What else is new? For my first “research paper” ever I have managed to come up with a mountain of information and ideas yet cannot remember where I know these things from. Even worse I have a some twenty odd things that I want to reference and quote, but have to reload them and bring them up on my tiny little computer screen before I can search the text for the information that I want. Reading on a computer screen is not the same as reading on paper. You cannot organize information as well, and you tend to conduct search and rescue missions rather than comprehend the entire body of text.  The first few articles I looked at I printed off, paperclipped together and highlighted the information that I deemed important… it was an excellent technique! But after coming across more than three 20 page studies I decided that it was not worth wasting all the ink and paper. I am far too impatient to take notes on everything that I read. As a result my current essay is completely incoherent… similar to the state of my mind right about now. I have spots with (name ###) (possibly this person) (look up this fact) NEED TO BACK UP THIS! All throughout my essay. Fortunately I still have an entire week before it is due!!!

Aha, so here comes my not so radical proposal… after wasting a fair bit of time on the internet trying to find some sort of free software that would do everything I want it to I suggest that some incredibly talented person make a software that:

1. Creates citations for the online article automatically (using easy bib or something like that)

2. When you highlight a certain piece of text and press a certain command automatically transfers that segment of text into a document… or no wait! A document within a file folder for that particular pdf, within a file folder for all of your research on Essay A, within a file folder for all of your research ever… e.t.c.

3. Simultaneously creates a document containing all of your research for Essay A (including references)

4. Allows you to print out all of your references with their respective important quotes and information on one single piece of paper (or perhaps a couple of pages)

Dear incredibly talented person reading this who just happens to have a whole lot of free time. After you create this amazing program and market it well enough to frustrated university students, please let me know about it (and some profits would be nice too). Thanks! <3

p.s. any tips would be much appreciated!