My Current Note Taking Routine

I haven't posted in a while because my history research has been put on hold for another project. I'm currently building a website for a future-non-profit I'm building, called Executive Dysfunction Research and Advocacy (Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter). Basically for the last 5 and a half months I've been neck deep in research papers about Executive Functions, and taking infinite notes and doing a bunch of writing. And someone in a different Facebook group (Ologies Podcast) today asked folks for academic writing advice. I started to answer it over there, until I realized that I should probably just turn it into a proper post here. It took me a couple months to develop this system, but it seems to be working well for me now!

First off, I put the paper into Mendeley and I have been using Microsoft OneNote to take my notes. I have Mendeley downloaded on both my windows computer & my boyfriends Macbook which I occasionally borrow, and I have OneNote downloaded on my desktop, and use it via the browser when I'm on on the Macbook, so I can work from either device, which is nice!

I have different sections for the different executive functions (EFs), and then within each section, I have notes for each source, and I also do my writing drafting in there too.

To be honest, most of my notes at this stage is just me copy/pasting parts I think I may reference or quote later, and putting it into OneNote. I try to bold the parts that will help me quickly see where I should put that bit of text in my note outline later.

After MONTHS of dealing with some papers being horribly formatted so that when I copy/pasted text it included excessive and nonsensical line breaks. For a long time I was using Notepad++. When I pasted something and it looked like that, I would then cut it again, then paste it into Notepad++, then selected all, then ctrl + J to remove the line breaks, then I'd paste it back into OneNote. That's incredibly tedious though, and just last week I found something else instead!

Now, I've installed PDF Copy Paster, and instead of reading within Mendeley itself, I just right click a paper and select "Open File Externally." That opens the pdf with Adobe Reader. Then, when I copy/paste, all the line breaks are AUTOMAGICALLY removed! So, that's a nice time saver. But I still have an unbelievable amount of ex- essive hyph- enizations like this that dr- ive me ban- nanas, but since I don't feel like adding another step to put the text into Word or something and doing a search & replace (does that work if you just want to delete a hyphen and the space after it?), I just suffer with it for now. (And I do mean suffer. UGH the red squiggles make it even worse!)

Anyway, the next step involves another new find of mine, Dynalist. I have folders for each EF, and then a page for each eventual page on the website. I can use bold & check boxes

On each page I start with a general structural outline for the page. Then, after I read each paper (or sometimes after a few), I then put Dynalist on one half of my screen and OneNote on the other, and start copying the text into the outline. I put it in the correct section, and as I find patterns in the notes, or new ideas, I will add new sections to the appropriate pages as needed. I will group quotes into sub-sections based on theme/idea just to make it easier to reference when i get to writing, and to make the notes better managable (as you can collapse sections). So the sub-sub-sections don't necessarily mean they'll have their own bit/section in the writing, it just brings together the bits about the same thing from various sources so I can choose the best quote or better reference the idea when I mention it in the writing (if I do at all).

I don't know if this is the most efficient method or not, but currently, before I start copying my notes over, I type & copy to my clipboard " (1st Author's Surname) ". Then, after I copy the text into the note outline (ctrl + V), I hit (ctrl + shift + v) and then hit the number the author is on (for me it's usually 2). I use ClipX clipboard manager so that I can have multiple things in my clipboard at once. But this way, even if I move the notes around, I never lose the source.

Then, as I write, I keep my screen split between Dynalist & OneNote, and I work from my notes as I go, checking off the ideas/quotes I use. For me and how my brain works, this is working quite well for me so far! If my system changes in the future, I will update here.

Oh and one last thing! I also have been using Focus To-Do as my pomodoro timer. It helps me keep track of the passing of time and thus helps keep me from spending too much time on certain tasks, and reminds me to take small breaks throughout the day so that I don't burn myself out.

On Writing EVERY Day (Advice from Twitter)

As a person who follows hundreds of academics across social media, I very frequently see reminders that we should all be writing something every day. Indeed, that was the main reason for making this blog, so I could practice stringing sentences together at least several times a week. But, as anyone who has seen this blog can see, I haven't actually been writing about what I'm researching, only how I'm researching.

The problem is, I haven't known what to write about my topic. I'm researching a number of rather obscure people, groups, and communities, so I don't feel like I have enough information about anything or anyone to write about in any way worth my time quite yet. I did start an annotated bibliography recently, but other than that, I haven't really been "writing" anything yet. Outside of the hundreds of index cards I've been furiously scribbling my notes onto for the past week, that is.

So, during a work break this morning, I shot off the following tweet:

Many academics say it's important to write EVERY day, but what about when you're in the early days of a project, just really starting to take notes and gather information?

I feel like I *should* be writing, but *what* @ this stage? 🤔#twitterstorians #AcademicTwitter #PHDchat

— Ameya Warde (@ameyawarde) March 13, 2018

Now usually, when I ask questions on #twitterstorians or #AcademicTwitter, I almost never get a reply. But, by some magic (and kind RTs from @AcademicChatter, @raulpacheco, & @erin_bartram!) I actually did get a slew of them this morning, and I think they're worth sharing here, too.

Prelim literature review, summaries of works read, essentially annotated bibliography.

— Spring Forward Spice (@errabund) March 13, 2018

In the beginning of my PhD, I wrote a couple of paragraphs summary for each paper I read as in overview why this paper is important for my project. That was quite helpful at a later stage :)

— Mara (@CuriousZebra_) March 13, 2018

That’s when I find my favorite pen and some quality paper and just start jotting down notes or start a mind map. For me, that tactile endeavor is enough in the early stages.

— Daniel Martínez (@dmmartinezphd) March 13, 2018

I like to do literature review when I start a project, to get a feel of where the field of research is at. I also jot down lots of notes/ideas for current (or future) research projects!

— kelsey rose (@kelseyrosemcd) March 13, 2018

Idea dumps are game changers

— Caroline (@carolinecpro) March 13, 2018

I wrote blogs on some of the empirically or theory, or just to explore ideas in a short, low pressure way.

— Professor_of_Power (@Prof_of_Power) March 13, 2018

There were also a number of tweets in support of note-taking itself being considered academic writing:

I count all of that as writing. Early writing just looks different than what you write when your project starts to gel.

— Erin Cassese (@ErinCassese) March 13, 2018

.@ashley_edes @ameyawarde thanks for the kind words! Any sort of written reflection (even "God I don't know where my project goes" IS #AcWri

— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) March 13, 2018

My website is temporarily down (hopefully back soon) but here's a blog post on what counts as academic writing (surprise - A LOT) https://t.co/eVTrXjvzTq we can't just count "putting words on the page"

— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) March 13, 2018

And I think @HthrLynnJ's points are especially important and worth highlighting:

When I don’t know what to write, I free write about ideas I’m having related to the work, including what I’m finding challenging. I try out different lines of arguments. I make notes on things I’m reading. Idea generating is tough. I write through it to learn and grow from it.

— Heather Johnson (@HthrLynnJ) March 13, 2018

Last semester I tasked one of my PhD students to write to “Notice and Wonder.” As academics, our job is to develop new ideas. When we write, we record how our ideas are evolving. Our papers become contributions by nurturing and growing those ideas.

— Heather Johnson (@HthrLynnJ) March 13, 2018

You bet! Learning to write to learn has been one of the most valuable processes I’ve developed in this endeavor.

— Heather Johnson (@HthrLynnJ) March 13, 2018

Okay, but what the heck do I do with all these research notes?!?!

- me, for months.

I've tried a wiki, which, though it doesn't quite work for the note taking/collecting stage that I'm currently struggling with, I do generally like and will still probably be using further down my workflow pipeline (that is, unless I find a Heurist database more helpful than a straight up wiki for that stage, as this week I've been experimenting with that).

After realizing that it wasn't quite the thing for this stage of the research, I shifted over to Scrivener, where I first basically copied the format of a wiki page with each section getting it's own text (page/note), but allowing for more unstructured info and quotes, etc. But that still wasn't quite what I needed (duh, I say retrospectively.)

Then I found the idea of conceptual matrices (yes I spelled it wrong in Scrivener) that seem to work so well for things that aren't biographical research... I tried those, continuously having to break them down so each page wasn't getting so unwieldy, and so here I am now, with this total mess:

 

#REGRET

So, I've spent waaaay too much time the last couple of days trying to figure out what to do, looking into various possibilities (I do NOT understand how people use Evernote for this, I would simply DIE of overwhelm) (and TiddlyWiki sounded promising, but was super confusing and I gave up on that, too.)

