Doctoral students frequently need dissertation help in tracking and organizing literature.It is a daunting task - after all you will likely read on average three articles a week for over a year in order to accumulate the substantial understanding of your topic on which to base your expertise.While all of these will not be used in the final review of literature, it is likely that you will need to have about 75 peer-reviewed articles referenced in Chapter two.This article discusses EndNote as a database through which you will be able to build a robust library, one that allows you to notate, sort and later recall for writing the vast quantity of ideas you are collecting, for later use in your lit review.First Step - collect quality articles.Most universities track the relevance and scholarship of a review of literature through whether and to what extent your chapter references peer-reviewed work.Not all books are peer-reviewed, but many by reputable houses such as Sage, Pearson, McGraw Hill, Routledge, etc.Will be.Check the publishing house for details.The same is true of journal articles and here you can check the front flap or the guidelines.Second Step - take clear notes and be consistent as to what fields you put them in.EndNote had four or five useful fields for entry at the bottom of the database.Let's use the abstract field as an example.Many students would cut and paste the authors abstract here which is fair enough, however authors' abstracts vary widely as to the types of information they include.More rigorous journals use a format I have come to like, which involves stating the purpose, scope, methodology, findings, conclusions, limitations, and contributions of the work.I would recommend that, whether you put it in the abstract field or not, that you list this information in one consistent field in the data base.However you use your fields ALWAYS be sure to note what was of interest to you when you chose this article.You will likely be writing "a donkey's age" later (as they say in Ireland) and you will be dismayed by how much you forget.Third Step - Sort your lit into groups.EndNote has the groups function in the left hand column.AS you begin to see subtopics of interest, start a group and sort what you have read that fits under this subtopic into the group.EndNote makes it easy you just click and drag.Fourth Step - Attach your PDFs or cut and paste the significant portions of the work.When you are writing there will be cases when you want to go back and drill deeper into the ideas of one or more authors.Perhaps you come to understand a subtlety and want to go back to see if your ideas hold up.Here you will need to be able to get to the original work.Since many online databases deliver work in PDF format, EndNote makes this easy - reference/attach file menu, browse to your work and link it in.Since it is possible that you may move computers during your dissertation process, it will be helpful to place all your EndNote PDFs in one file - that way you can re-establish the links as necessary.These four steps will help you build the robust and accessible library that you need.Work the process and keep your reading and notating level to at least three articles a week and you will soon be ready to come back to your library and use it as a tool for writing.That will be the subject of another article in this series.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Dissertation Help: Using EndNote for Tracking and Organizing Literature for Your Lit Review
Doctoral students frequently need dissertation help in tracking and organizing literature.It is a daunting task - after all you will likely read on average three articles a week for over a year in order to accumulate the substantial understanding of your topic on which to base your expertise.While all of these will not be used in the final review of literature, it is likely that you will need to have about 75 peer-reviewed articles referenced in Chapter two.This article discusses EndNote as a database through which you will be able to build a robust library, one that allows you to notate, sort and later recall for writing the vast quantity of ideas you are collecting, for later use in your lit review.First Step - collect quality articles.Most universities track the relevance and scholarship of a review of literature through whether and to what extent your chapter references peer-reviewed work.Not all books are peer-reviewed, but many by reputable houses such as Sage, Pearson, McGraw Hill, Routledge, etc.Will be.Check the publishing house for details.The same is true of journal articles and here you can check the front flap or the guidelines.Second Step - take clear notes and be consistent as to what fields you put them in.EndNote had four or five useful fields for entry at the bottom of the database.Let's use the abstract field as an example.Many students would cut and paste the authors abstract here which is fair enough, however authors' abstracts vary widely as to the types of information they include.More rigorous journals use a format I have come to like, which involves stating the purpose, scope, methodology, findings, conclusions, limitations, and contributions of the work.I would recommend that, whether you put it in the abstract field or not, that you list this information in one consistent field in the data base.However you use your fields