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6: The PGR (Digital) Toolkit

6: The PGR (Digital) Toolkit

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 Matthew Sillence discusses the importance of digital tools for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) and introduces the concept of digital minimalism, advocating for selective and intentional use of technology. He highlights the challenges of choosing tools in an ever-evolving market and emphasizes the benefits of open-source, community-supported software. Matthew recommends five tools: Obsidian for note-taking with markdown, Zotero for bibliographic management, Tropy for organizing research photos, OpenRefine for data cleaning, and WeekToDo for minimal weekly planning. He encourages listeners to share their own digital toolkit suggestions, emphasizing the importance of reducing distractions and enhancing productivity.

Outline
1. Introduction to Digital Tools for Postgraduate Researchers
- Abundance of productivity apps and the challenge of choosing the right tools
- Referencing Cal Newport's "Digital Minimalism" and its relevance in hybrid work

2. Why Should PGRs Have a Digital Toolkit?
- Most research work is conducted digitally
- Benefits of having choice in digital tools beyond institutional offerings
- Minimizing distractions from integrated networking features

3. Deciding What Goes in the Digital Toolkit
- Focusing on open-source, community-supported software
- Importance of interoperability and compatibility
- Prioritizing lightweight computing to avoid overburdening devices

4. Understanding Digital Minimalism
- Selective and intentional use of digital tools
- Reducing time spent in shared workspaces
- Staying offline when possible to focus on tasks

5. Suggested Digital Tools for PGRs
- Obsidian: Markdown-based note-taking with visualization
- Zotero: Bibliographic management and citation tool
- Tropy: Organizing and managing research photos
- OpenRefine: Cleaning and transforming messy datasets
- WeekToDo: Minimal weekly planner for task management

6. Conclusion and Call for Listener Suggestions
- Invitation to share personal digital tool recommendations
- Instructions for submitting voice recordings
- Promise of future episodes on research projects and doctoral supervision

Call to Action
Send a voice recording of a digital tool suggestion to the email address pgrmatters@pm.me with the subject line "digital toolkit".

Links
  • Zotero
  • Tropy
  • Obsidian
  • OpenRefine
  • WeekToDo
  • Carroll, R. (2021) The Bullet Journal Method: Track Your Past, Order Your Present, Plan Your Future. The 4th Estate.
  • Newport, C. (2020) Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. Penguin Books.
Credits
Music by Matthew Sillence
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