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Step by Step / Updated 04-25-2016

Mendeley is a free online academic research tool that helps you keep research, references, and citations organized. Mendeley is also an academic social network, bringing together researchers from all over the world to talk about their work. Using Mendeley saves you time by managing PDF and other research files, automatically compiling key information from your files for easy reference and citation building.

Article / Updated 04-25-2016

EndNote is a multiplatform software tool that helps you manage the process of writing and preparing research papers. You can be much more focused on the actual writing of the paper if you let EndNote do the heavy lifting for you. EndNote will manage PDF and other research files, automatically compiling key information from your files for easy reference and citation building. In addition to using EndNote on your smartphone, tablet, or desktop, you also have access to the EndNote website, where you can connect with your University library system to search for millions of research papers and journal articles. EndNote is available with a 30-day free trial, so you can try it before you buy it. And if you’re a student, chances are you can buy it for a wicked discount. Point-and-shoot citations in EndNote The star feature of EndNote is the plug-in for Microsoft Word. The tools in the EndNote plug-in help you build and insert citations while you write your paper, so you’re not stuck with hunting down and cleaning up all those critical citation and bibliography details at the last minute. From Word, you just put the cursor where you want to place the citation and then click on Insert Citation on the EndNote toolbar. Next, tell EndNote what you want to cite and using what citation style, click on Insert, and voila! Your citation appears next to the text, exactly the way you need it to look — assuming your source records are complete, of course. EndNote will do the same thing for the figure and table references in your document — automatically number and cite your figures, illustrations, tables, and other numbered elements. The even better news is that it automatically builds a bibliography at the end of the document as you work, formatted according to the style you have selected in Word’s EndNote toolbar. EndNote does a lot for you, but ultimately you’re still the one responsible for the details. Each time you add a new source, be sure to take the time right then and there to fill in any missing details in the record that EndNote didn’t pick up from the file. That way, you won’t be stuck having to hunt down those nit-picky details two hours before your paper is due. One-step research connections through EndNote Why leave Word, go to your browser, and fiddle around with the clunky campus interface to get to those massive research libraries like PubMed? You can search your university library resources directly from EndNote. EndNote’s Online Search feature provides the same type of library search tools you’re used before, but you don’t have to leave EndNote to do your search. Just log in using your school credentials, and you’re all set. EndNote website tools and features As if all that good stuff was not enough, EndNote.com includes some really helpful online tools that are worth checking out, especially if you anticipate using EndNote for the long haul. First of all, of course you have access to your full library of research papers and other documents that you have collected and saved. You can create new records in your library manually or by importing them, and view, edit, or delete records or attachments to records. You can even delete attachments easily without otherwise affecting the library record. This is very handy if your collection becomes so unwieldy that it affects your browser speed or your available space is running low. Source: endnote.com Using Groups, you can sort your research into topical folders and optionally share them with cohorts or co-workers. The Format tab helps you automate the process of formatting your paper or portions thereof. (It’s also where you find the plug-in for Word.) Match is kinda cool: plug in the title and abstract for your manuscript, and EndNote will suggest some journals to which you might want to submit your article for publishing. The suggestions are based on an analysis of the abstract content. No promises on the actual publishing, though — it’s just a referral for you to check out if you’re interested. Source: endnote.com Options, as you might suspect, is the catch-all spot for account preferences and controls, such as changing your password, editing your profile, or changing the default language. Finally, Connect is EndNote’s venture into social media and crowd-sourcing research. It’s still under development so it’s not particularly active at the moment, but that could change as soon as it officially launches. Source: endnote.com

Step by Step / Updated 04-25-2016

Mendeley, the popular citation management program, is really powerful as a desktop application. But like most software today, it gets even better if you can take it with you on the road. To that end, check out Mendeley Mobile.

Step by Step / Updated 04-25-2016

Mendeley can be a student or researcher’s best friend. The citation management tool keeps all the pesky details about your research sources in order so you don’t have to. As long as you manage your library well, Mendeley makes inserting citations and bibliographies into your research paper almost brainless. Always, proofread all citations and the bibliography before you submit your paper or publication. Neither Word nor Mendeley will warn you if there’s a problem with a citation or if data is missing from a particular source. Mendeley will do most of the work for you, but it’s ultimately your responsibility to make sure it looks right. This article shows how to manage your Mendeley library from the Mendeley website. You can do all these steps and more using the desktop app for Mac, Windows, or Linux, and most of it can also be accomplished on Mendeley Mobile for smartphones and tablets.

Step by Step / Updated 04-25-2016

While Mendeley is a great research organizational tool all on its own, the plug-in for Microsoft Word is one optional feature that many people appreciate more than anything. If you use Mendeley Desktop to organize all of your research documents and you use Word to write your paper, just install the MS Word Plugin the headache of citations and bibliographies suddenly goes away. You must have a Mendeley account and be running the Mendeley Desktop app to install and use the Word plug-in. There’s no direct hook-up between the web-based version to your word processor. Mendeley Desktop works with Windows, Mac, and Linux. The citation plug-in in this article is for Microsoft Word. A similar plug-in is available for Open Office users. Mendeley will suggest the one you need based on what it finds on your computer.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

After you’ve set up a GoToMeeting account and your profile, scheduling your first meeting is really easy. To get started, sign in to your account so you can end up at your home page. To use the professional editions of GoToMeeting, you may need to download a plug-in or add-in for your browser or an app for your smartphone at various points in the process. If this is your first time logging in, allow an extra couple of minutes to get your device or PC ready. It’s not complicated; GoToMeeting will do most of the work for you.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

