One of the most low-tech, but still useful, methods for organizing dissertation notes is the note card method. Write the name of a source and its complete citation on a note card and number it. Then, each time you come across a key term or fact from that source, write it on a different note card along with the page number or paragraph number as well as the number of the source. Although index cards offer some disadvantages, such as the fact that they are bulky and tedious to write on, many students still prefer them because they can be physically arranged in a sequence or organized according to topic, which can make writing the dissertation easier.
Another low-tech but useful way to organize your dissertation notes is to write your facts and quotations down in a notebook. Write the name of the source and its citation at the beginning of a page, and then write each fact or piece of information under the citation. When you are finished researching, you can then use colored highlighters to color code your notes. For example, you can use an orange highlighter to color information that you would like to cite in your methods chapter and a green highlighter to mark information that belongs in the literature review. Alternatively, use colored sticky notes or tabs to identify information in a book that you will use. This system allows you to mark information without having to write it down, saving time and effort.
One of the newest methods for organizing notes for a dissertation is to use one of the many software programs that are designed for this purpose. These programs allow you to type in the information you wish to make note of. Then you can view your notes in an outline form or even conduct a search to quickly and easily find the information that you need. Some of these programs also have the added advantage of formatting citations for you or automatically adding the citations as you write.
After you have completed your dissertation, save the notes that you wrote as well as any articles that you downloaded or printed and books that you purchased. During your first few years as an academic or researcher, you will probably conduct research on the same or a similar topic or area of interest, and you may wish to reuse many of those notes. Saving them prevents you from having to find the source and the information all over again.