Next Generation Research Tool

It's not many times I wish I were a high school student again, but man, after hearing about Zotero, I wouldn't even mind going back to do some of my research papers over. Trevor Owens -- who works at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, which developed this free extension for Firefox (because that browser is open source, unlike Explorer) -- said the product's motto is "Goodbye 3X5 cards." It's true, I have the bumper sticker to prove it. And I will stick it somewhere, because I am a Zotero convert.

Here's how it works: After you download the extension, a Zotero icon will appear at the bottom of your browser page. If you click on it, it pulls up a source-organizing system that is based on iTunes playlists, which most students are familiar with already. Any time you go to a Web page, the extension recognizes which type of source you are looking it. With one click of the mouse, you can add the source to your list, with complete bibliographic information. The program can do this because it has added converters compatible with many common online databases; for example, EBSCOHost, one of WBAIS library's database subscriptions, is completely compatible. When I noticed that Destiny, our library's catalog, was not, I e-mailed Trevor; within a day, he wrote back to say that it could be added easily.

Here's how you can ditch the notecards: Individual quotes within a source can be highlighted before adding the source to the list. Doing this records not only the source information but also the direct quote, as a "note." Multiple notes can be added to each source for paraphrasing purposes, and notes even can be added to an entire source collection, perhaps if the researcher thinks of something he or she wants to come back to later. "Tags" can be added to each source to make the entire list searchable. To me, these tags function as the topics of the sources. If a teacher wants to check a student's research progress, a report of all the sources, notes, and tags can be generated. This digital file then can be printed or simply sent as an attachment (yea, paperless!). Alternatively, an entire source collection can be transferred from computer to computer via a USB disk. This is also helpful for students, who can transfer their collections from their home computers to school computers easily. This also is important to remember as students start using different models of laptops at school, because it allows for consistency: Since Firefox is open source, teachers can require students to use a USB disk with portable Firefox plus the Zotero extension, so they have it no matter whether they are in class or at a lab.

But here's where I am really jealous: Citations and footnotes, of multiple research paper styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), can be inserted automatically into Microsoft Word through the use of a free plug-in. This feature also generates bibliography and works cited pages based on the citations in merely a second. That's a far cry from the hours it took me to use the template from "Bud's Easy Term Paper Kit" on a typewriter. Kids really do have it good these days.