digital tools for academic research
DESCRIPTION
TRANSCRIPT
Digital Tools for Academic Research
Sidiropoulos Johnwww.organognosi.comemail: [email protected]: @organognosimobile: +44 7510 570990
The Problem
I do not remember where I have read this.
Where is this file in my hard drive?I cannot find it!
I spend too much time trying toorganize my ebooks and papers.
I cannot find my notes from the paper I readlast week.
The Solution:Digital Tools for Academic Research
Hypertext
Links
Wikis
Additional/alternative solutionsTagsSearch enginesDatabases
Hypertext
Hypertext is a text structure that cannotbe conveniently printed. (As We WillThink - Nelson: 252)The biggest and most well knownhypertext system is the World WideWeb (WWW).
Links
The defining characteristic of hypertext
Immediate access to information or data
Effective organizational tool
Kinds of Links
Between different documentsBetween different sections of the samedocumentBetween text files and media files
Links between Documents
The references in a book or paper can be livelinks to the original sourcese.g. Sorites Paradox and Vagueness - Sidiropoulos
Links to local files - e.g. A Critiqueof Deflationism - Gupta: 286URL: x-devonthink-item://644047E6-B393-466E-B4E9-980AB5201172?page=4
Links to Google Bookse.g. Vagueness - Willimason: 35URL: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9ZEB6JNAkKsC&pg=PA35
Internal Document Links
Clickable table of contentse.g. Hypertext marks in LaTeX: 2
Clickable indexe.g. Hypertext marks in LaTeX:448
Clickable endnotes/footnotese.g. Sorites Paradox and Vagueness -Sidiropoulos: 5
Clickable references to specificPDF pages e.g. Sorites Paradoxand Vagueness - Sidiropoulos: 11
Links to Audio and Video Files
TunesLinker - http://bit.ly/14qlx4k
Links to specific filese.g. Night Bird - Deep Forest
Links to specific time pointse.g. Hypertext and Computer-Augmented-Thought - 11:19
Ways of Writing Hypertext
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
Wikis
LaTeXe.g. Sorites and Vagueness - Sidiropoulos
Creation of links using AppleScripte.g. Create MediaWiki and RTF links toiPhoto pictures
Wikis
The easiest way to create hypertextDemo MediaWiki
Links to other pages - e.g. [[Vagueness]]Markup syntax: MediaWiki Cheat Sheet
Wiki programsMediaWikiConnectedTextVoodooPadWikispaces
MediaWiki - Tips
For each book, article that I read Icreate a separate wiki page
Name template: @Title - Surname
For each important concept I create aseparate wiki page.
Name template: Concept and specifier
I insert pertinent tags or categories to thewiki pages.
I try to write anything new that I learn.My wikis are the personal repositoriesof my knowledge.
Advantages of Hypertext
Every source is just one click away!
You can organize your sources, notes andthoughts in an associative manner whichcan preserve the context.
Facilitates the creation of new connections.
Facilitates analysis - modular organizationof content (imitation of index cards).
Facilitates synthesis - creation ofdynamic documents (transclusion).
Problems with Hypertext
The links can break.
It requires the learning of new skills(new programs, markup languages)
New dangers (security, backup)
Digitization of source material
Copyright (open access movement)
My Favorite Mac Applications
for reading and annotating documents:Skim (PDF), Clearview (ePub, chm)
for bibliography management: BibDesk
for writing: Scrivener, Scapple, LaTeX
for notes management: MediaWiki
for documents management:DEVONthink (PDFs), Calibre (ePub, chm)
for automating my workflow:Script Debugger
OrganoGnosi
http://www.organognosi.com
Development of custom scripts andapplications
Private tuitions