Sooooo, what did I end up with after all this searching?

Why, the very system I was trying so hard to find a digital alternative for, of course!

Index Cards.

Credit goes to Ryan Holiday's Thought Catalog article The Notecard System: The Key For Remembering, Organizing And Using Everything You Read, in which he explains that index cards were:

"... responsible for helping me publish three books in three years, (along with other books I’ve had the privilege of contributing to), write countless articles published in newspapers and websites, send out my reading recommendations every month, and make all sorts of other work and personal successes possible."

Uh, yes please. I would like to have anything approaching that level of productivity!
Okay, okay. I should use the notecard system. But of course I then spent half a day trying to find an explicitly digital-index-card system (Scrivener's not counting bc I need a bazillion cards) because, trees! Hand cramping! Supply costs! Travel! Etc!

NoodleTools, though aimed at k-12 students, seemed pretty close, but then I just gave up. I don't want all my notes in such a closed system, anyway. I should just use the actual, physical cards.

So, I can't afford a printer to just print & paste things onto the cards, and my hand is already aching at the thought of what's to come, but I  know darn well that this is the best possible system that currently exists that works best for my brain.

My brain is weird, you see (I have severe ADHD..) and I really do work better with physical copies of things, though my millennial self generally prefers that which is digital and techie. But, ADHD brains in particular really do need things, especially information, to be "externalized" and physically manipulatable (our working memory is crap).

In fact, I thought to write this post after reading this article by fellow ADHDer Aimée Morrison at Hook & Eye this morning, in which she describes why she uses paper for research notes, which is the same reason physical copies work best for me, too:

For me, paper is visible in very important ways: scale, scope, the gist. How much progress I’m making, how much I have left. Where the holes are, sometimes literally. Paper is a massive memory aid, an externalization of my working memory, all the more crucial the larger or more complex a task becomes. Colour coded sticky notes and pens and paper clips and highlighting–I scan it from above and easily zoom down to what I need.

For me, electronic text is inscrutable and frustrating, like trying to watch a movie in the front row of the cinema with a pinhole camera: I can’t get any sense of scale or make sense of anything, and I get dizzy, to boot. There’s no way I could follow any kind of narrative and it’s a challenge not to barf. All the blue light, not enough screen, too many tabs and open windows and nothing findable. Stress nap!

I found this article to be super validating for me, especially since a few days ago I had already gone ahead and ordered some supplies! Thanks, Aimée! :)


Woops this post turned out way longer than intended, but I realized I should make a record of all the things I looked into first, so I don't forget and do this whole thing over again next year!

METHODS: Conducting Research and Organizing Information - Taking Notes - 2.3, Historical Methodology, saylor.org

I've just started working my way through Saylor.org's HIST104: Historical Methodology - The Art and Craft of the Historian, and I'm now on Unit 2: Basic Historical Research Skills. 

In lieu of me actually being in a class where things are discussed, I'll just write my thoughts about the materials here.

2.3 Conducting Research and Organizing Information

2.3.4 Taking Notes on Sources

Reading: Dr. Steven Kreis’s The History Guide: A Student’s Guide to the Study of History: 

“Section 4.7: The Research Essay—Taking Notes”  

In 4.7 the author reminds us of the importance of knowing what you're looking for when you are researching when it comes to writing good notes.  

When reading material that we want to use in our research, we should make notes of what the author is trying to say, what interpretation they are pressing, what sources do they use? How is the material useful to your research? etc. 

We also must have a 'clear understanding and grasp of your topic.' I found these lines notably important: "In other words, it's not enough to say you want to write about such and such a topic. You need to ask yourself why." 

He goes on to talk about how to use quotes. Historians must use direct quotes, but also must be sure to not over-use them. With any quote you have to explain why that quote is significant/relevant, and "when in doubt, leave it out." 

An important part of being able to use quotations effectively is being able to paraphrase the arguments of the author so that it can be blended with your own. He tells us to first in our minds, then on paper, paraphrase whatever passage/section/chapter you are reading at the time. And then, 'Try to explain things in your own words first, and then retrieve a quotation or series of short quotations to give force to what you just said.' 

He also points out that if an author quotes another author, you can use that, but you need to also locate the original source (often a footnote), or, if you can't find it, to make note of that, too (often also in a footnote) 

He also details how best to use note cards to take notes.