[nabs-l] research and accomodations

Tue Sep 1 12:29:39 UTC 2015

I believe you have to turn on quick keys in Word with Control+Z, then just hit the letter h to go forward in the headings and shift+H to go backward.

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Crystal Plemmons via nabs-l
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 1:38 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Cc: Crystal Plemmons
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] research and accomodations

Hi Ashley,

You can format the titles as headings. Then use the Jaws command for navigating by heading in MS Word. I don't remember it off the top of my head, but someone else might. I'll Check for you tomorrow if no one chimes in. 

crystal

**Sent From Crystal's IPhone** 

On Sep 1, 2015, at 1:18 AM, Ashley Bramlett via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:

Hi Glen,

I have central vision but never used sighted research methods of organization although I was exposed to them from high school classes; probably from history and english.
I've always used braille and jaws.

Anyways, yes that was helpful, and I'm glad someone else struggled with organizing due to the multiple sources, some of which have similar titles, similar info, or similar authors.

I currently have been using Word for my citations which I write down manually. I do these records as I find sources. I take entries out if I find the source is not relevant.
I used my braille note for writing my notes. But I find they are too long and generalized; and I think this is a learning style for me; I need to write to remember and pay attention as I listen to a reader or synthesized speech.
So, I overwrite  things and then feel overwelmed. I could do what you do by making brief notes in a Word file under each citation and have another file for just citations.

I like the idea of having one idea or paraphrased fact per line.
Its so true that going by line or paragraph makes it easier to skim.

However, I can just see the file getting rather big!
Is there ways to divide up the file to search it? For instance a way to put in bookmarks?
Another idea I had was to label my sources with letters which works if I have 26 or less and I doubt I will have over 26 ever, unless I'm a doctoral student. I could then write what source coresponds to each letter and search by letter in the file. Maybe for you all using low vision reading, using different colors of text would help you skim for material.

Thanks for sharing, and best of luck with any research you do!

Ashley

-----Original Message----- From: Glenn III via nabs-l
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 12:44 AM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Cc: Glenn III
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] research and accomodations

Hi Ashley.
You had a lot of questions, so I hope this is useful for some of what you were asking about organizing information for citation.
for a quick background, I am high-partial, and in school, I was taught to use sighted research methods; using a notecard for each point/note/citation, paraphrase the note, collect cards together, etc.
Returning to college many years later, I found that method wouldn't work both because I couldn't see what I used to, and everything now being electronic, I'd prefer an electronic (and accessible) method. the biggest logistical challenge is, like you say, when different sources have similar information that is hard to recall and keep straight. What I've found works pretty well (at least when I have a paper that I have enough time to research more leaseurly, and which I know pretty specifically what I'm looking for is this.
I start with picking good sources, then in a document file (I use MS Word, but a simple text file may work even better for you, so, I'll use text for the example), I'd make basically an indented paragraph for each source, then below the line identifying the source, I can take notes as I review the source material. every point i think worth noting, I make a new line and write the note (which works well for finding that point later, since each piece of information is on an individual line, arranged in a neat list, already paraphrased, similar to the old notecard method to avoid accidental plagarism). If you start each line with, say, the page number of the information you're citing, then that's both a good marker for each data point, if you later want to add another note you noticed, just search for the page numbers where it belongs and add it in, and you'll need those page numbers for your in-line parenthetical citation. So, all the sources for that paper are in one accessible document that you can review later if you need to refresh your memory, where all the info for each source is in its original logical (i.e., word/language) arrangment, and you can include whatever you need to make that a works cited. So, I think of it as a Bibliography with notes.
It's simple, accessible, needs no special software, is searchable, and helps with good research method (e.g., you paraphrase the same way you would with notecards, to digest and synthesize, rather than copy or plagarize content, or over generalize from a broad reading that cannot be traced back to specific citeable points in the source), and for someone like me, without a steel trap mind, it is a pretty good way to keep all that information straight in my mind, especially when sources are similar, and so I can read, take notes, digest everything to get the big picture, construct my argument/outline, and still be able to go back and find my supporting details.
Is that any help?

-Glenn Moore III
State Secretary,
National Federation of the Blind of Illinois (find our calendar at nfbofillinois.org/?page_id=158)
nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org>   "Live the Life You Want"
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