Continued from Veronica Rabelo:

Organize your notes and PDF’s. As part of your coursework and lab participation, you will be spending a lot of time immersing yourself in the literature. If you’re not already super organized, now would be a great time to set up a “system” to keep track of all the notes and PDF’s you amass. Some students use citation management software like Mendeley or EndNote to keep track of their articles and notes; others create an Excel spreadsheet or Google Doc. Invariably, you will end up returning to the same articles over and over again. To save yourself time in the long run, keep all of your PDF’s and articles in one place. As you read articles, it might also be helpful to jot down some notes on the following: What was the purpose of this study? What were some of the major methodological strengths and limitations? How does this article relate to my larger research interests? How might I be able to use / cite this article in a manuscript? Which additional ideas does this article spark?

Still more to say later!….