Thanks for all the replies.

So far, when I've read a paper, I usually (in addition to annotating it as I go along, and highlighting) write my own little summary at the top. This can be one or two sentences, or maybe more, and is either the key findings of the research, or the most important points relevant to me if the paper is a review article. I was wondering if Endnote has provision to record notes like this, and from what I've read above, it does. Where do I find this though?

Hi everyone,

I've only been going for 3-4 months, and currently have about 70 papers in my Endnote library. What I want to know is, how does anyone remember what they've read, and where? For example, one of my supervisors has a library of around 2,000 papers. How on earth does he remember where he read something which he writes in one of his papers, when I have great difficulty remembering the entire content of three or four papers, let alone 2,000!

Can anyone offer any pointers?

Thanks!

Matt

I'm sorry to come on here and whinge, but recently I've been feeling really crappy, and I guess I thought I'd come here to see if any of you have any advice or comments. I'm doing on of these 1+3 PhDs, in the medical area, and am in the first year of the four. I started off ok, but recently feel like I've been working really hard, not so much in terms of hours, as I usually only work 9-5/6, but in terms of the intensity of the lab work I've been doing when I'm in. I've also got a long history of depression, and came off my tablets a few weeks ago as I felt things were going ok, but now I am constantly trying not to cry, and as soon as I get to work, I'm watching the clock, willing for it to move faster so I can go home and sleep. I have a project which I started in mid-October, and which is due to be handed in in mid-Feb, but I feel like I'm getting nowhere with it, and I really don't want to spend my time off at Christmas working hard, as I need a break. I've been getting good marks in the assessments we've done so far, but I'm a perfectionist, and am not very good at knowing when to stop reading, as I worry that if there's a couple of papers I've not read, they could be really relevant and contain information vital to my work.

In addition, I'm feeling really homesick (I'm from the north of England, studying in the south) and pretty lonely too, as I see very few people at work or at home.

Does anyone have any similar experiences?

Matt

Brilliant Kezia! Thanks very much :-)

Hi all,

I've just started using Endnote, and am getting along fine except for entering chapters in books. Supposing I have a book called "Cakes" by M Berry, and there's a chapter by D Smith on "Victoria and Chocolate Sponges", all I can find using the online search facility in Endnote is the book title. I don't know how to go on and enter the details of the chapter so that I get a reference for the chapter, then "in", and then the book details.

Anyone able to help?

Thanks :-)

Hi everyone.

I've just started my PhD, and have had a talk on Endnote. It covered how to use it at a basic level, but didn't really show us how people generally use it, if that makes sense. I have a couple of questions, and would be really grateful if someone could provide any answers (I'm a medical science PhD if that makes a difference)...

1. Do people generally use Endnote to search for papers, or do they use medline/pubmed etc to search, and then copy over any papers they're interested in?

2. Is there a way of adding some kind of notes to Endnote entries, so that you can remember what you've read where?

3. Do you generally put any potentially interesting papers in Endnote, and then decide what to read, or do you only put into Endnote the ones you're definitely going to read, making it a library of what you've read rather than anything which might be useful?


Once again, many thanks for any answers to these!

Matt :-)

Hi all,

I've just started a PhD in immunology, and I was wondering if any of you could recommend any books about reading papers critically. I've had a couple mentioned to me including one called "How to Read a Paper", but these seem more related to large scale medical studies rather than lab projects.

Has anyone read this, or any other, books about critical reading, and can offer comments/recommendations?

Thanks
:-)

Hi Shinypilot,

I'm sorry to hear things were so great for you today. I started today too, and I'm feeling very similar to you. Like I shouldn't be there - like everyone else is better than me, and lonely too. I'm not living alone, but I rarely see my housemates, and I'm most definitely single. I don't think you should take it as a warning sign yet - more like a sign that you're in a new and strange environment, where everything seems quite strange, and into which it'll take you some time to settle. I think the key here (I speak as someone who has previously dropped out of a PhD) is to make sure you do't overload yourself with things, and that you try to take things at a speed which is right for you, as far as that's possible.

I'm not sure how you feel about your supervisor, but a lot of departments have a "pastoral" supervisor/tutor, whose job is to look after issues of a non-academic matter which students face. Perhaps you could drop them a short email explaining how you feel? I think a big problem is that, while lots of students probably feel like they, they all cover it up, naturally, and so everyon who feels like it thinks that they're the only one. I know that, right know, I feel daunted, alone, and like a fish out of water.

Do you have a supportive family who you can talk to about this? Or friends? Perhaps even some friends who are also starting PhDs?

I hope things get better for you, but remember to keep posting here if you ever need support.

Matt

Hi all,

I was just wondering if anyone uses Open Office for word processing? My version of Word is so old that Vista seems not to like it, so I was hoping to use Open Office rather than shelling out for the new version of Office. However, I'm a bit worried about cross-compatibility, what with using Word in uni, and Open Office at home. Anyone able to shed light on this?

Thanks!

Matt

I know this isn't really an academic-related question, but I thought that some of you may be able to help. I'm from the north west, but am about to start a PhD in Sept/Oct a long way down south. Obviously, I need to find somewhere to live, so I was hoping some of you could come up with tips other than gumtree, craiglist, and easyroommate, all of which I've drawn a blank with so far.

My main thinking is to spend a week or so down there, and hope that, through ads in shop windows etc, I'll be able to find somewhere. Obviously, it's too far away to travel regularly, so I need to sort something soon.

Also, being on a £12.5k-ish grant, can people give me an idea of what kind of rent that will support?

Very many thanks in advance for all your help :)

Matt

Hi everyone.

I'm currently applying for PhDs, and was wondering what you all thought of this. If someone applies for a PhD, and is made an offer which they accept, is it then acceptable for them to accept another PhD offer at a later date, and reject the original offer, even though they'd be going back on their word?

I don't know what the "etiquette" of this is, but I can't decide what I'd do in this situation...

Hi everyone,

I'm looking at PhDs starting next September, and all the advice I've been given seems to be that the best places for my field are concentrated in London. However, I've always been a bit apprehensive about living/studying in London - I have no experience of London other than trips/holidays there, as I'm from the north west of England, and went to university in the north as well.

I've always thought that living and studying there would be a hassle, in terms of getting about and having to live a long way outside the centre, finding somewhere to live that isn't "nasty" or stupidly expensive, facilities being overly expensive (I am aware that stipends can include a "London allowance", although not sure this is that much more), and it being a very unfriendly place full of people who are overworked and miserable.

I'm really looking for people who have experience of PhDs in London to tell me what it's really like, as I will admit I have no realistic idea myself. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

:-)