ALWAYS be sure to note what was of interest to you when you chose this article.You will likely be writing "a donkey's age" later (as they say in Ireland) and you will be dismayed by how much you forget.Third Step - Sort your lit into groups.EndNote has the groups function in the left hand column.AS you begin to see subtopics of interest, start a group and sort what you have read that fits under this subtopic into the group.EndNote makes it easy you just click and drag.Fourth Step - Attach your PDFs or cut and paste the significant portions of the work.When you are writing there will be cases when you want to go back and drill deeper into the ideas of one or more authors.Perhaps you come to understand a subtlety and want to go back to see if your ideas hold up.Here you will need to be able to get to the original work.Since many online databases deliver work in PDF format, EndNote makes this easy - reference/attach file menu, browse to your work and link it in.Since it is possible that you may move computers during your dissertation process, it will be helpful to place all your EndNote PDFs in one file - that way you can re-establish the links as necessary.These four steps will help you build the robust and accessible library that you need.Work the process and keep your reading and notating level to at least three articles a week and you will soon be ready to come back to your library and use it as a tool for writing.That will be the subject of another article in this series.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Textbooks for Education - What an Industry, What a Racket
Well, when I was in college nothing burned me up more than signing up for class, waiting to see if I got a spot or the class was filled - then if I did get in, I would later learn that the textbook cost $250, plus a another $50 for a workbook, with three other assigned books as additional reading material.No wonder it costs so much to go to school these days, and the kids have to take out a hundred thousand dollar loan just to get a two-year degree.I've always complained, as did Steve Jobs, about the cost of textbooks.I always thought it was unfair that liberal socialist left-leaning professors would complain about monopolies in the free marketplace, and yet they would run a monopoly selling their textbooks to a closed and captured audience, and without any competition, thus those textbook prices ran up, and I can remember once spending $345 for a textbook.That's outrageous, and it's time to go digital.Okay so, let's talk about this for second shall we?On or about May 30, 2012 there was an article in the Wall Street Journal titled; "Textbook Sales Likely to Rise on New Rules," written by Lisa Fleisher.The article noted that with the implementation of new standards in teaching that textbook publishers were in for a stellar year.Perhaps, that's good because that industry seems to be due for a close out sale.In fact, one of the most prominent textbook publishers filed bankruptcy a week ago with over, get this, $3 Billion in debt - wow.Indeed, I hadn't realized the whole industry was that large myself, but now that I think about it, sure it is, it's huge and we keep feeding it don't we? How big with this latest boon be you ask? One publisher McGraw Hill estimates according to that article above $1 to 8 Billion just due to the new standards being brought forth.Should I coin the phrase; "Beware of the Industrial Textbook Complex" might be the question of the day?Interestingly enough, the RAND Think Tank recently completed a research report with recommendations on renewal of NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act) with modifications to keep it in play, and deal with the some 17 states and growing that have received waivers from the Act from the Obama Administration.Each time new changes are mandated with our standards, the textbooks also change.Unfortunately, the textbooks generally don't change that much, they may change a few paragraphs here and there, and the politically correct Board of Education will wish to slightly modify the history to make it less abrasive.It is unfortunate that we modify our history in the first place, and that we change our teaching methods so frequently, but it is even more profoundly absurd that we reprint textbooks merely because four or five pages have been changed, and therefore the used textbook market prevents anyone from saving money.Further, with the way the copyright laws are a student would not be allowed to copy off the five pages which have changed from their friends and take those copies and pasting them to the pages which have changed.If there's any industry which has grossly taken advantage of free-market capitalism, consumers, and our students, it would be the textbook industry, and it's no wonder that Steve Jobs wanted to end all that by using an iPad style digital textbook platform.We are not teaching our students fairness, or free-market capitalism by showing them the inherent dishonesty that goes along with crony capitalism, barriers to entry, and overbearing authoritarianism which is clearly ripping them off.Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
For Franchise Buyers - What the UFOC Tells You
