Preliminary deadline November 2022
Frequently asked questions
- What is expected in the preliminary version?
- I need a refresher on how to make an RC exposition
- Can I use PDF to upload my research ?
- I have written everything in Word, how do I import it into the research catalogue?
- I have a lot of footnotes in Word, how do I import them?
- How should I deal with copyrighted materials that are not my own?
- How to insert a youtube video?
- How to make a hyperlink?
- Where can I find inspiration?
- Other problems?
What is expected in the preliminary version?
You should see the preliminary version as an opportunity to get feedback: the more material you can include the better, using this feedback it becomes easier to get a good result! In terms of structure you should aim to follow the requirements for the final version, so have a title page, table of contents, chapters and list of sources (bibliography).
We don't expect perfection for the preliminary version and there may still be things missing from it. However, if you have very little content at this point, please see this as a sign that you are running behind schedule! If this is the case: don't panic, start planning. Start with the material you do have and you are certain about and break up the remaining steps in smaller bits.
You are still allowed to make changes after the submission of the preliminary. Layout and cosmetics is less important at this moment, it is mostly about the content, not the form.
Can I use a PDF to upload my research?
It is not forbidden, but a much better result can be made by properly importing the content into the exposition using the text and html tools. If you use a PDF, you are limiting yourself to content that can be printed. Not using PDF will make it easier to incorperate any recordings or video into the text and it will display better on different screens.
I have been writing everything in Word (or other external text editor), how do I import it into the research catalogue?
The end product should be an exposition in the RC (and not a PDF that you mail to us, for example), you do not have to use an in-between Word version to create an exposition! It is of course possible to put a document as a PDF file in your exposition, but this is a little bit like faxing an email. PDF's are digital files to represent paper documents (so no media can be put in them). Expositions are web sites that do allow you to put video, audio etc.. in them. In the end the school expects an "exposition", so the easiest way is to make your documentation directly in that format.
However, if you have content in Word (or other text editors), below you will find strategies you can use to get it in the RC. Sometimes poeple find they are more productive in a simple text editor (I am one of them), so if that strategy gets you writing, go for it!
Before showing you two methods to import, when importing text, usually it is best to use the block editor, which is easier to edit especially for Word like content. It is possible to use both editors (graphical/block) within a single exposition, so you can still make a nice graphical page for your title page, or if you need to make a more complicated layout. You can create a page in the block editor, by going to the PAGES tab and clicking the + icon, then select block for the editor type.
Below follow two methods to import content from external editors like Word:
Method 1. Manual copy-pasting bit by bit
With this I mean you go page by page of your word document, selecting text and copy-pasting it into Simple-Text/HTML tools. You may want to use the HTML tool since it has a bit more formatting options, but for a lot of text it is not even needed. Copying text manually is more work than automatic import, however, it makes you more aware of what is going on and gives full control over the end result. Maybe you will even spot a few typos or weird sentences along the way. I would recommend trying this strategy first.
Word contains a lot of complex formatting, that can cause problems if you copy it into another format (like RC), therefore, you should use "paste and match style", on MacOS this is done by:
[alt] + [cmd] + [shift] + [v].
On windows computers, you do it by:
[ctrl] + [shift] + [v]
This will ensure that you don't copy any problematic formatting into the exposition.
The drawback of this method: it means you have to import illustrations, footnotes and recordings separatetely. So, if you have a lot of illustrations (>50), you can also import them by using method 2.
Method 2: automatic import
The RC can also automatically import a word document and turn it into RC tools, that you can than organise into a page.
https://guide.researchcatalogue.net/#import-word-documents-using-simple-media-upload
Note that certain parts of the word document may become simplified to ensure that it can be displayed everywhere correctly. Please contact Casper if you experience any error or it fails to import at all.
How should I deal with copyrighted materials that are not my own?
Read: using copyrighted material in expositions
How do I insert a youtube video?
You can use the embed tool for this:
https://guide.researchcatalogue.net/#embed-tool
Keep in mind that youtube videos may dissapear, so be sure to clearly note what was visible in the video. If it is your own video, it is better to upload it using a video tool, so that the data is inside of the research catalogue.
How to make hyperlinks to another page within my exposition?
please see: https://guide.researchcatalogue.net/#hyperlinking
Other problems:
Just contact Casper on MS Teams or by mail.