Personal Information Management

Use an online note-taking tool as you review scholarly literature so you can access your notes from anywhere at any time.
 
Microsoft OneNote
Part of Office 365, available to all SCSU students, faculty, and staff. Log in with your email address and StarID password. To get started, review the OneNote video training from Microsoft. 

Other note-taking apps 
Evernote 
Google Docs 
Google Keep 

Citation managers, also called reference managers, allow you to create a personal database of citation information for your research resources and notes. With a citation manager like Zotero and Mendeley, you can: 

• Import citation information from databases
• Save PDFs to your account
• Format citations for your papers in citation styles such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and many others

Review the Library’s guide to Citation Styles  to get started using a citation manager. Pick a citation manager early on and stick with it for the best results.
 

Use alerts to stay current on research in your discipline.
 
Table of Contents Alerts
You can subscribe to an email alert for a journal’s table of contents for new issues by going to the publisher’s website. You can do this whether or not the Library provides access to the journal. Not sure if the Library subscribes to a journal? Use our Journal Titles search.

Database Alerts
You can also set up alerts in most library databases. Database alerts focus on a topic rather than a journal. This means you receive an email alert that articles matching your search criteria have been added to the database. You will need to sign up for an account with the database for this feature.
 
EBSCOhost alerts 
 
 
 
ProQuest alerts 
 


Google Scholar Alerts

 

Jan Zastrow (PIM 101: Personal Information Management) defines personal information management as “the management of information by individuals for their own personal use as opposed to organizational record-keeping systems. To clarify, we’re talking personal information management, not personal information management (such as Social Security numbers, personnel records, or medical information about others).”
 
In the Land of 10,000 Workflows, a blog about personal information management from the University of Minnesota Libraries, learn about the information workflows of people from all over the University of Minnesota.

Cloud storage allows you to store and protect your files and access them on any device and at any time.
 
Microsoft OneDrive
St. Cloud State students, faculty, and staff have 50GB of space as part of Office 365. Log in with your email address and StarID password. 
 
OneDrive is available from the App Store and Google Play. Install the app on your phone or tablet to access files anywhere. To get started, review the OneDrive video training from Microsoft.
 
Google Drive
Create, share, and store documents with Google Drive.
 
Dropbox
With Dropbox, you can share and save files on any device. Dropbox provides some online storage for free, with more available for a small fee.
 
Not sure which to choose? Review the File Synching Showdown from Lifehacker.