The time for Ph.D. exam preparation is fast approaching (I really should start this summer) and I have been trying to develop strategies for successful note taking, organization, research, and scheduling.

I was initially inspired by D. Travers Scott's blog courageously chronicling his exam reading. After some more searching I stumbled across David Parry's excellent blog discussing a variety of different tech tools for academics, Academhack.

So far I have gotten a hold of EndNote on the recommendation of a colleague, but have yet to really play around with it. I have been told it is incredibly helpful in terms of managing and implementing citations.

I have also started my own blog which I hope to utilize, at least until I find a better solution, as a space for venting and filing of notes.

I have taken a brief look at some other applications for note taking but none seem to be quite as functional as a basic blog. Blogs have a decent interface as well as good categorization, linking, and commenting functionality. However, I am sure there must be something better.

Are there any killer apps people would recommend for academic work? Or perhaps even general suggestions and advice for exams and dissertation?

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