Managing Sources in Microsoft Word

By the time you start writing your research paper, you've probably collected most of your sources. If you're typing in Microsoft Word 2007 or Word 2010, you can organize and manage your various sources easily.

Before you get too entrenched in your writing, you should enter all of your source information into your "manage sources" section of Word. To do this, you simply select the References tab which is located at the top of the page. Then select the style (MLA, for example).

You'll see Manage Sources on the menu. Select that, and then select New. You will be prompted to input all the information (title, author, publishing company) for one source. When you're done with each source, select OK. Continue adding your sources until you've entered them all.

Once you've entered your sources, you will be able to insert in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliography entries with one click!

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Managing Multiple Projects

Many students are working on several big end-of-year projects this month. Some of those students will find that they have two or more due dates falling on the very same week--and that situation can create a real time management headache!

The trick to managing several projects is practicing good task management. In other words, you should manage your time by breaking down your big projects into small tasks, writing them down in lists, and managing them on a strict timeline.

To make this work, you must be sure to include every step for every project, whether it's shopping for model supplies or entering sources into your list of works cited. It might help to plan backward. Even when two projects are very different, you will probably find some similar jobs that can be combined.

Once you've made a big list of tasks, then you allot a time for each of those tasks, and stick rigidly to your plan. You will find that this method cuts down the stress factor considerably. You won't worry about forgetting things or missing deadlines, because everything has a proper time and place.

And when you don't stress over everything you're not doing at any given moment, you can concentrate on each individual task at hand, and you'll find that you do a much better job all around.

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Top Tips for Managing Time

Good time management skills can help students increase their grades and improve their overall school work performance. By learning to complete assignments on time every time, students will have a better classroom experience. Discover which tips are right for you.

1. Use a Task Diary

Do you find yourself rushing to complete your homework assignment at the last moment? Are you always starting your homework when you're supposed to be going to bed? The root of this common problem may be time management. This easy exercise will help you identify the tasks or habits that take time away from your studies and help you develop more healthy homework habits.

2. Use a Day Planner

"The assignment is due when? Tomorrow?"

We've all been there at some point. Somehow, that assignment due date just slipped right up on us without our noticing.

That is why organizational skills are so important to school performance. Who can afford to score a big fat "0" on a paper just because we got lazy and didn't pay attention to the due date? Who wants to get an "F" because we forgot to put our completed project in our book bag the night before it was due?

3. Send Yourself Reminders

If you have a Yahoo! account or another email system, you can use the free calendar feature to organize your homework. You will be able to enter each assignment as you receive it, make notes, and receive reminders as each due date approaches. It's easy to use and it's fun!

4. Understand Procrastination

Procrastination is like a little white lie we tell ourselves. We think we’ll feel better if we do something fun, like watch a TV show, instead of studying or reading. But when we give in to the urge we always feel worse in the long run, not better.

5. Try Backward Planning

If you're like many students, you sometimes have trouble getting started on a project, because the end result seems so far away and impossible to reach. Sometimes when you start out with an idea and a blank sheet of paper and look into the future, all you see is lots and lots of unfinished research, reading, planning, and work. Next time try starting at the end and looking backward!

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