How do you organize research notes? I have 50 tabs open 😵‍💫

[Eva]

I have 50 tabs open, sticky notes everywhere, and a notebook that looks like a conspiracy theorist's wall. My research paper is due in three weeks and I can't find ANYTHING.

A classmate recommended Zotero for citations, but I still have all these NOTES and QUOTES that need organizing by theme. How do you keep track of what each source says?

The Qianbi AI tool claims to have "upload references" where you can upload sources and it generates literature reviews automatically . Is that legit or scam?

 

[Arnie]

I use a synthesis matrix — basically a spreadsheet with sources as rows and themes as columns. Each cell gets a quote or summary. Then when I write, I filter by theme and see everything at once. Zotero can't do that directly but you can export notes and build the matrix manually. The JMU guide has a template . It's old school but works. For your 50 tabs situation, close them all now. Pick one method and commit. You'll feel so much better.