WEB 2.O TOOL EVALUATION: Mendeley
CATEGORY:
Productivity Tool
GENERAL
DESCRIPTION:
Mendeley is a web 2.0 tool for researching
topics on the internet and then subsequently annotating the collections for the
pertinent data needed for a report.
The program interfaces with a multitude of
internet scholarly databases for easy access on a wide array of studies. This interface includes a plug in where the
documents found within these databases can be loaded into the user’s personal
library with the click of one button.
This streamlined technology plus the ability to create user specific
folders for archiving documents creates a very efficient means of handling
research information.
In addition, the program enables efficient cut
and paste creation of notes for a highly productive process in mining the information
that you need for your specific research project.
Lastly, citations in all of the major formats
are quickly created in Microsoft Word through a one click menu button so the
user doesn’t need to know the specifics of each citation format.
With Mendeley, productivity is obtained
without a premium as all these features are available in the free version. Research is made easy for the layman or the
experienced professional.
PREREQUISITES TO
USAGE:
1.
Set
up a free user account
2.
You
will need to set up a profile but it doesn’t have to be completed in order to
start using the program. The benefits of
the profile are simply so Mendeley can recommend papers and people associated
with your interests.
3.
For
mobile applications simply go to the app store and download the application
onto your iPhone or iPad.
RESOURCES
REQUIRED:
Access to a computer and the internet.
Data that you want to import into the software
or ability to search databases for research publications (note this is optional
as you can search the web from your library within Mendeley to retrieve
articles on the web).
SKILLSETS
REQUIRED:
Ability to operate a computer.
STEP BY STEP ACCESS:
1.
Log
in
1.
Upon
entering the program you will be directed to My Library where your personal
research folders are located.
2.
You
may now start your search by placing your topic of interest in the search box
located in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
2.
For
an introduction to this program go to this video
link (created with PowerPoint and Adobe Premiere Elements 10).
Insert picture of
my library
TOOL EXAMPLE:
Since the example I have is my personal
research website, I have prepared a highlight video,
(created with Adobe Captivate) so that you can see the unique productivity
of the program. This will also
demonstrate how I am using the program.
If you would like to start using it for your
research projects, go to the following link:
http://mendeley.com
POTENTIAL TEACHING
APPLICATION:
This tool can aid with instruction on how to
research a topic and streamline thoughts in order to write a report. Since most undergraduate coursework requires
writing either a literature review or technical paper, this application would
be ideal for either. Mendeley would
assist in organizing the information and reinforce the concept of initially acquiring
research followed by analyzing the article to create annotations of the relevant
information for a specific research assignment.
Since Mendeley has an extensive database and utilizes
a plethora of outside search engines, it would be ideal for a variety of fields
of study.
With the high usage of computer technology in
K-12 education, I can envision the use of this tool in grades 7-12. The research may not be as extensive as in
higher education, but writing papers are analytical thinking in research are still
important skillsets to acquire.
TEACHING
ADVANTAGES:
EASY
CITATIONS WITH MICROSOFT WORD PLUG IN
When learning how to create literature
reviews or technical reports one of the hardest elements to master is the
formatting of the document. Each
research type has distinctively different ways of presenting the same
information. While this program doesn’t
provide the overall template for the final products formatting, it does create
the citations with the touch of a button.
This is especially helpful if you are creating papers for an English class
and an engineering class where the citations are APA and IEEE, respectively.
 |
| One step citations |
ANNOTATION
OF DOCUMENTS IS EASY ON A COMPUTER
This is the most productive element of
this program. In case you missed it
earlier, the highlight video, (created with Adobe
Captivate), demonstrates how this works.
Basically, you can annotate notes from each of your documents in your
library. This annotation process is
simple and allows the researcher to focus on the elements of the document that
relate specifically to their research topic.
This enables the analytical thinking process and facilitates an easier
way to organize your thoughts when it’s time to write your paper. This is the jewel of the program!
 |
| Annotations allow organization of key concepts for writing |
RESEARCH
SITES ARE SUGGESTED TO THE USER BASED UPON SUBJECT
For those users who are unfamiliar
with the wide range of scholarly databases, Mendeley enables quick and easy
searches on topics from the My Library view of the online program. When starting the research process, the
biggest step is getting started. Once
other sources are identified then it gets easier to follow the path to more
detailed information regarding the user’s research topic. This program facilitates this experience and simultaneously
exposes the user to the research process.
 |
| Research recommendations |
TEACHING
DISADVANTAGES
NO
EDUCATIONAL TEMPLATES FOR FORMATS OF RESEARCH PAPERS
Mendeley focuses on the research
portion of the process and doesn’t provide formatting for multiple writing
styles. In this sense, the program only
provides partial coverage of the entire process. the program could be greatly enhanced by
adding this information to create a single source reference site. In the interim, the best resource that I have
found for the writing formats is located at the following link:
MOBILE
DEVICES DON’T ALLOW ANNOTATION OF DOCUMENTS
While Mendeley is available on iPad and
iPhone, the annotation capability is not enabled in these devices. The program could be made more robust with
this functionality with the increased uses of these devices by students.
RECOMMENDATION
So far, this product exceeds my
expectations and performs better than the more popular programs such as
ResearchGate, Refworks and Endnote. I
would recommend this to any student or faculty member who needs to perform
research on a single or multiple projects.
The benefit is in the ability to organize and annotate notes for easy
reference from articles you have researched.
This functionality enables quick access to the information you need as
well as streamlines the process of organizing your thoughts. This program is the BEST OF CLASS!
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