Each franchisor must produce a document called Uniform Franchise Circular (UFOC), which is submitted to the Federal Trade Commission.This document, with its 23 required items of information, is essential reading for any prospective Franchisee.Although the contents of the UFOC are prescribed, many franchisors will only present the minimum information needed to get by.So, to get an accurate assessment of the Franchisor, you will need to do some reading between the lines and ask a lot of additional questions.The analysis of a Franchisor's UFOC is too big a subject to cover in one article so let me just give you some important tips to keep in mind while you're reading through the document.More of these follow in additional articles.THE TIPS..O Read the litigation section carefully, looking especially for an excessive number of law-suits by Franchisees.That might indicate that a Franchisor is not living up to its agreement.A real flag. Franchisors that are involved in class action suits and/or expulsions from securities associations.O Franchisors are often adamant about the Franchisee's use of their approved suppliers.The prudent franchise investor should compare alternate supply sources with the Franchisor's approved ones for price and quality.O Franchisors that offer financial assistance to prospective Franchisees provide a service.Just make sure that the terms and conditions of the system-sponsored financing are fair to the Franchisee.O When you examine a company's advertising program and strategy, look for clear-cut goals and effective use of funding.You don't want to find out that most of the advertising dollars go toward attracting new Franchisees, not customers.O Most major points of the franchise agreement will not be negotiated by the Franchisor, so if there's something you cannot live with, be ready to walk away from the deal.O Be very sure you've settled on the right franchise, because, once you have paid the fee, it's doubtful you will get it back if you change your mind.Most fees are not-refundable.O Don't be enticed by Franchisor's very low franchise fee.Find out what it covers.If training, support and marketing aren't included in the initial fee, you can end up paying much more on a piecemeal basis than you would with a higher fee that includes all these things.O Ask yourself this question when considering a royalty fee (especially one that seems high in comparison to other Franchisors). Does the franchise have such powerful name recognition that the high royalty is warranted?o Find out if Franchisees are paying their royalties.It spells trouble if they aren't.Either they're not doing well enough to pay the fee or they're not satisfied with the Franchisor's support and services.
Now For Sale - eBook Chapters
"Select. eChapters in an Instant" was created for business professionals who want to purchase single chapters of popular business manuals.McGraw-Hill Professional, a leading publisher of finance, business, management, and other professional books written by business leaders with much experience, came up with this scheme.The idea is to allow eBook reader owners the opportunity to purchase just single eBook chapters for their professional needs, specifically on topics related to business, investing, marketing, and the Six Sigma.The collection contains over 750 chapters from selected books.Although full ebooks and hard-copies will still be available for purchase, "Select. eChapters in an Instant" is aimed at those who want chunks of information contained in one chapter.The information will be easily searchable.The chapters can be downloaded at mhprofessional.Com/echapters, and are available to Kindle, Nook and iPhone owners.EBook chapter costs run from $6.95 to $9.95 which is ridiculously expensive.Most of the McGraw Hill Professional ebooks are priced about $30.00, and although the publisher claims it is to help professionals with ease in searching information, the motive is questionable.Buying per chapter can become costly, and obviously it would be cheaper to purchase the entire book.Additionally, a definite perk of an ereader is the ability to search for text, so buying per chapter sounds a bit hypocritical.Granted, chapter-by-chapter buying does make sense to a point when we talk about business and reference books, but hopefully publishers don't try this money-making ploy with other eBook genres.It wouldn't make sense to only read Act 5 of a Shakespeare play, or call it a day after reading the first chapter of "A Clockwork Orange".While buying eBook chapters is now a viable option for business professionals, is it a future trend for publishers to make more profit off the eBook market? The eBook niche is already headed into being an expensive past time with the publishers' new agency model.Hopefully, consumers won't see their favorite ebook, or the new best seller sold in separate chapters, and authors won't worry about their work being cut into tiny expensive pieces.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Teachers - Time and Paper Management - Annotated Bibliography (A - L) Books on Productivity
