Oxford University Computing Services Research Information Management Organising Humanities Material

Oxford University Computing Services You should have... ▪A copy of the course handbook ▫Includes more information about the topics covered in this presentation ▫Plus step-by-step instructions for the exercises ▪Access to the exercise files 2

Oxford University Computing Services Information management ▪How you organise all the source material, notes, and other documents that relate to your research ▪Covers both paper and electronic material 3

Oxford University Computing Services Key principles ▪There’s no single right way to do it ▪Organisation is a means to efficient research, not an end in itself ▪If the system does what you need it to, it’s a good system ▪Strike the balance between doing too much and too little 4

Oxford University Computing Services Key principles ▪We need to be honest with ourselves about what’s working and what isn’t 5 “But I know where everything is!”

Oxford University Computing Services Key principles ▪But there’s no need to feel guilty for not living up to some perceived ‘gold standard’ of organisation ▪Clear desks and empty inboxes work for some people, but not for all 6

Oxford University Computing Services The dinosaur in the cupboard 7

Oxford University Computing Services Be realistic ▪The aim is to get the best results for as little work as possible ▪If your system is too complicated, you may end up with a backlog ▫Try using loose categories ▫Have a ‘holding pen’ for incoming material ▫Can you reduce the quantity of incoming material? 8

Oxford University Computing Services Finding the time ▪Common problems: ▫There aren’t enough hours in the day ▫It doesn’t feel like real research ▫It’s dull! ▪Possible solutions ▫A shift in attitude: not research, but an investment that makes research easier ▫Making use of pockets of dead time 9

Oxford University Computing Services Motivational strategies ▪Chore Wars: chorewars.com/ chorewars.com/ ▪If all else fails, try bribery 10

Oxford University Computing Services It pays to plan ahead ▪Some extra work when you collect material may prevent a lot of future hassle ▪Good questions to ask yourself include: ▫What will I use this for? ▫What do I need to do to ensure I can retrieve this? 11

Oxford University Computing Services And when you’ve retrieved it... ▪Will it be clear what the source was? ▪Will it be clear what it means? ▪Is there a clear record of what I’ve done to the information? ▪Does my funding body have any requirements about sharing data? ▪Will other researchers be able to make sense of it? 12

Oxford University Computing Services Data management planning ▪For bigger projects, a formal data management plan may be needed ▫Required by some funding bodies ▪See the University of Oxford’s Research Data Management website:

Oxford University Computing Services Other aims of organisation ▪Reminding ▫Items serve as a prompt to do something ▫Sub-folders can act as a task list ▪Representing ▫Folder structure reflects information structure ▪Connecting ▫Links between similar items are highlighted 14

Oxford University Computing Services Retrieval methods ▪Location-based finding ▪Using a search function ▪Most of us default to location-based finding ▪For electronic information, searching may be a better option ▫This has an impact on how we organise our information 15

Oxford University Computing Services Small group discussion ▪What sort of material do you work with? ▪What organisational challenges have you faced? ▪What tools or techniques work for you? 16

Oxford University Computing Services Organising paper material ▪Are you a vertical or a horizontal organiser? ▫Terms coined by philosopher John Perry ▫Vertical organisers like things neatly filed away ▫Horizontal organisers like lots of information spread out ▪Don’t force yourself into the wrong mould 17

Oxford University Computing Services Tips for horizontal organisers ▪Maximise your working space ▪Create different zones on your desk ▪Keep the quantity of information manageable ▪Experiment with other forms of reminder 18

Oxford University Computing Services Tools for horizontal organisers 19 Image from Image from guidestobuy.com/

Oxford University Computing Services Tools for horizontal organisers 20 Image from

Oxford University Computing Services Tips for vertical organisers ▪Make the process of filing as quick and easy as possible ▫Clear labels and colour coding can help ▪Distinguish short-term and long-term information ▪Don’t panic if you can’t keep on top of the filing ▫But do consider streamlining 21

Oxford University Computing Services Tips for everyone ▪Think about how your work space is laid out ▫Where’s your recycling bin? ▪Be disciplined about getting rid of what’s no longer useful ▪Make sure everything has a place to live 22

Oxford University Computing Services Organising electronic material ▪Two main types of system: ▪Hierarchical ▫Items organised in folders and sub- folders ▪Tag-based ▫Each item assigned one or more tags 23

Oxford University Computing Services Benefits of hierarchical systems ▪Familiar and widely used ▪Good at representing the structure of information ▫Constructing the hierarchy can itself be a helpful exercise ▪Similar items are stored together ▪Sub-folders can function as task lists ▪Great for location-based finding 24

Oxford University Computing Services Drawbacks of hierarchical systems ▪Surprisingly hard work to set up and maintain – ‘a heavyweight cognitive activity’ ▪Can be hard to get the right balance between breadth and depth ▪Items can only go in one place ▪Time consuming to reorganise if the hierarchy becomes out of date 25

Oxford University Computing Services Benefits of tag-based systems ▪Items can go in more than one category ▫Moreover, multiple types of category can be used ▪Many people find tagging quicker and easier than hierarchical filing ▪When collaborating, can be easier to combine than hierarchical systems 26

Oxford University Computing Services Drawbacks of tag-based systems ▪Not how operating systems store files ▪If material isn’t tagged properly when first acquired, it can be hard to find later ▪There’s a risk of inconsistent tagging ▪And of similarly named categories getting mixed ▪Less good at representing the structure of information 27

Oxford University Computing Services Managing a hierarchical system ▪In Windows, Windows Explorer is the best tool 28

Oxford University Computing Services Creating a tag-based system ▪Possible tools include: ▪Bibliographic software ▫EndNote, RefWorks, Mendeley... ▪Image management programs ▫Flickr, Picasa... ▪GmailGmail ▫Designed for , but can be used to store files 29

Oxford University Computing Services Compare and contrast ▪Open the Exercise 3 folder on your computer ▪Work through the tasks in Exercise 3 30

Oxford University Computing Services Small group discussion ▪What sort of structure(s) do you currently use? ▪What do you see as the key advantages and disadvantages of the different types of system? ▪Are there specific tasks one sort of system seems particularly suitable for? 31

Oxford University Computing Services Tips for making a hierarchical system work ▪If possible, avoid overlapping categories ▫Find other ways of linking items ▪Don’t let your folders get too big – or your structure get too deep ▫Create archive folders for older material 32

Oxford University Computing Services Shortcuts ▪Shortcuts allow you to open a file from multiple places ▫Recognisable by the small curved arrow in the corner of the icon ▪Use to place in more than one category ▪Use for frequently accessed items ▪Use to create project folders 33

Oxford University Computing Services File names ▪Make them concise, but meaningful ▪Think about what comes at the beginning of the name ▫So related items are grouped together ▪Order files or folders by starting the name with a number ▪Or push one file to the top using an underscore ( _ ) 34

Oxford University Computing Services Adding searchable keywords ▪Each file has a set of properties – information about the file itself ▪View by right-clicking on the icon, then select Properties ▪The summary tab includes a keywords field ▪Terms entered here will be found by the Windows search function 35

Oxford University Computing Services Linking notes and sources ▪Add hyperlinks to files elsewhere on your computer ▫Bookmarks can be used to link to a specific place in a file ▪Or use bibliographic software to store both notes and source material 36

Oxford University Computing Services Useful software tools ▪OneNote ▪Planz ▪NVivo ▪Scrivener ▪A.nnotate ▪Diigo 37

Oxford University Computing Services Working with images ▪To do it properly, use a database ▫FileMaker Pro, Access... ▫DaaS (Database as a Service) – coming in 2011 ▪To store basic information, Flickr or Picasa may be sufficient ▪Other options include bibliographic software, or even a Word table 38

Oxford University Computing Services Useful websites and services ▪Research Skills Toolkit ▫ ▪Research Data Management website ▫ ▪InfoDev ▫ ▪HFS back up service ▫ 39

Oxford University Computing Services Have a go! ▪Work through some or all of Exercises 5 to 9 ▪Explore some of the tools listed in Exercise 10 ▪If you’d like to learn more, look at the ITLP courses listITLP courses list 40