InfoSeekers: Got a paper to write?

| January 2, 2014

Now is the time, this is the app!

I know, the paper is not due until March, but Ginko, if used from the very beginning of the information search process  can make the creation of  long term papers manageable, and maybe even fun.

Ginko is an app (a web based solution) that allows you to take notes, organize ideas, and write outlines, papers, business plans, and even novels by visualizing  information in a horizontal  format. Ginko’s creators assure you that “Ginko allows you to see the big picture, or focus on the details.  You will never be lost in words again”.

Ginko has a free version that allows a user to create up to 3 trees or documents, the commercial version runs about $9 per month and is available at https://gingkoapp.com.  Note this is a secure site that is password protected.

The site divides the screen into three columns:  In the left hand column, you list the “Big Ideas “, in the middle column you list the main points related to each idea, and in the right hand column you enter all the details.  Content is entered on virtual note cards which are easy to drag and drop to new locations as your understanding develops.

The free Ginko app comes with video tutorials, completed sample trees, and templates to help you get started; and the download is accompanied by the promise that “because Gingko makes it easier to organize your research, it will be easier to write, and you’ll finish faster.”   Having used my living room wall to contain all the note cards for my 300 page dissertation, I can see this being a very useful way to both construct a mind map of your project and to begin the writing process much earlier in the research process.  I am certainly going to be using Ginko in 2014!

 

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Category: Articles, Library Nook

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Adult Services Librarian at the Franklin Park Public Library.

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