How to Create a Research Paper Wiki

Create a research paper wiki to organize research data and ideas.

A student's research paper conundrum: Stacks and stacks of hand-written notes or document files full of unorganized text and a rapidly approaching deadline with no way to wade through walls of text or piles of photocopied pages. For collaborative research projects, the problems compound; synchronizing research data and new ideas becomes an issue of communication, of scheduling, of meetings. Enter the wiki; several online and offline programs allow students to create their own personal wikis, which can be shared and worked on with others. Wikis also offer powerful features, such as revision logs, which make all old versions of a page available for viewing, allowing researchers to see the creative process. Other features useful to research include searchable content tags and the ability to embed graphs, images and videos. Researchers can easily create two types of wikis: Portable ones that can be transported on a laptop or thumb drive, or web-based wikis that allow collaborative research but require an Internet connection to use.

Things You'll Need

• Research Materials/Sources
• Internet Access

Instructions

Portable Wiki

1. Download a stand-alone wiki template. Options include "Wiki on a Stick" and "TiddlyWiki." Both are wikis that run in a web browser, but do not require an Internet connection to function.

2. Unpack the downloaded file. Copy the unpacked folder to your thumb drive, if you are using one.

3. Double-click on the main wiki file. For "Wiki on a Stick," this is the "woas-0.12.0.html" file. For "TiddlyWiki," this is the "empty.html" file. If a script warning appears in your browser, check "Allow" and then click "OK."

4. Create a new page. For "Wiki on a Stick," click the "New Page" link on the left column. In "TiddlyWiki," click "New Tiddler" on the right-hand side of the page.

5. Type in a title for your new page and click "OK." You have just created the first page of your portable research paper wiki.

Web-based Wiki

1. Open the front page of a web-based wiki site. "WikiDot" and "IntoDit" are two free personal wiki sites.

2. Choose and enter an address for your wiki in the box provided. On "IntoDit," enter a name for your wiki. Click "Get it Now" on "WikiDot" or "Create" on "IntoDit."

3. Choose and enter a login name and password in the boxes provided. On "WikiDot," you will also need to enter your e-mail address.

4. Click "New Page" on the left column. Enter a name for the new page and click "OK." You have created the first page of your online research paper wiki.

5. Send the address of your research paper wiki to your research group members, if applicable.

Tips & Warnings

• For online wikis, set user permissions in the setup menu. For maximum security, you can configure the wiki so only members of the wiki can make changes or deletions.

References

• University of Delaware: Wikis in Higher Education
• Wiki on a Stick: Help: Create a Page
• WikiDot: Handbook: Permissions for Visitors

Resources

• Red Monk; "Searching for a Perfect Notetaking Solution: TiddlyWiki"; Stephen O'Grady; March 2006
• Wiki on a Stick: Download
• TiddlyWiki
• WikiDot
• IntoDit