academhack

As if the .doc problem wasn’t bad enough, now we have to worry about .docx.
So as many are probably aware, Microsoft released its new operating system, and along with that release comes an updated version of Microsoft Office. The problem here is that the new Microsoft Office saves files in a different format than [...]

Via reader recommendations, here are two possible software choices for managing all of that academic writing and information.

Scrivner: Scrivner is another attempt at making a word processor aimed at managing large projects (such as novel writing or screenplays) similar to Ulysses, but in my estimation a bit more powerful. Scrivner allows you to look [...]

Have you ever edited a document, saved it, and then wished you could go back and change it? A reader sent this tip in: Versomatic allows you to retrieve old versions without hacking any code or accessing system files. I have not used it, as I run daily backups of documents, but if [...]

Ran across this collection of links this morning. It is fairly broad in scope ranging from advice for students to advice to professors, and is not necessarily discipline specific. Worth a look.

File this one under stupid but simple, wish I would of thought of this . . .except I’m not finished with the dissertation yet so . . .
hint to recent PhDs wishing to publish their dissertation as a book: “
At the very least, do a search and replace of your document so it says ‘book’ [...]

I just got the MLA newsletter in the mail, and was reading a few of the articles. Apparently MS Word has become a problem in anonymous peer review. Why? Because if you submit a document via email for review, the reviewer can see who created the document. How? Well by default Word tags documents [...]

This morning after having spent quite a bit of time outlining the .rtf piece below (why not to save as a .doc) I found this. This site outlines more reasons you should not send people .doc files, and suggests a few other alternatives. (Including the key one I forgot about differences in versions.)
Via: Lifehacker

Since I got a few questions on this based on my rant about MSword I thought I would explain in more detail, and set up a series of screenshots to explain the .rtf (Rich Text Format) issue and help those who haven’t heard about this before.

Earlier I listed my top ten apps, that I use for academic purposes. Somehow this got taken as top ten applications for students. Actually that post was MY top ten list, not a universal top ten, or what I would recommend for everyone.
So. . .
Here is what I would recommend as applications for [...]

I was reading over on Digg about the extended debate people seem to be having about the importance of MSWord, and wondering why it isn’t on my list. Let me start by admitting that this list is heavily Mac biased (an invite to PC users to follow, stick in here for a moment). [...]