Digital text and audio-visual materials are often more accessible, affordable, convenient, and sustainable than their print or analog alternatives. But how can you keep track of all those files plus the notes you take to help you study? Keep reading for some digital tools to help with that!
This page contains four screenshot-based tutorials on how to read and annotate both PDFs and web content for academic research. Completing these tutorials will demonstrate how to integrate two digital tools into your research process. Specifically, you'll be able to...
Improve reading comprehension: Engage with digital sources by highlighting and commenting directly on the virtual document;
Analyze a claim by comparing viewpoints across sources: Create an outline that includes the highlights, comments, and citation details from all your digital sources; and
Create original work: Export or copy all those notes (highlights, comments, and citation details) from electronic reading applications to your word processing software.
Follow along at bit.ly/ZoteroDiigo.
For a Word doc, PDF, or other alternative format of this guide and any individual pages within the tutorials, please contact Brittni Ballard at [email protected].
Diigo (pronounced Dee'go) is a browser-based (no download necessary) personal knowledge management system that allows you to neatly collect and annotate web pages, sort them by tag, and organize them into a personal library. You can also write detailed outline-style notes, making this a robust tool for research projects. This is an excellent tool for projects that require a combination of well-organized notes and annotated resources. (Teacher's Guide to Tech 2024)
Diigo has three different plans: free, standard for $40 a year, and professional for $59 a year.
Create an account then learn more via this 6-minute YouTube tutorial.
Zotero is a web- and desktop-based personal research assistant that helps you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research. It's also free and open source, with a robust developer and user base that shares bugs, feature requests, and tips. It integrates with both Word and Google Docs and offers a robust PDF reader. You can also collaborate with others using unlimited group libraries with variable permissions.
Zotero offers additional individual storage plans at various price points: $20 per year, $60 per year, or $120 per year.
Download Zotero then learn more via Cook Library's Zotero guide.
Already an experienced Zotero user? Challenge yourself by linking it with Research Rabbit and visualizing your research networks!
Ready to start using these tools to read and mark up your own files? Complete this brief eight-question quiz (link to H5P activity will open in new window) to reinforce some user basics, then... Happy researching!
Learning to read was difficult and took practice; learning to read academic texts on a deadline is just as difficult. Plus, reading and taking notes with digital materials is different than reading and taking notes with print materials. That means it's going to take time and energy to become an effective reader of digital texts, especially when those texts are written by and for scholars. Now, you've just leveled up your research skills by learning to use technology like Diigo and Zotero. Use this knowledge to choose when to use print or digital resources, and of course: Keep up the good work :-)
Need some help setting up Zotero? Follow along with the Albert S. Cook Library Zotero guide.
Prefer some one-on-one assistance? Learning Technologies Librarian Brittni Ballard is an avid Zotero user; schedule a video call or connect via email to [email protected].
Want to discuss other applications that might elevate your research process? Have concerns about the applications featured in this tutorial? Let us know! Chat with Brittni Ballard, Learning Technologies Librarian and member of Towson University's Information and Instructional Technology Committee.
Created: April 1, 2024
Last updated: May 3, 2024
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0