Online Research Tools
Another very important but overlooked aspect of studying is to take proper notes when doing research online. If you are simple doing a cut and paste into notepad or ms word then eventually you are going to jumble up and lose valuable information. In a survey done of 5000 college students, it was found that 65% didnt use an online research tool and simply used notepad and ended up spending twice the time they should when typing and doing research online.
The main two tools that can be used are Google Notebook and Evernote. Both have pros and cons and we will start by looking at google notebook. The good thing about google notebook is that with a simple firefox plugin, you will always have your notebooks at the tips of your fingers. And with the same addon you can add and lookup information. It also saves information in its whole form in the notebook. For exmaple, if you copy and paste the contents of a web page, it will also insert the images that come along with it. This can help understanding of the text later and also saves you the trouble of saving the images seperately.
Evernote on the other hand unlike google notebook, is an application that you install on your computer. But also maintains a copy online for you to access when you dont have access to your own computer where the program is installed. It has the same features as google notebook and ultimately the decision about which one to go for will depend on your preferance after a few uses.
Both have one very important feature in common which is that whenever any information is copy and pasted, it retains the URL of the site that it was copied from. And for those of you who have to provide very specific locations that the information was referenced from, this can make a huge difference in both time saving and energy.
Websites That Will Help You Improve Your Grades
The internet can be a powerful tool for a student. When you know how leverage the power of the internet, you can improve your grades while being more efficient and thus having more free time.
You probably know how useful the internet can be when researching for papers, but what about for other things; like studying for a test, or getting help on a homework assignment? In this post I will give you 9 powerful websites that will help you do just that:
1.) Google
Always start your search with Google.
Google is the king of “finding stuff” online. With the advent of search engine optimization (SEO) and niche content sites, it’s getting easier and easier to find exactly what you want by searching for it in Google.
Quick Tip: Get the Google Toolbar for your browser (or just use Firefox.) It lets you search Google right from your browser, and saves you the added step of going to the Google homepage each time.
2.) Wikipedia
I don’t care what your instructors say. Wikipedia is great! If you want a brief overview of a topic and you want it fast, Wikipedia is second to none.
Wikipedia is a good textbook-replacer because it gives the same broad, over-arching view of a topic that any textbook can give you. Sometimes Wikipedia is better than your textbook. I’ve successfully used Wikipedia to study for a 300-level college psychology exam.
Quick Tip: Add “wiki” on the end of whatever you’re searching for in Google, and it will give you the Wikipedia page on that topic.
Quick Tip #2: The good Wikipedia pages cite their sources. When you are writing a research paper, instead of citing the Wikipedia page (which most instructors don’t allow,) cite the source that Wikipedia lists at the bottom of the article.
3.) Scholarpedia
Looks and feels like Wikipedia, but with a more “scholarly” atmosphere. It has less topics than Wikipedia, but goes more in depth into each subject.
Scholarpedia has more stringent posting standards, like only allowing experts to post, giving each article a “curator,” and requiring each article to be peer-reviewed. Use this site if you need a little more detail than the Wikipedia page provides.
4.) Yahoo Answers
Yahoo answers is a community where regular folks can ask and answer questions. Have a history question? Stuck on your math homework? Go to the Yahoo Answers and ask anything you want. I guarantee it will get answered; and fast too.
Quick tip: If you have a specific homework question you need answered, go to “Education & Reference” and then “Homework Help.” Then type up the whole question verbatim. I’ve seen people post Calculus and Trigonometry equations and get them solved fairly quickly!
5.) AllExperts
Like Yahoo answers, but with experts. It will take longer to receive replies, but they are usually more informative.
6.) About.com
About.com has thousands of articles on thousands of topics. It’s a little more reliable than Wikipedia because they pay free-lance experts to write for them.
Plus, About.com is old school. They have been around since 1996, so they have quite a library of good informative content built up.
7.) CliffsNotes
Good old CliffsNotes. They have saved my hide many times. CliffsNotes provide study guides and summaries of many novels. If a book typically part of a school curriculum, it’s probably in CliffsNotes.
CliffsNotes will help you analyze the main points of a book, understand the symbolism, and even give you a practice quiz. And it can be a big help when you…er….you know, maybe didn’t really read the book. 
8.) SparkNotes
Like Cliff’s notes, and just as good. Sometimes one site won’t have a book you need so you can use them both interchangeably.
9.) How Stuff Works
If you need to figure out “how something works,” go here. Their guides aren’t just on machines either. They give detailed explanations of science theories, political systems, historical events, and a lot more.
How Stuff Works is great if you’re in a class that’s heavy on theory, and you need things explained in normal every-day language.