Certain principles related to time and paper management are timeless.Here's an annotated bibliography of 'oldies but goodies.'.Aslett, Don.(1991).Not for packrats only. How to clean up, clear out, and dejunk your life forever.New York. Plume Books.This guy is the king of clean-up! And, he makes it fun to read about cleaning up.See if you can top any of his stories with examples from your own life of strange things you've saved, etc.This book is a motivator for me.Bittel, Lester R.(1991).Right on time! The complete guide for time-pressured managers.New York. McGraw Hill.This book is the most far removed from education of any of the ones I've actually bought or checked out of the library, but, there are still good ideas for teachers in terms of figuring out how your time is spent, becoming more productive, etc.Worth checking out from a library, but not buying.Bliss, Edwin C.(1983).Doing it now.New York. Bantam Books.This book, along with Getting Things Done by the same author, are considered classics in this field.Both are simple to read, but with clear truths for those of us who need to manage our time better.Braiker, Harriet B.(1986).The type E woman. How to overcome the stress of being everything to everybody.New York. New American Library.What can I say--the subtitle says it all.My guess is that most of you will recognize the description of the Type E woman.I have told friends of mine to run, not walk, to their nearest bookstore to buy this.Burka, Jane B.And Yuen, Lenora M.(1983).Procrastination. Why you do it, what to do about it.Reading, MA. Addison-Wesley.The authors, both psychologists, offer a look at the "why" of procrastination--but they don't stop there.They go on to help us get past the why.Very readable.Covey, Stephen R., Merrill, A.Roger, and Merrill, Rebecca R.(1994).First Things First, New York. Simon & Schuser.Well, this is one of those heavy books.You may recognize Stephen R.Covey's name from his bestseller, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.This book is similarly outstanding.I found that I could not read it for any length of time because there is just too much.This is the book for when you are ready to think about your unifying principles and how to decide what is important in your life.Culp, Stephanie.(1990).Conquering the paper pile-up. How to sort, organize, file, and store every piece of paper in your home and office.Cincinnati, OH. Writer's Digest Books.Other than to agree with the full title, there's not much I can say about this book except that if we all followed the ideas in her book (with our own personal modifications), our classrooms and offices (and homes) would be much different than they are now.Fiore, Neil.(1989).The NOW habit. A strategic program for overcoming procrastination and enjoying guilt-free play.Los Angeles. Jeremy P.Tarcher, Inc.This book is for people who have become big-time procrastinators and who also never allow themselves to play.There are some interesting ideas within the covers.Frank, Milo O.(1989).How to run a successful meeting in half the time.New York. Simon & Shuster.This book offers good suggestions to anyone who has to call meetings--even occasionally.You might even want to highlight a few pages and send to someone you know--just to be helpful, of course.Hedrick, Lucy H.(1990).Five days to an organized life. The fast, easy, and permanent system for getting things done.And doing things better.New York. Dell Publishing.This book is essentially a workbook--and is to be used as such.If you really need someone to tell you exactly what to do to get more organized, she offers a step-by-step way.You might choose to take five weeks to a more organized life instead of just five days.I think the latter is really asking a lot!Hemphill, Barbara.(1988).Taming the paper tiger. Organizing the paper in your life.New York. Dodd, Mead, & Co.Hemphill deals with all of the paper in your life--in the kitchen, at work, your taxes, etc.Lots of good suggestions.Keyes, Ralph.(1991).Timelock. How life got so hectic and what you can do about it.New York. HarperCollins.This book is quite different from all the others on this list in that Keyes explores the reasons why we have all the others on this list.He offers a fascinating look at the history of time and our compulsion with managing it.He's interviewed hundreds of people and their stories about the lock that time has on their lives sound quite familiar.Worth reading for some perspective.Klein, Ruth.(1993).Where did the time go? The working woman's guide to creative time management.Rocklin, CA. Prima Publishing.This woman obviously is speaking from experience.Many of us can identify.She divides women into three motivational styles and then bases her suggestions for time management on each of the motivational styles.Lakein, Alan.(1973).How to get control of your time and your life.New York. New American Library.This is the classic in the field.Essentially all other experts in time management refer to this book.Although it is dated (i.E., the examples refer to men who are at work and women who are homemakers), there are still some good ideas here.I would recommend trying to find it at a library or used paperback book store.It is worth reading.LeBoeuf, Michael.(1979).Working smart! How to accomplish more in half the time.New York. Warner Books.An inexpensive paperback that offers a lot of good information on how we mentally get ourselves into working too hard and too long and too frantically--and then how to try to back off from this pace--and still feel good about what we're getting done.Just because books were published 10 or 20 years ago doesn't mean they are out-of-date.Find some of these at your local library or online.See what might be useful to you.Just one tip can make a difference.
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