A research workflow refers to an ordered and consistent set of tasks, routines, and tools that will help you advance through the stages of the research process in an organized and efficient manner. The goal of an efficient research workflow is to breakdown the stages of the research process into a series of easily repeatable series of steps that will make the process more manageable.
While effective researchers tend to move through all of the above stages when conducting research, successful research workflows may vary widely depending on individual preference and need. For example, some people might like printing out articles, taking notes on note cards, and organizing those notes in physical space to outline their essays before writing. Others may prefer taking notes electronically, organizing them in a word processor, and outlining their essay in Microsoft Word. What works for one person, may not work for another. What matters is organization, routine, and, when possible, automation.
Gather + Evaluate
The Gather and Evaluate stages of the research process involve searching for sources, saving your sources, evaluating them for relevance, and organizing them in a way that facilities an efficient research workflow.
With Zotero you can:
Analyze
The analyze stage of the research process involves reading your sources, evaluating them for relevance, synthesizing and responding to them via notes, and beginning the process of integrating their ideas into your own.
With Zotero you can:
Write + Cite
The writing stage of the research process involves integrating ideas from your sources into your essay and citing them via in-text citations and bibliographies.
With Zotero you can: