BIOL 221 Seafood Forensics

Metadata is documentation that describes data.* Your READ ME file should include:

1. Title
2. Creator or author
3. Subject
4. Description
5. Publisher
6. Contributors
7. Date
8. Type (paper, code,photo,...)
9. Format (jpg, txt,...)
10. Identifier (URL, ISBN..)
11. Source
12. Language
13. Rights management

*https://data.research.cornell.edu/content/writing-metadata

• Making the Connections
  by Anne B Padias

Make your notebook as efficient and accurate as possible.  Some more common tips include:

*Use permanent ink.

*Initial and date every page.

*Leave a blank page or two in the beginning for a Table of Contents.

*Draw only a single line through all errors.

*Create a table of chemicals & relevant properties with each experiment.

*Record what you have done.

*Record all observations and explanations of why they happened.

*Be descriptive with titles & headings.

*Start a new page for each experiment.

*At the end of each lab, ask yourself, "Can I recreate this experiment/my results with what I have written down?"

Adapted from "Organizing your lab notebook"

Here are a few best practices when collecting and using data:

1. Store and backup your data regularly
2. File naming and Spreadsheet Best Practices:
   • be consistent
   • be descriptive
   • Spreadsheet Best Practices
3. Track Changes
   • use a sequential numbered system, e.g.  v01, v02.
   • don't use confusing labels, such as 'revision', 'final', 'final2', etc.
4. Use standard file formats
   • use easily re-usable formats, e.g. .txt, .csv
5. Document your data with a "read me" file which includes:
   • file names and formats
   • how the data is organized
   • how the data was generated (equipment & software used)
   • how the data was processed
   • README Examples
     • Dryad README Guidance
     • University of Minnesota
6. Keep it secure

For more information on managing your data please see "Best Practices for Managing Research Data"

Excel Help

Mendeley is a free reference management system that allows you to collect, manage, cite, create groups, and share research.  Mendeley works with Microsoft Word and inserts citations into research papers and creates bibliographies from the citations.

Adding References

Download and add the Web Importer bookmarklet.

1. Save the bookmarklet following the instructions per your web browser
2. Find an article in one of the databases
3. Click the Mendeley bookmarklet
4. Review the metadata details and "save"

Here are a few more ways to add references to Mendeley.

Syncing with Mendeley Online

Saving your Mendeley Library online allows you to access your citations from anywhere.

• Go to the Mendeley website and sign in to your account
• Open up your Mendeley Desktop
• Choose "Sync Files" in your Desktop toolbar
• Your desktop and your online libraries are now synced, remember to continue to sync the libraries every time you make changes. Syncing is not automatic.

Cite in MS Word

To install the Mendeley Plugin you need to first close Word and then on Mendeley Desktop go to Tools > Install MS Word Plugin.

Mendeley will appear in MS Word References tab.

For instructions and screenshots, see the Mendeley Library Guide.

Journal Abbreviations for specific citation styles can be found under the "View - Citation Style" menu of your Mendeley desktop toolbar.

More Help

Search FAQ's on Mendeley's support site.

Visit Mendeley's Help Guides

For a more in-depth look at Mendeley's features, check out our Mendeley Library Guide.

Mendeley Citation Editor Instructions

Find and Edit CSL Styles