It is part of Microsoft Office, and it has folders, in every folder you can create as many subsections you want and in each subsection create as many word documents you want. You may attach pdfs, tables, images. Very good to start literature review.
So, this is how I go back to what I ve read. Otherwise it is very difficult to summarise.

When I want to be more specific I open an excel sheet, so one column Author, Design Experiment, Monitoring Technique, Outcomes etc
And put all the studies and have an overview and I can critically review them, so I can say, Author X and Y, and Z had a bigger sample and agree on that, while Author Z found something else but the different result can be attributed to that difference (different method for example).

Good luck :). You may even include the tables in the Appendix.

From my own bitter experience:

Read an article, Copy paste the reference, write a short description, method used, main results. Put the article in a category, sometimes I build comparative tables of studies on the same topic. Put articles with similar topics together. I found Notebook from Office very useful for that. Spend more time on important articles that you think they might be the base for something similar you want to do, or skim through articles that you are only interested in taking a specific information (but write down the reference).

After you have read on a specific topic and you think you covered it, re-visit your short notes and write as much as you know on the topic. Leave it aside, read on the next topic. In the beginning you might think that organising takes time , but it makes your life easier when it comes to writing. All information needs to be easily accessible and in the correct place. Keep it tidy, you will need to re-visit everyhting after a long time, you need to be able to find your way around.

Don't: read without keeping notes, read without an aim. Don't spend time on formatting while writing.

It starts like a normal workday, where I go to school and enter into my office. However, around my desk there are my supervisor, my examiners, fellow students and more crowd gathered. My supervisor says to me " You are late! All these people are waiting for you". Then I realised that I have completely forgotten that it was my viva, so I started going through my notes, which were all over the place and I was trying to decide what to present! I woke up in sheer panic.

Another dream I get quite often is that a mistake in my high school marks is revealed and I have actually failed high school, so I have to go back and retake my A-levels, and redo all my undergrad and postgrad studies before I enter the PhD again. And there is nothing I can do, it is like a majesty's court decision...

Oh my days!

I 've been writing this lit review for almost six months now and it feels for ever! I have worked really hard on that, keeping detailed notes of all the papers and books I read, and I managed to put everything down. I have something like 12.000 words and it almost makes sense, needs so much work still until it is coherent.
My supervisor had a quick look, he said it seems fine. How can something look nice until you read it? Anyway, since he said it looks fine, instead of feeling more motivated to work on that, I feel bored and exhausted, and I spent the last 4 days procrastinating and day dreaming... I need somebody to slap me with a dead fish please, so I get done with this, get some feedback maybe and see if it makes any sense at all. Maybe I am writing rubbish rubbish rubbish.

Something that works for me, is that I keep a separate word document called " Me and My research". If I sit down to work and I can't concentrate, it is time to use the document. I write everything that it is in my mind bothering me, until I have nothing more to say or think, and then I am able to concentrate. I know it sounds basic and a bit foolish, but it works.

Good luck.

Hi Jun!

just to say that I am in the same boat, not quite as bad though. I need to top up my income with some really flexible work that I do at home. Last weekend was a nightmare. Had to move out and a deadline at work at the same time. I did a little bit of packing and a little bit of work, me and my laptop in a sea of boxes and scattered clothes. I worked all these days non stop, pulling all nighters, with a screaming partner over the phone who claimed that " for you all of these should take 30 minutes maximum", yeah right mate get somebody else to do this amount of work in 5 minutes... Then yelling for every little mistake he finds. Of course there are going to be mistakes, I haven't slept or eaten properly for the last 3 days, my eyes cannot focus on the computer.

My flatmate in the next room in his normal tantrum singing in a high pitch voice and banging the furniture. Idiot!

In all of these circumstances add the PhD clock ticking into my head, thinking of all the work I should be putting in the PhD instead. One more day away from the PhD, tick-tack two more days, tick-tack. Just thinking of the amount of work I must do, makes my blood freeze and my stomach explode. Why on earth do I have to go through these crap? 

Next day a meeting with the supervisor, I look like a junky, black circles and everything, a bit lost... He advices me to keep working up to 20 hours a week, get the extra money. And he is right. I can only imagine how it would be to find myself in the writing up phase, funding might be over by then, no money and so much work still to go.

No social life whatsoever, the only thing that keeps me from going mental is an hour swimming first thing in the morning, the passion to do this PhD and the hope that in some magic way things will become better in the future.

