The Research Journal

Last time, I mentioned keeping a research journal. What will you write in your research journal? Anything you do on the project each day. To whom did you talk about the project, what did they say? What articles did you read, what are the important points from them? What ideas do you want to consider later? You can even get fancy and color code such things. You need to be able track the evolution of your thinking on the project and keep track of the day-to-day info that will cross your desk/ computer/ mind.

There are many ways to approach this- both high and low tech; the main thing is to be consistent with using it. You can certainly use a paper notebook and write things in it. Another alternative is to use Word or One Note (for Microsoft fans). Again more important is consistency of use. I have recently discovered some software that I have been recommending: The Journal <http://www.davidrm.com/> (costs about $50). It is not the easiest software to set up, but is great once you do. It has a daily journal as well what it calls notebooks, in which you can easily document your progress. You can set up multiple notebooks and diaries for different topics/projects. You can also copy from other programs into it, allowing you to keep track of emails, citations, etc.

Next time I will look at keeping references organized.  Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu