Softwares for qualitative studies (transcribing)

1) Express scribe: Digital Transcription Audio Player Software
Express Scribe is free professional audio player software for PC, Mac or Linux designed to assist the transcription of audio recordings.
A typist can install it on their computer and control audio playback using a transcription foot pedal or keyboard (with 'hot' keys). This computer transcriber application also offers valuable features for typists including variable speed playback, multi-channel control, playing video, file management, and more.
Express Scribe is completely free and can be used without any restrictions. We make it free because we know you will love it so much you will use and recommend our commercial digital dictation suite to others. Please visit our Dictation Software page.

2) Audacity
Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. Learn more about Audacity... Also check our Wiki and Forum for more information.

3) Voice recognition software
Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred gives small business and advanced PC users the power to create documents, reports and emails three times faster than most people type — with up to 99% accuracy. Surf the Web by voice or dictate and edit in Microsoft Word and Excel, Corel WordPerfect, and most other Windows-based applications. Create voice commands to quickly insert blocks of texts or images — such as your name, title, and signature. Dictate into a handheld device when you're away from your PC, or use a Bluetooth microphone for the same great dictation results without the wires. A high-quality headset is included.

Most people speak over 120 words per minute but type less than 40 words per minute. What if you could create email, documents and spreadsheets simply by speaking? What if you could control your PC just by talking to it, starting programs, using menus, surfing the web?

This isn’t Star Trek or HAL from the Space Odyssey saga; it’s Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the world’s best-selling speech recognition software. This revolutionary and easy-to-use product gives you everything you need to be more efficient with your PC. Turn your voice into text three times faster than most people type with up to 99% accuracy. It’s so easy, you can use it right out of the box. It learns to recognize your voice instantly and continually improves the more you use it.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking works with the most commonly used desktop applications, including Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, AOL and more! Just about anything you do now by typing can be done faster using your voice. Create and edit documents or emails. Open and close applications. Control your mouse and entire desktop.

The biggest reason more people worldwide rely on Dragon NaturallySpeaking: it works. With more than 175 awards for accuracy and ease of use, it’s the undisputed leader in speech recognition software. If you want to get more done, more quickly, just say the word and Dragon NaturallySpeaking will transform your productivity.

PDF XChange Viewer

Found out about this great software from a friend. I have been searching for this for ages. Now, you can scribble / highlight / write sticky notes on your pdf articles.... and its free!!!!
Download from this website: click here
A short demo: click here

Give it a try!!!

UniMelb library toolbar for your convenience :)

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LibX UniMelb toolbar - install this handy toolbar into Firefox or Internet Explorer to search from anywhere

Library search

Last Monday (12th of October, 2009) I had an appointemnt with Jim (Liason Librarian). I thought I would be seeing for only 10 minutes.. just to check how whether I was doing the right thing.... Off course I thought I was doing the right thing!!!

But it turned out to be... I was doing it the long winded way. And I wasn't even searching at the right places.

Let me summarize what I should be doing:

1) Start with general databases eg medline, scopus, web of science
2) Then go to to specific databes: psych info, family and society studies (worldwide and then Australia), MAIS, Meditext, APA-FT. For my topic, I should look at social science databases as well!!!
3) In terms of the keywords: also start with general, then specific
4) Use search terms like "mental health" and Muslim* (that's a better technique)
5) Look for alternative keywords (by looking at the keywords from relevant articles)
6) You can also look at 'cited by'
7) One more thing, you don't need to use Mesh subheadings. You can search by 'topic'. If you would like to refine the search, you can search the keyword in the 'title'

Does that make sense? Yes, it does to me.

Pubmed to endnote

Import from PubMed to EndNote
In PubMed
1.Do a search in PubMed

2. Display the results in
"Medline" format
3."Send to" “File”.

4. “Save” as .txt file
(make sure to
remember the directory
under which the file is saved)
In EndNote

1. Open an EndNote library
2. Click "File" and choose
"Import"
3. Click "Choose File" to
select the desired file
4. In "Import Option" box,
click for "PubMed"
5. Choose "Import all"
6. Click "Import"

Another blog?

This blog is dedicated for technical matters for my Phd... wonder whether I should start a blog on the contents / thought process of my thesis... maybe...

Books

Prof Abdullah Saeed's book is not in the bookshop. I would probably need to order it online

How to read?

Organizing my literature review

One of the most daunting task that I have been avoiding is doing the literature review. I remember during those times when I conducted a lit review for my masters thesis, I was so disorganised. I couldn't remember what I had read and I didn't know where I had kept the articles. At that time, we didn't use endnote.

I am determined that for my Phd, I would do a better job. . At least spending less time to just look for things.

Yesterday, I got a few tips from Suraya & Aini.
They suggested that I put my notes in a table using excel, dividing it into columns (year, author, title, theme, etc).
Then keep the ref in endnote.
Then draw a mindmap.
There are 2 free mindmap softwares on the web (Freemind and can't remember the other one).
But... Aini now ends up doing it on paper.
One student even had it on mahjong paper.

I thought those tips are useful.
Thanks Suraya & Aini.

Ooops...
also found important links fom academic skills unit:
Literature search
Reading strategies
Note taking
Courseworks

Tips from postgraduate essentials forum

1) Make a search diary (spreadsheet, include Boolean search)
2) Don't rely on the SuperSearch MultiDatabase Search feature
3) Make a time to speak to a subject librarian
4) Think around the topic as much as possible and record all possible terms that could be used
5) Remember to try UK and US spellings, alternative and related terms;
international terms; former terms (i.e. non pc versions); broader terms (general results); and narrower terms (may be too specific)
6) E-mail alerts

Looking for past theses

Past theses are important source of information.
Below are important links:

Australasian Digital Theses Program

Melbourne Uni's Thesis: Supersearch - login - Information Services Digital Repository - Research collections (UMER) - Theses
PhdData.org
Proquest: Supersearch - login - find database - proquest (dissertation and theses).

I couldn't find the Index to Theses with Abstracts Accepted for Higher Degrees by the Universities of Great Britain and Ireland and the Council for National Academic Awards, as mentioned in postgraduate essentials.

Learning style

Hmmm, I found out something interesting yesterday...
My scores on learning style
Active & Reflective: active +3
Sensing & intuitive: +7 intuitive
Visual & Verbal: +11 visual
Sequential & Global: Global +9

These are the important links:
Index of learning styles
Description of learning styles

What should I do?
Need to compensate for my weaknesses, as my learning style is not balanced.
1) Ask your instructor for interpretations or theories that link the facts, or try to find the connections yourself. You may also be prone to careless mistakes on test because you are impatient with details and don't like repetition (as in checking your completed solutions). Take time to read the entire question before you start answering and be sure to check your results.

2) If you are a visual learner, try to find diagrams, sketches, schematics, photographs, flow charts, or any other visual representation of course material that is predominantly verbal. Ask your instructor, consult reference books, and see if any videotapes or CD-ROM displays of the course material are available. Prepare a concept map by listing key points, enclosing them in boxes or circles, and drawing lines with arrows between concepts to show connections. Color-code your notes with a highlighter so that everything relating to one topic is the same color.

3) If you are a global learner, it can be helpful for you to realize that you need the big picture of a subject before you can master details. If your instructor plunges directly into new topics without bothering to explain how they relate to what you already know, it can cause problems for you. Fortunately, there are steps you can take that may help you get the big picture more rapidly. Before you begin to study the first section of a chapter in a text, skim through the entire chapter to get an overview. Doing so may be time-consuming initially but it may save you from going over and over individual parts later. Instead of spending a short time on every subject every night, you might find it more productive to immerse yourself in individual subjects for large blocks. Try to relate the subject to things you already know, either by asking the instructor to help you see connections or by consulting references. Above all, don't lose faith in yourself; you will eventually understand the new material, and once you do your understanding of how it connects to other topics and disciplines may enable you to apply it in ways that most sequential thinkers would never dream of.

Research Data Management

One of the classes that I attended was on Research Data Management.
I thought it was useful.
The important message here is you to create an inventory of your files.
You also need to write a protocol on how you keep your things... so that others know your system.

Google Reader

One of the Phd students I met during one of the upskill classes advised me to set up my own google reader. Its one of those tools that helps you to organize your reading materials. First, I need to know how to use it.

Related links:
Google Reader Help Group
Google Reader Help Videos
Google Reader Blog

Hope this works...

My Gantt chart (2)

My Gantt chart version 1 is now done.
Took me almost the whole day.
Learning to use the software...
and also how to export the file so that I can show my supervisors.
I used GanttProject software installed from the website.

The files can exported to Jpeg, pdf.
In case anything happens to the software,
I have exported the file to:
GanttchartTuti_v1.pdf
GanttchartTuti_v1a.jpeg
GanttchartTuti_v1b.jpeg
GanttchartTuti_v1c.jpeg
(Phd Melbourne > Summary of meetings > Gantt chart)
The files are about the same, I was trying to fit in everything in one jpeg file.

Next task: email to supervisors, Gantt chart needs touching up.

My Gantt chart

My task for today is creating a Gantt chart.
You can create gantt charts by using the usual office softwares: word & excel.
There are also specific softwares online, but make sure you install JAVA first.

Hmmm... I thought this was easy...
But you do need a bit of time...

As a start

Finally I managed to create my Phd blog.
Congratulations to myself.
Good start.

I enrolled about 2 months ago 22/3/09.
First month was mainly about settling in.
Second month, still settling in plus homesick.
Lonely... really felt lonely... missing my family.


Bangi
3.25pm