Just wondering how everyone here files their notes etc. - are they digital or in a literal filing cabinet? What categories do you file them under? etc. I am looking for the best way to start filing as I realise that I can't go on the way I am! Looking for any suggestions of something that works and isn't too space consuming because I don't really have much space!
Most of my notes are currently in notepads or on separate pieces of paper.

Seems like for notes you should use proper note/ lab books - keeps them all in the one place - if you keep random scraps of paper everywhere you will loose them and they will notbe ordered

I use an A4 lined Lab book - which is dated for each entry (takes seconds to do will save you hours figuring it out in the years to come)- It is an absolute mess of notes - but everything appears chronologically and its easier to track things down - and also you never loose anything. I also keep some contact details on the inside cover name phone no etc - just incase it ever got misplaced and someone finds it

In my opinion you should just get into the habit of just writing everything in the one place rather than on scraps of paper and the odd notebook here and there.

For the stuff you already have on bits of paper you could compile them - then start a new book?

As for journals etc - they are in a filing boxes (stored at home) and subgrouped into their general area to make them easier to find - as well as all ref on Endnote and digital copies of all journals on the computer

Just my way of doing it - everyone is different

S ;)

I am like Sj - I have A4 lined notebooks (one for notes and one for analysis) with entries dated and pages numbered when finished. My notes are almost illegible and all over the place but at least I know where they are.

Papers are in carboard magazind racks coded by subject and subdivided into plastic wallets (theoretically the codes are entered into endnote but I always seem to have a backlog of papers needing to be put into endnote and I'm not 'allowed' to file them until they are or they will just disappear and I won't even know they are there). I found this quicker, easier more flexible than 'proper' filing - but I do keep ring binders for data printouts and writing drafts.

You are wise to get a system going - it's a major part of the work, keeping all this stuff organised.

I file all my papers/articles as paper copies in a filing cabinate. They are filed in date order and then each year is filed alphabetically using the first three letters of the first author. I look up specific papers using ref manager and can then find them in the cabinate. My notes for my lit review are also on paper, which are kept thematically in boxfiles. Then I keep a journal for day-to-day notes, to do lists and random thoughts! I like to be organised!

I have just started (as of yesterday!) a ring binder folder to keep track of all my 'scribbles' - I put in dividers and am trying to separate out ideas that I have written down based on what chapter they may eventually end up in.

As for articles it's all a bit of a mess unfortunately I have some that are printed and filed away by category and some that are not printed but saved in a folder on my computer also by category - but the categories don't necessarily match... aaarrrggghhh!!!!!

Recently I have started printing out everything that I read writing the full citation on it, and if I think I will use writing a note as to why and sticking it on. I wish I had a filing cabinet though articles are just kept in little related 'piles' at the moment

Just read that last post... what a load of mistakes Oops... sorry! I went to a class on 'academic writing' last night which covered punctuation etc... clearly it didn't pay off!!!

Rosy, it is fine to use ringbinder folder to keep bits of scrap paper organised, but I think in time, you will find it quite disorganised - once you build up many bits of paper - and you might be better using the notebooks - even if you have a separate one for each Chapter to keep them organised

Plus A4 books take up less space, are neater and stack/ store easier ring binders folders

And always, always put a date on everything you write - as incredible as it sounds (and I'm not being sarcastic) you will have absolutely no memory of what you do today in about 6 months and will struggle to identify which notes come first if they are not dated.

If you find yourself writing on bits of paper because the A4 pads are to big to carry around - you could also use the smaller lined note books - I don't know what size they are - A1?

It really pays to be organised from an early stage - you will be very surprised in a few years when you look back and find stuff you didn't even know you had done ;)

A1 is bigger, I think you mean A5. Ah if only I had that advice 3 years ago sjo4.

I'm just starting out, but I like to have everything on my Mac. I use some writing software called Scrivener to write notes as I'm reading, and store all my references and PDFs in Bookends. I also carry a hardback A5 notebook for scribbling anything I think of when I'm away from the computer, but I really try not to have anything on loose leaf paper. I don't mind if that means the notebook ends up full of rubbish, because that's probably an accurate reflection of my thoughts at this point

Ah! if you're that far on then its probably a bit late to be changig it all now ;)

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm now in the process of labelling my notepads I thought at first that they were a hinderance to my organisation because they just seemed to be filled with random stuff, but adding page numbers and dates etc. seems a sensible idea.
I originally tried working with all my notes etc. on the computer but I found that hard to keep on top of especially when trying to write things up.
Just as well the notepads turned out to be a good idea because I'm one of those really sad people who get excited over having to buy a new notebook there is no better excuse!

pink, I hope you have backed everything up away from your computer on a disk or memory stick. I was so glad I did this a few weeks ago as when I went 'save' on the computer it suddenly did a complete wobbly and said it couldn't save anything as the file ending was not valid and lost the lot,not just the last bit, the effort of several days if not weeks went into computer oblivion. Luckily the backup copy was fine, just half a page went into the ether - although of course that was the most erudite and succinct bit of writing I had produced on the subject in hand and I never managed to reproduce it *sigh*

arrghhh data loss nightmare!! To be honest, I'm a bit paranoid when it comes to backing up. In addition to the Mac's regular backups to both Time Machine and .mac, I use a subversion server for any PhD-related files, which I then back up off-site.

I dread to think how many backups I'll have when I'm a bit further in and [hopefully] have something worth losing