12 Keeping your Information and Sources Organized

A thesis relies on a body of evidence collected from research. This evidence can come in many forms, depending on the discipline. Nonetheless, a strong organizational system is integral to keeping information accessible.

One commonly used method for keeping information organized is a Word or Excel document full of notes on sources. Sources, data, and evidence can be catalogued chronologically, thematically, alphabetically, or based on the thesis chapter in which they will be used.

However, there are many more efficient computer programs specifically tailored to help researchers organize and cite data. These include:

• Dropbox Papers
• Trello
• Paperpile
• Zotero
• Evernote
• Scrivener
• Mendeley
• OneNote

The benefits to using a referencing system instead of a series of Word documents or Excel sheets for organizing your literature include:

• Consistency between papers and projects
• Ease of collaboration
• The transferability of your sources and system to future projects

For a detailed evaluation of several of the above referencing software, along with help choosing which one might be best for you, see the McMaster University Library’s Guide to Citation Management Software [https://libguides.mcmaster.ca/cms].