There was some interest in the matrix I mentioned in my blog post on tips for students with dyslexia, so I’ve made some versions that’s you can use and print off.
The Matrix comes in 2 different sizes, it can be used to help arrange your articles and use them appropriately. Finally it will make referencing a million times easier.
- The A3 version allows you to make notes on 5 articles, you'll need access to an A3 printer for this version.
- The A4 version allows you to make notes on 2 articles and can easily be printed from home.
I used this extensively when I did my dissertation, I ended up with many of these blu-tacked all over a wall (take a look) in my apartment so that I could see them all at once and compare all of the notes I have made at once.
That is what worked for me, it might be different for you. Your free to use the matrix in whatever way suits you!
You can also find a detailed example on how to use the Matrix here.
The blank column on the left hand side is where I put what colour highlighter I would use for that part of the article. I would print the articles I wanted - then (for example) anything relating to the methods I would put a stripe of blue highlighter next to the text, I’d put a stripe of purple highlighter next to any results, etc. I would then write in the most important parts into the matrix. The rows are arranged in the order most articles are written in – but this isn’t always the case. Then when writing up my assignment I had everything I needed from each article without having to reread the whole thing to find one tiny piece of information! This also makes it much easier to compare similar pieces of work to each other.
I hope some of you find this useful! If you have any suggestions please comment.