formatting, etc.

An aside: Here is a rockin APA crib sheet (pdf).

The search results led me to Zotero. I found this tool also by searching for “research” in the Firefox addons section. Zotero is nice, and very easy to use. Trouble is I am not always going to be at one computer when I am doing research. I want to be able to have all my citations and bibliography handy wherever I am. After all, part of this web 2.0 world is having access to your information when you need it, right?

If Zotero had a Foxmarks-like syncing capability, we’d be in business. Maybe I overlooked it. Nope. Here is what the Zotero FAQ says…

In the near future, there will be ways of storing and syncing Zotero collections remotely.

Ok, so moving along. Zotero’s exporting citations feature felt a little clunky to me. Not sure why. Maybe it’s the browser integration. Blogging from Performancing feels odd, but works well. Probably my perception that needs to change?

At the end of the second page of search results I came across this link to NoodleBib’s FAQ page. Never having heard of NoodleBib, I erased the second part of the URL and got the home page to NoodleTools. Boy, am I impressed!

This is a nice suite of software, I have to admit. It feels very web 2.0 but in an early-startup kind of way. The reflective graphic they use in the header seems a bit off, but nonetheless it’s a solid-looking site. Here’s the scoop…

NoodleTools offers a variety of tools that look promising…

NoodleBib bills itself as, “The Web’s most comprehensive and accurate MLA and APA bibliography composer with a fully-integrated note-taking component”. Sounds tasty! I dug around some more and found NoodleBib Express, a free citation generator. I traditionally have used Son of Citation Machine, but think it might be giving incorrect citations. More on that later…

I kept digging and found this information about the company…

NoodleTools, Inc., a California company incorporated in 2002, was co-founded in 1999 by mother and son team Debbie and Damon Abilock. NoodleTools’ flagship product, NoodleBib, has emerged as the leading bibliography software on the Internet, transforming bibliographic instruction methodologies in thousands of subscribing schools and libraries.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it! The About Us page even has a nice photo of mom and son.

One word caught me, though, subscribing.

Uh oh. They want money. Shoot. I’m really poor cash-strapped these days. Grad school + stay-at-home-wife + two daughters + teacher’s salary = not much cash

How much do they want?

Eight dollars for a year. It’s a good value. Here is the total pricing package for individual subscriptions…

Subscription Rate: $4.00 for 3 months, $6.00 for 6 months (25% discount), or $8.00 for one year (12 months, 50% discount).

Whew. That might work in the household budget. What do I get for my ocho buckaroos?

All I can say is take the tour…

It offers me a central spot to store my citations, which they help me generate (same interface as the express free version), which I can then export into a .doc file (other formats available), and quickly cite parenthetically.

I can also take notes (aptly called notecards) which will allow me to digitally annotate my references. They even have a heck of a little Knowledgebase that has answers to lots of hard-hitting questions about how to cite this, do I cite that, etc.

It looks like a heck of a solution to my problem, and I am ready to sign up! I am curious, though, do any of you have any other suggestions? Something I overlooked? Sound off in the comments! (last line thieved from lifehacker, shame on me!)

Hope this has been helpful, I gotta go. My 5 year-old just told me she’s hungry. I need to get her some take out, cook her some supper. Wish me luck!

Posted in Educational Technology, Grad School