Best Practices

There is no one-size-fits-all approach; everyone has their own management experience. From the perspective of software designers, we offer some of our best practices for your reference.

Project Management Instead of Folder Management

ivySCI recommends using projects to manage your literature.

So what is a project?

Generally speaking, a project is the article you are about to publish, such as your thesis or a research article.

What are the benefits of doing this? Mainly, it saves you mental energy (mindset).

For example, when a new document comes in, you don't need to think about where to put it; you just put it in the project. When you need to find a document, you know it's in the project. You don't have to struggle with categorizing and organizing all the time. Many experts have many methods for categorization, but rigidly enforcing these rules can constrain your thinking.

A scientist's greatest resource is their own mind; your time is most precious.

For project and tag management, please refer to our article: Recommended Standards for Using Tags to Manage Literature and Notes

Use Tags Instead of Folders

Of course, when a document or note comes in, we usually categorize it, which is in line with our daily habits. But I suggest you don't use folders to manage them, because it will be difficult to remember which folder you put it in later. It's especially hard to find things this way, and you still have to rely on search.

ivySCI recommends using tags. You can manage the same document from multiple tag dimensions. For example, for an article discussing a drug for treating a certain cancer, we can tag it from the perspective of drugs and treatment methods, and we can also tag it appropriately from the dimensions of disease, detection methods, and side effects. This way, the classification of a document can be three-dimensional, and we can analyze the article from any angle.

Of course, combined with various tag analysis tools, you can also analyze the tags themselves.

We have written an article specifically on tag management: Recommended Standards for Using Tags to Manage Literature and Notes

Take Notes Instead of Just Reading

When reading, don't just read; spend more time recording your thoughts. Especially when you have a little idea, write it down. We provide note cards and full-text notes to help you record ideas and spark inspiration at any time. For details, please see our article: How to Take Notes When You First Start Reading Literature

Avoid Using Handwritten Notes

Since the popularity of the iPad, handwriting has become a standard feature, and ivySCI also provides similar functionality. However, we don't recommend handwritten notes, mainly because what you write cannot be searched later. When you need it, you may not be able to find it, which will increase negative emotions and reduce efficiency.

For details, please see our article: We Provide Handwriting, But We Don't Advocate It