Try to work in a part-time basis, like 3 days a week, and put the other 4 in the PhD. Keep a positive attitude.

Big hugs, I know what you are going through.

Hi Kubaff!

I think she likes you!

:-x

Hi Ariajolie,

any news? when we submitted my form for the studentship, I had to wait a month until the supposed day the decision would be made, but then it took the committee another month before making the decision. I got and informal mail from my supervisor. The waiting in the limbo land almost turned me mental. We signed the contracts almost 3 months later.

Good luck

Hi Joka!

I started my science based PhD the same time as you. I still haven't finished my lit review and I have a deadline end of this month. Of course, I am already freaking out... I also don't know how many words it should be, I got a rough guideline of 25 pages, which I have already written and still half of the things I want to say are missing. So, I am probably going too broad, not focusing enough? On the other hand I don't know where to stop focusing, how specific the specific should be? How many important articles shall I include?

I am not a lazy lazy student, I really put in long hours almost every day. In my previous research experience, I made a complete mess of my lit review, read all the articles ever written by mankind, didn't keep any notes, then I forgot all of them, and read them again.
The method I use now that I am wise, to keep notes is writing half a page for every article I read, so I can easily recall it. I use Notebook in Word Office, I attach the article, write key things I want to remember (sometimes I copy paste important tables too). Most important I write the reference first on the top of the page and it is very easy to copy paste. I don't use Endnote, I fear these programs that the day you desperately need them they start responding. I take my comfort in having to do lots of manual work. I categorise them in folders, and draw a table where I put key results easy to compare.

Hi TPK

when I read your post the first thing that came into my mind was a short description in Umberto Eco's "Focaults Pendel", which explains well how publishers work... Have a look at it.
I have no personal experience, but I don't know anyone who earns a living from writing books. I know some people who spent quite an amount to publish their own books. As far as I know, only journalists and  academics are paid to write. Academics tend to publish books too.

Although I love books and their smell and everything about them, I believe that is a matter of time before publishing industry disappears. A pdf in a kindle is just as good for the new generations. Or even better... This means you can upload your own books for free or with a price. (sprout)

Hi!
First of all don't stress out about that! Breath in, breath out!

I would go for consistency throughout the thesis. According to my personal preferences, I would incorporate figures in the text, I think it is too much of a pain going back and forth.

Good luck! Just keep going...

Hi KB!

I 've been a few months in my PhD and I am a bit scared of myself. I experience everything you describe and worse...
I only want to do my research and my motivation to do things outside my PhD is almost zero, however, I "force" myself to socialise, go for a walk in weekends etc.
At night I have real trouble falling asleep as my mind doesn't shut down...I spent the last days of the holidays with friends, doing nothing but eating and chatting, followed by the few nights I slept so well in months! I told about that to my (clearly uninterested) super, and he told me that it is only going to get worse as I will gradually run out of topics to talk with people, I will have less and less invitations for parties... I AM turning like him! HELP!

Hi Florence!

I 've spent the last couple of days in bed, with a mild fever, feeling not too bad, but not good enough to crack on with work. At least, I don't have a deadline... Today, I still feel rubbish and so bored!
I hope we both feel better soon! Try to rest, sleep well, eat well.Atchoo!
XXX

Hi there!

it is always inspiring to hear people coming back to study, after a while and during a professional career! I think it shows a genuine love for knowledge ! I would totally say "go" but also remind you, that a part-time PhD can take up to 5 or 6 years or even more, it will cost some money and it will take time away from your young family and your personal free time.

I agree with previous posters, you don't have to prove anything to anyone, and a PhD is definitely not an indicator of intelligence (probably the opposite).

You don't want to gain anything out of your PhD, you probably do it for the shake of doing research. If I were you, I would contact potential supervisors, considering their research interests, make your proposal clear. Start with a trial period like two months to form your proposal, a period where you actually spend a number of hours per week reading papers in the library and see if it fits into your program and if you can handle it.

All the best

Hi Rebecca,

It is really great that you want to start a new phase in your life and you are so enthusiastic about that! I wish you all the best and hope you enjoy doing research. However, I would never start a 3 year commitment with a supervisor I don't know. Apart from having common research interests, I had already worked with my supervisors for a couple of years before starting the PhD. It is a matter of personality compatibility too, as well as knowing what to expect.