MW5106: A Survey of Research Methods

An efficient information storage and retrieval system will not only help you through the next few years but also facilitate a smooth transition to clinical practice.

Many highly functional, free and fee-based info management programs are available, but none of them does it all. Your system will work best if it has a mix of tools, including:

• Individual database accounts: Most major databases have a feature that allows you to set up an account to save your searches and selected studies, for example PubMed's MyNCBI.

• Note taking and archiving resources: Primarily used for creating and managing your notes, e.g. for classes, and saving clips (parts) of websites; examples: Evernote, Voodoo, and One Note.

• Research managers/PDF organizers: Save, organize and annotate research articles with your own notes and highlights. Some tools, such as Mendeley, also provide a social component that lets you share studies and explore those that others have found.

Mendeley is a free reference manager and PDF organizer; it's also a research networking site that puts you in touch with an international community.

Use Mendeley to:

• save and organize research articles and docs (about 3,000 PDFs in the free version);

• annotate (add your own notes and highlights to) sections of interest in saved articles;

• generate reference lists and citations for reports and papers.

Make sure to install the Word plug-in and Web Importer which are the real powers behind Mendeley.