I can't find my sources or notes when I need them
Set up one reference library and one note system that point to each other, and keep them tidy with little effort.
In short
Start here, today. Install Zotero and its browser connector. Add the last ten sources you cited in your writing and check that each has the right authors, year and title. This takes about 30 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
0 of 6 steps done
Put every source in one reference manager
Choose one, such as Zotero, and use it for everything: articles, books, reports, archival items, web pages. Save through the browser connector or by DOI so the details fill themselves in. If a source isn't in the library, treat it as if it doesn't exist yet.
Link your notes to citation keys
Give every source a short citation key, such as okafor2021, and put that key at the top of every note about it. Zotero can hold notes inside each item, or you can keep notes in a separate tool and use the key to connect them. If you write in LaTeX, use the same keys you cite with.
Tag lightly and consistently
Make a short list of tags that match your themes or chapters, plus a few for status such as “to read”, “read” and “core”. Write the list in your Decision Log so you use the same words every time. A hundred tags help about as much as none.
Note page numbers as you go
Every direct quotation or specific claim in your notes should carry a page number. It takes seconds now and can take an hour to find later.
Spend one afternoon cleaning up
Block an afternoon, put something on to listen to, and drag your scattered PDFs into the library. Merge duplicates, fix obvious errors and tag what you can. You don't have to finish. Getting the important material into one place is enough.
Back it all up
Make sure your library and notes are backed up automatically, ideally in two places. Many universities provide cloud storage for this. If your notes include confidential material such as interview transcripts, check your data management plan or your university's guidance first, because those files may have stricter storage rules.
Is this you? Signs to look for
- You remember a finding but not which paper it came from.
- The same PDF is saved three times under three different names.
- Your notes are spread across notebooks, Word files, a phone app and the margins of printouts.
- You've spent an evening hunting for a page number the night before a deadline.
Why this happens
Most people start a PhD with the habits that got them through coursework: a folder of PDFs, a document of notes, references typed by hand. Those habits usually break somewhere around the hundredth source, and by then changing feels like too much work.
The cost isn't only lost time. When you can't find where an idea came from, you either leave it out or cite it from memory, and both weaken your writing. A plain, slightly boring system set up now will save you days at the end, when you're checking a bibliography of several hundred references against your institution's style.
Worth a look (5)
- ZoteroA free reference manager with a browser connector and plugins for Word and Google Docs.
- DMP AssistantA free Canadian tool for writing a data management plan, including storage and backup.
- Google ScholarA free search engine for scholarly articles, theses, books and court opinions in every field. Set up alerts so new papers on your topic come to you.
- Semantic ScholarA free search engine for research papers from a nonprofit AI institute. One-line summaries and citation links help you see how a topic fits together.
- OpenAlexA free, open index of hundreds of millions of scholarly works, authors and institutions. You can search it directly or use its data for bibliometric research.
More on finding and reading research in the resource library
When to bring someone in
Many university libraries run workshops on Zotero or whichever reference manager they support, and a subject librarian can help you import a messy collection. If your notes or sources include sensitive research data, check storage rules with your research ethics office or research data team before deciding where to keep them.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify