I enjoyed the Library discussion on research, and decided to create a video describing how I use Evernote for getting myself and my research organized. The transcript of the video follows:

Transcript of video

I use Evernote as a tool to organize my student life, and it it’s been extremely helpful. In this video, I’ll cover some of the tools and features I use to stay organized. I still haven’t found a way for the program to actually do the work for me, though!

Here’s my workflow.

Creating a Course Schedule

I start with the course schedule. It’s quickest to use the print friendly version, which I can clip directly to Evernote. Since I don’t want all the content, which is time-consuming to edit, I copy and paste the schedule into Word instead, and delete the extra columns.

I want to use check boxes in Evernote, so I convert the table to text, using a space separator. Finally, it’s time to copy and paste into a new Evernote note.

Each new note has a title field, so add the appropriate title.

I like checkboxes, and it’s easy to add them in Evernote. Select the text, then choose Format > Insert To Do to add a checkbox for each item.

Here’s the actual note I’m using for this course, using a cleaned-up layout and highlights. One super feature of Evernote is that I can add or delete content as needed.

Adding Articles & Readings

Next, it’s on to the readings. I’ll make a note directly from the Moodle page. First, I select the content, and then click the Evernote icon on my browser toolbar. The clipping window opens, with the Selection option preselected. You’ll see I have a notebook selected and add a keyword – more on those later.

Here’s the note in Evernote, and the actual note I’m using for the course.

My next task is to download copies of the articles I plan to use. All links are active on the pages, and my article loads in the browser window. To download, I click the Evernote icon on the toolbar, and choose Simplified article in the dialog box. Evernote removes the extra frames, leaving just the article. The last notebook used is already selected, and I add a keyword, and click Save. It doesn’t take long—I’ve shown the actual conversion time here.

Organizing Notebooks

Now for my Notebook arrangements. Click Notebooks in the left panel. Notebooks are like folders, which can be stacked. For example, in this course I have 5 notebooks. One holds my ToDo list and other generic content.

Notice the Backward and Forward arrows in Evernote—they work the same as those on a browser.

I have separated the readings into their own notebooks. Notebooks are easy to manipulate. To add a new one, click New Notebook, name it, and click Create. Once I add the notebook, I can right-click to open the shortcut menu, and choose a stack to assign it to. Right-click and choose Remove from Stack to move it, or right-click and choose Delete Notebook and confirm to remove it.

Using Tags

Now for tagging. I use tags a lot, probably from my web design and PDF background. The Tags page shows a listing of the tags I’ve used. Double-click a tag to load them into the card view.

Adding Table of Contents Notes

Here’s another feature I use a lot. Select notes in the card view to display a popup dialog. Click Create Table of Contents Note, and you’ll have a new note added to the notebook with links.

Configuring Shortcuts

Another feature I use to get organized are the Shortcuts. I can drag a note label from the Recent Notes into the Shortcuts list, or right-click a note in the card view and choose Add Note to Shortcuts.

Searching Evernote

If I need more options for organizing—and who doesn’t—I can use Search. Click the Search field to activate it. In the Add Search Option you can see there are a number of ways to search. I’ll simply type in some text, and Evernote displays the results. There are 21 notes, starting with the table of contents note I made.

Highlighting PDF Content

For my last tip—be sure to check out the PDF highlighting. You can highlight anything in a note, but not a PDF. So, right-click and choose an Open option. In Acrobat DC, I can highlight content, then save the document. Evernote updates the document, complete with my highlights.

Give it a Try…

If you’ve never used Evernote before, I hope my video has given you an idea of how useful it can be.

Download the free version of Evernote from www.evernote.com. Check out Paperpile at www.paperpile.com (it’s a subscription service).