↗️ Core Features: Annotation | Topics | Project Dashboard | Project Outline | Extension | Source Notes | Bibliography Export | Collaboration
↗️ AI Features: Discovery | Brainstorm | ↗️ Academic Integrity: Insight | ↗️ PowerNotes Communities
PowerNotes keeps researchers on-task with a suite of tools focused on source-based research and writing. With research, writing, editing, citation management, and AI incorporated into a single platform, PowerNotes eliminates tedious “busy work” tasks that often result in students losing steam and focus.
Below, you’ll find explanations of the various components of the PowerNotes workflow and how to best leverage them when introducing PowerNotes to your students.
Once logged into your PowerNotes account on the web app you should see this button in the top right of your toolbar.
How does the referral work?
Simple - enter the email address of a friend or colleague that you think would enjoy trying out PowerNotes. This must be a new account to PowerNotes, so ensure it’s an email that hasn’t been used to create an account before. Once we confirm that your referral has signed up, both you and your referral will receive a free month of PowerNotes!
In both the Notes Box and Extension, there’s a quotation icon next to each annotation. Clicking on this icon will open the Citation Pane. Here, PowerNotes captures metadata provided by the source and will attempt to format it into a citation. In instances where bad or no metadata is provided by the source, the citation information can be added and edited. Note, you can set a default citation format for a project.
Once a citation has been approved and saved, the quotation icon will change from being hollow to being filled in.
Text, images, bookmarks, and citations can be saved. When you capture a piece of content, you’ll be prompted to file it to one of your custom topics, have the option of adding an annotation, as well as reviewing the citation and source information affiliated with it.
The process happens in just a couple clicks - no importing content, navigating to a separate citation manager, or having to manually organize work.
Images can be saved to a Project by right-clicking on an image and selecting the Save to PowerNotes option in the menu, or by using the screenshot tool in the extension.
Sources can be bookmarked to a Project in the extension. Bookmarking helps cut down on open tabs and enables researchers to keep an accessible reading list.
Freeform Notes can be used to add notes from a print source, lecture, or be used as a space to write out ideas or questions. To add a Freeform Note within a topic, click on the notepad icon to the right of a topic name.
You can add as many Topics as you need to a PowerNotes Project. Topics can be given a custom label and color. While you’re researching, you’ll be able to save text, images, bookmarks, and notes to a topic. As you gain a better idea of the subject matter, you can reorder, add, edit, and delete topics.
On your Project Dashboard, you can perform various tasks and access features that aid in managing and organizing your work.
Click on the ‘Create a New Project card” to set up a new Project. You’ll be prompted to give the Project a title, add a description, and add topics to it.
When you hover over a Project, you’ll notice a few icons appear below the card. You can use these shortcuts to share, edit, archive, and delete a project.
If you’re working on several Projects, the Views and Sorts located at the top left corner of your Project Dashboard may come in handy. You can choose between Card and List formats for viewing your Projects. You can also sort to view all your Projects, just your Projects, Projects shared with you, Projects shared by you, and archived Projects.
In the top right corner of your Project Dashboard, you’ll notice a few icons. Here you can access your notifications, PowerNotes help and support, as well as your account settings.
If you’re working in a PowerNotes account that is using our LMS integrations or Community plan, you may also notice a shield icon in the top right corner of your Project Dashboard. Clicking on the shield icon will take you to your Instructor Dashboard.
If you would like to duplicate a project that you've created or a project that's been shared with you, hove over the project card on your project dashboard. Click on the copy icon that appears beneath the project card. A copy of of the project appear on your project dashboard, the title of the project with by default be "Copy of - [Original Project Name]".
A Project Outline is where quotes, notes, images, bookmarks, source links, citations, and more will accumulate. Content is organized by topics and can be reorganized and edited throughout the research process.
Project Outlines can be accessed via the Project Dashboard by clicking on a card or in the PowerNotes Extension by clicking on the “Project Outline” link at the top of the sidebar.
Using the Comments feature in a Project Outline, you can provide feedback on content, sources, organization, and more. Alternatively, you can add, edit, and delete content in a Project if you’re given Editor permissions by the Project’s owner.
There are a few different ways to view a student’s Project Outline. If you’re using our LMS integration or a PowerNotes Community, you’ll see student Projects appear on your Dashboard (depends what settings you select when creating an assignment) or in your Instructor Dashboard. You can also have students send you their Project Outlines using Share. Lastly, Project Outlines can be exported to a variety of formats, including Word, Excel, and Source files. Students can export their work and submit it to you via an attachment in an email or elsewhere.
PowerNotes’ flexible framework and automatic outlining allow students to focus on analysis and synthesis by cutting down on the busy work. PowerNotes eliminates the need to copy/paste content, toggle between tabs, jump between platforms, and hunt down lost sources. With their research automatically organized into a digestible outline, students can effectively navigate through the content that they’ve gathered and the thoughts they’ve added. This saves students valuable time and energy that they can now direct towards further exploring their research, drafting, and formulating their final product.
The PowerNotes extension is available on Chrome, Firefox, and Brave browsers. The extension allows users to save content from databases, websites, and PDFs. Once the extension is installed, simply enable it to begin saving content to a project.
Text, images, bookmarks, and citations can be saved. When you capture a piece of content, you’ll be prompted to file it to one of your custom topics, have the option of adding an annotation, as well as reviewing the citation and source information affiliated with it.
The process happens in just a couple of clicks - no importing content, navigating to a separate citation manager, or having to manually organize work.
Images can be saved to a Project by right-clicking on an image and selecting the Save to PowerNotes option in the menu, or by using the screenshot tool in the extension.
Sources can be bookmarked to a Project in the extension. Bookmarking helps cut down on open tabs and enables researchers to keep an accessible reading list.
Freeform Notes can be used to add notes from a print source, lecture, or be used as a space to write out ideas or questions. To add a Freeform Note within a topic, click on the notepad icon to the right of a topic name.
The extension provides users with a snapshot of their project, but if it feels like the extension is getting in the way, it can be collapsed or minimized to be less intrusive. When a user is done working, they can simply navigate to the extension icon in the browser toolbar and turn the extension off.
As students get a better understanding of their research, they can add, edit, and delete topics in the extension. They can also move and copy content to other topics where it may fit better.
Citation Management: In both the Notes Box and Extension, there’s a quotation icon next to each annotation. Clicking on this icon will open the Citation Pane. Here, PowerNotes captures metadata provided by the source and will attempt to format it into a citation. In instances where bad or no metadata is provided by the source, the citation information can be added and edited. Note, you can set a default citation format for a project.
Once a citation has been approved and saved, the quotation icon will change from being hollow to being filled in.
Paired with Citation, Source Notes provide users the opportunity to add how they found a source, why they’re using it, questions they may have about it, or any other useful information. Source Notes can be accessed via the Citation Pane and Source Note labels are customizable.