Research tools

EverNote: (I'm mixed on this yet.) I use this database, but often I'm frustrated with its lack of speed. It is great for storing away most everything, but cumbersome, nonetheless. The best thing about EverNote is that you can email documents directly to the database.

DevonThink Pro: DevonThink lost me for a bit, but now I'm returning to it because its search functions are so brilliant. Also, it can render searchable some PDF files that can't be decoded by EverNote. (I should note that EverNote, conversely, can decode jpeg files, while DevonThink can't, that I can see: so the two databases seem to be necessary.) I had a problem with one of my databases, but a Real Person responded quickly to help solve it. I'm very impressed.

WebNote Happy: I have found this an invaluable software. Bookmarks on the browser are not really searchable. Now I can tag and add notes to sites, which I can easily--and quickly--search. Highly recommended.

Books Google: I couldn't live without it.

Amazon.com: A number of the books have search features on Amazon. I've created Wish List libraries that act as files. It is even useful to search the Amazon.com page for the books I own. Also useful on Amazon is the "people who have bought this book also bought..." feature. I've discovered useful books in this fashion.

Jstor: It's hard to get access to this academic database if you're not an academic. Some libraries offer access to it, but usually only if you are actually in the library. If you belong to the Toronto Public Library, you are in luck.

Yep: (not yet recommended) I need some way to keep track of all the PDF files on my computer, so bought this software without trial?possibly a mistake. Perhaps it is my fault, but it seems slow and untrustworthy. Right now, instead, I'm simply using a Smart Folder on my computer desktop to collect all the PDFs in one place, but I'd prefer a way to add tabs and notes.

TinEye: When I clip an image to my computer, I often neglect to type in the title, artist and website source. TinEye, a visual search engine, solves all that.

DEVICES

iPad: an essential research tool. (See my blog post on using an iPad for research).

iPAD APPS

Instapaper: Install it first on your Web Browser as to be "Read Later."Read later in comfort on the iPad. Copy and send notes by email, or post to Tumblr or Twitter. How did I ever manage without it?

Kindle: Great for highlighting text and then saving the notes and highlights to computer. A caution, however: some books have a limit to how many highlights you can make. You can get around this by copying the highlights saved, then deleting them from the book. (Tiresome.) Also, highlights of only a few of your current reads will show up. You can resurrect a highlighted book from your archive. In other words: Where there is a will, there's a way.

iAnnotate: ditto, but even better, I can email the highlighted text of a PDF file and notes directly to EverNote (along with the file, should I wish). So far, no other app can do that, and for me, it's the deal-breaker. I don't want the 300 page book to wade through: I want the highlighted text.