I agree with Chuck Goodwin that the computer database helps
immensely. I have NoteBuilder for Windows, put out by ProTem Software
in Palo Alto, CA. I started it in graduate school about 5 years ago, and
I now have nearly a thousand references in it. I can search the database
on any line (author, title, keyword), and can create multiple keywords for
cross-referencing. It also helps immensely when printing out long
reference lists--I can simply key the references used, and then issue
a command to have them printed to WordPerfect (or another word processing
program) automatically in APA style. I also keep papers in file folders
by author/editor's last name, like your roommate. When I want to read up
on a topic, I print out a reference listing of my files according to
whatever keywords I want, and then pull them out of my filing cabinet
and read them. The only hard part is putting them all away again!
The task of entering it all in initially is daunting. When I first started
in graduate school, I actually went through my files and spent two weeks
one summer doing nothing but entering in the files I wanted to keep track
of in that way. It actually was good--it even forced me to read some of
the ones I hadn't gotten around to yet! Now, I just enter them as I get them,
(hopefully I read them first). At this point, I don't know what I'd do
without it, and am very glad I spent the time setting it up initially.
come in, after reading them (
Robin