Ilya Shabanov Profile picture
Dec 17, 2022 9 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Tutorial: Using @obsdmd for notes AND as a reference manager (and even replace @zotero).

Why?

☝️Keeping your interlinked notes, annotations and PDFs in one place is incredibly powerful when you want to write and publish fast!

#ScienceTwitter @OpenAcademics @AcademicChatter
1. Create a note and name it in your usual citation style. e.g. "Connell 1964". Use a template where you include the DOI at the top. Here is an example
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the note and use the "Inset Attachment" command. (Hit ctrl/⌘ + P and type in "Insert Attachment")

Now select the file you have downloaded to embed it directly into the note.

Pro Tip: Assign a Hotkey to "Insert Attachment" to use it instantly.
3. Install the dataview plugin if you don't have it. It is complicated to use, but all you have to do is install it for now.

Go to Settings > Community Plugins and click "Browse"

Then select "dataview"
4. Now let's write a text citing those papers from step 1. Here is an example where I cite two papers. The one from before and another one.
5. At the bottom of this note, we will embed a small snippet of code. It will pull all the papers we cited here and print them into a neat table:

```dataview
TABLE DOI FROM outgoing([[]]) AND "1️⃣ Primary Sources"
```
6. As you have seen in the previous video I can copy paste the used DOIs. To create the final citations you need go to bibtex.com/c/doi-to-bibte… and paste the list there.
We have essentially replaced Zotero with Obsidian! Minus this one last step - and I have a feeling someone might make a plugin for it...

Check out my system of note taking for academia that goes with it:

Tutorials like this take quite a while to make - If you enjoyed it you can support me by retweeting the first tweet in this thread.

So Zotero or Obsidian, what do you think?

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More from @Artifexx

Jun 19
Almost done with the slides for this upcoming webinar.

It will be aimed at note-taking and synthesis.

Here is a sneak peak:
👇 Image
Note Taking

Most people take notes in the order they learn about the content.

This is wrong.

Conceptual notes are much more powerful.

Because you don't repeat yourself and use links instead.Image
Academic Note-taking

For academia, special rules apply.

You must protect yourself from plagiarism and always know where you learned what.

This is why you must use a source note template.Image
Image
Read 8 tweets
Jun 18
Everybody uses Google Docs.

But most don't install any of the 100+ extensions.

Unlock hidden features and save time with these 4 must-use extensions: 👇
(I use them for scientific papers)
What are extensions?

Extensions add functionality that Google Docs does not have.

Each extension adds a sidebar where it can be configured and activated.

Google does not develop these extensions but they gain access to your content.

Be aware of privacy issues.
1. Cross Reference

Allows you to generate numbers for figures automatically.

If you rearrange the figures, just click a button and all names and mentions are updated.

Works equally well for tables or equations.

Irreplaceable for academic work.
Read 8 tweets
Jun 12
I thought I would spend days on this lit review.

It took me just 10 minutes (no joke)!

Here is how and what tool I used:
👇Image
My Topic:

I am figuring out how forests react to climate change in New Zealand.

The big question: Who has done it before?
(A vast literature review question that can take hours)

Googling it, I found only a single paper: [Wardle 1992]
Really!?Image
To check if there is really only one paper, I searched for this paper [Wardle 1992] on @LitmapsApp ... Image
Read 11 tweets
May 28
Double your productivity in Google Docs.

Learn these 12 essential keyboard shortcuts.

Windows & Mac:
👇
1. Paste without Style

Ever pasted something from Word or a browser and noticed that the format is completely broken?

Paste without format to avoid this. Press:

⌘ + ⇧ + V (Mac)
CTRL + SHIFT + V (Win)

In this example I copy from MS Word and the style is totally off.
2. Fast navigation (any software)

You use the arrow ⬅️ keys ➡️ to go move the cursor letter by letter.

Hold ⎇ (ctrl on Win) to move word by word instead.
Hold ⌘ (home, end keys on Win) to move line by line.

Fix typos in milliseconds with this trick (Video is real time).
Read 15 tweets
May 21
This is Niklas Luhmann.

He has more citations than 99% of scientists.
And 70+ books.

Here is how he did it:
(...steal his secret) Image
Luhmann (1927-1998) was a German sociologist and philosopher studying how societies function.

He wrote over 70 books and 400 articles on topics like law, politics, and art.

Luhmann described society as a self-sustaining system and was influential, especially in Germany. Image
Famous thinkers like Charles Darwin (20+ books) or Albert Einstein (300+ publications) share a common trait:

They think DEEPLY and SYSTEMATICALLY about their subject.

Luhmann's system however is the best documented through his note collection system: The Zettelkasten (photo). Image
Read 14 tweets
May 16
Everybody uses Google Docs.

But most don't know its best features.

11 features that save time and make your work more professional:
(even for scientific papers)
👇
1. Folding

If you have a long document this is a life saver.

Create a heading.
Next to the heading click the ">" button to fold all text beneath this heading.
2. Table of Contents

The fastest way to get around in a document is to use the automatic table of contents.

Click the three line icon at the top left.

Now click the headings to navigate in your document.
Read 13 tweets

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