And I though that I was the only one with this problem...

In Latex you focus on the content, and the appearance takes care of itself. I also find that my stuff written in there looks simpler, and therefore I can handle it better.

Basically in Latex you write something, and then select it and mark it as title, or author, or quotation, or section (that's like heading 1), subsection (H2) etc. Then you can apply a template, which decides how the fonts should look like, the page margins, and all that appearance crap. There is even a PhD template. So, your thesis looks very clean and professional with little effort.

When you are writing, the headings and subheadings have working numbers on them, for example
1 HEADING ONE
1.1 SUBHEADING ONE
1.2 SUBHEADING TWO
1.2.1 SUBSUBHEADING

This is quite helpful because I tend to get lost in my headings and sections.

I use Latex because it helps me to focus on the content, and the appearance will take care of itself.

I've just started out with it, but I also hear that there are loooots of add-ons, like stuff to manage bibliographies and much much more
You can even customise LaTex if you know that kind of stuff.

The LaTex template for PhD thesis can be found here:

http://openwetware.org/wiki/LaTeX_template_for_PhD_thesis

My superior word processer is Latex ;-)

Do they work on Linux ?

======= Date Modified 01 Oct 2008 16:27:48 =======
Zoteo seems to be ok, but what bothers me that I have to type out or copy a lot of stuff for my bibliography... Isn't there some way that the reading log could be integrated with whatecer you use for bibliography ?

Alice: You are right, I've tinkered around with zotero and found that its pretty convenient for that

Bonzo: That's exactly what I am trying to do ! I want to start out right, so that I don have to waste time filing or re-filing stuff later on. Any suggestions from you are very welcome !!!
I use Linux BTW

Mind mapping software is a fantastic idea, it would really help me with making a structure out of my stuff !

Is there any way mind-mapping software would link to bibliography info or a reading log ?
I don't want to have to type it all out three times: once for bibliography, once for reading log and once for mind maps.

I've also just downloaded Zotero.
I wonder if it is as useful for someone who uses a lot of offline reading as well ?

======= Date Modified 30 Sep 2008 19:45:21 =======
======= Date Modified 30 Sep 2008 19:45:04 =======
This might be useful to someone:

http://projects.cbe.ab.ca/sss/ilscommunity/researchanddevelopment/ResearchDiary.pdf

======= Date Modified 30 01 2008 19:01:04 =======
So, probably most of you have a reading log to keep track of stuff you have read for your research.
Which program do you use ? Or maybe you use paper ?
What exactly do you note down apart from the obvious title, author, publisher and year ? How much detail do you get into ?


As I am starting to do this, I love tips and ideas, so that I can do it efficiently right from the start.

Maybe you need to change your topic ? You could either go for a radical change, or go for a related topic that is interesting.

I use Ubuntu at home.

======= Date Modified 28 Sep 2008 10:15:28 =======
Thats my fav too ! It describes me completely !

On the page source it says:

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves. The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.This is not the algorithm. This is close.

I have ordered Chris Hart's book, but I can't find the one recommended by Bulbs.

My two favourite comic strips !!!

For every PhD student : http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php

For every geek: http://xkcd.com/

The sessions in India normally start in August, you need to apply in March...
Why dont you google colleges in Delhi, and check the dates at the website of each ?