Research Information Management

1. Research Information Management Organising Humanities Material

2. 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

3. Information management • How you organise all the source material, notes, and other documents that relate to your research • Covers both paper and electronic material

4. 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

5. Key principles • We need to be honest with ourselves about what’s working and what isn’t “But I know where everything is!”

6. 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

7. The dinosaur in the cupboard

8. 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?

9. 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

10. Motivational strategies • Chore Wars: http://www.chorewars.com/ • If all else fails, try bribery

11. 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?

12. 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?

13. 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: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/rdm/

14. 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

15. 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

16. Small group discussion • What sort of material do you work with? • What organisational challenges have you faced? • What tools or techniques work for you?

17. 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

18. 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

19. Tools for horizontal organisers Image from http://deskaccessories.guidestobuy.com/ Image from http://www.staples.co.uk/

20. Tools for horizontal organisers Image from http://www.shoppingbank.com/

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. Managing a hierarchical system • In Windows, Windows Explorer is the best tool

29. Creating a tag-based system • Possible tools include: • Bibliographic software • EndNote, RefWorks, Mendeley... • Image management programs • Flickr, Picasa... • Gmail • Designed for email, but can be used to store files

30. Compare and contrast • Open the Exercise 3 folder on your computer • Work through the tasks in Exercise 3

31. 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?

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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 ( _ )

35. 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

36. 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

37. Useful software tools • OneNote • Planz • NVivo • Scrivener • A.nnotate • Diigo

38. 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

39. Useful websites and services • Research Skills Toolkit • http://www.skillstoolkit.ox.ac.uk/ • Research Data Management website • http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/rdm/ • InfoDev • http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/infodev/ • HFS back up service • http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/hfs/

40. 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 list