This tutorial walks you through setting up your GoToMeeting account, whether you pay for it up front or take it for a test drive with the 30-day free trial. After you’ve attended a few online meetings using GoToMeeting, you’ll probably wonder how you ever managed teleconferencing without it. It’s free to attend someone else’s meeting by invitation, but to host a meeting and take advantage of all the great GoToMeeting features, you need an account.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

You can connect to a meeting happening over GoToMeeting using your desktop computer (Windows, Mac, or Linux), your smartphone, or your tablet. This article shows how it works on an iPad; other devices will be very similar. The screens might look a little different, but the steps will be essentially the same.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

MyFitnessPal does a lot of great things to help you live a healthy life, but the Food Diary and Calorie Counter feature is far and away the program’s greatest strength. MyFitnessPal (MFP) boasts a database of more than five million foods, with more added every day. You can scan in the UPC bar code for any food, beverage, or dietary supplement; see the nutritional breakdown; log the item on your diary; and then use it again later without having to scan again. MFP also features an astonishingly easy way to import and analyze recipes for their per-serving nutritional content. You can enter everything you ate in the day all in just about five minutes — although it’s better to enter things as you eat them rather than try to remember at the end of the day. You can also use MyFitnessPal online from any browser without a mobile device, so don’t let the lack of a smartphone stop you from learning how to eat right and lose weight.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Flu shots are recommended every fall for almost everyone over six months of age. Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strongly suggest flu shots for the entire population annually, with the exception of those who are allergic to the flu vaccine or one of its ingredients or those whose immune system is seriously compromised. The flu, or influenza, is a very serious illness. In fact, more than 500,000 people die globally each year from complications caused by influenza. Additionally, the flu is expensive! Sick employees cost businesses millions of dollars by missing work and seeking medical attention. Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Mark Kostich Flu symptoms can include fever, chills, coughing, headaches, stuffy nose, aches and pains, exhaustion, or fatigue. In particularly bad cases, vomiting or diarrhea may also occur, especially among children. Because it is highly contagious, the flu often hits communities in waves. “Flu season” tends to start in November, is the heaviest in January and February, and finally fade out around May. Sometimes it can seem like everyone around you has the flu! Scientists don’t yet understand why the flu is more common in winter. Despite popular belief, however, it does not appear to be related to cold weather — even perpetually warm climates like Florida and Arizona experience flu epidemics around the same time every year. Thankfully, unless complications develop, the flu lasts only a few days, but even the healthiest person will be down for the count while the virus runs its course. Will a flu shot make you sick? Like many vaccines, some people debate the effectiveness or the safety of the flu shot. One supposedly scientific study was thought to have shown a link between vaccines and autism in children, but that study was later proven to be bogus. Still, concern lingers among parents. The most common side effects from flu shots are pretty mild: some tenderness or redness at the injection point, or sometimes a brief low-grade fever, headache, or muscle soreness. If someone tells you they actually got the flu from a flu shot, don’t believe them. The injection either doesn't contain the flu virus at all, or it includes a version that has been deactivated and is not infectious. If they got the flu immediately after a shot, they already had been exposed prior to the inoculation and were going to get sick either way. Does the flu shot really work? That’s not to say that the shot is perfect. Epidemiologists and doctors around the world collaborate all year long, only to make an educated guess each spring about which of the bazillions of strains of influenza virus will be infecting the most people the following winter. Based on recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USDA) decides each year which two or three of those strains are the best choices for the United States to manufacture and distribute as a vaccine. Other countries may choose different strains based on local needs. Most years, the scientists win this “virus versus virus” match game,.. and millions of people avoid the flu. But because flu strains are changing and mutating constantly, sometimes the scientists’ guess is off. When that happens, the flu shot doesn’t protect you against the strain that ends up being the powerhouse in the next flu season. Sometimes the virus will mutate in the middle of flu season, so what worked in December might not protect as many people in January, and you could still get sick even if you got a flu shot. Even when that happens, though, flu shots are still a good idea. They’ve been shown to give your immune system a little boost overall, which is never a bad idea. And they do protect you from the strains of flu virus that were in the inoculation. Although this year’s shot might not attack the #1 virus of the season, it still could very easily ward off #2 and #3 and #16 when they float your way — and maybe next year’s #1 to boot! What if I don’t get a flu shot? Without the flu shot, the CDC says another 7.2 million Americans would get sick every year — more than 90,000 of whom would end up in the hospital and potentially die. People who are at higher risk for complications, such as individuals with asthma, diabetes, or heart disease; young children; adults over 65; individuals who are pregnant or have compromised immune systems; and American Indians and Alaskan Natives, should be especially concerned about getting the flu. The flu bug can aggravate other health conditions or trigger potentially deadly complications such as pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infection, or a number of other problems. Check in with your doctor if you have any chronic health conditions to find out if you are at higher risk for complications from the flu. Parents, note that kids ages 2 to 8 are better off getting the vaccine as a nasal spray rather than a shot, if that form is available in your area. The good news is that flu shots are free! Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), immunizations are considered an essential health service. That means the shots must be provided at no cost — not even a copay — by all health-care policies covered by the federal law. For the vast majority of people, the benefits of flu shots far outweigh any risks. Even on an off-match year, some protection is better than nothing. If not for yourself, think about your family, friends, and coworkers. If you get the flu, they might get it from you. Imagine how popular that would make you. (Of course, that would mean they didn’t get a flu shot, either.)