Labels, Status, Custom Meta-Data & Keywords let you add huge amounts of information to your main-text that is mostly kept “out of the way” but easily accessible for when you need it. However, each of these has different ways that it can display and be manipulated within Scrivener, so its important to understand your options before you start labelling and adding status to documents. Importantly, all of these options allow you to search and find text easily within Scrivener.
This post is divided into two parts- the first is mostly conceptual- figuring out how you might use the different functions. It is meant to be read and then thought about in conjunction with other resources, such as a Data Management Plan for your research. Here are some resources on
slideshare and a free comprehensive course on
Research Data Management (MANTRA).
The second post is more ‘how-to’ and illustrates different ways to manipulate these functions within Scrivener.
Firstly, lets begin with Label and Status. These two options are easily accessible in the Inspector under the General Section. They both have easy-to-access drop-down menus that can be customised.
Label is most commonly associated with “text naming” in most Scrivener projects and Status is associated with the version of the text. For instance, in thesis writing you might Label different text sections Observation, Field-note, Analysis whereas the Status of these same pieces of text could be First Draft, Sent to Supervisor, Pending Edits .
Examples
|
Label
|
Status
|
Option 1:
|
Chapter
Section
sub-section
Introduction
Conclusion
|
Draft
1st Revision
Edited
Final
|
Option 2:
|
Interview
Observation
FieldNote
Clinical Material
Analysis
Secondary Material
|
Sent to Supervisor
Received back from Supervisor
Pending Edits
Edits Completed
|
|
|
|
Custom Meta-Data is exactly that – another ‘labelling’ systems that allows you to customise the data associated with different pieces of text. Types of Meta-Data you may want to associate with your writings
- Field-notes
- Reflections
- Observations
- Interviews
- Transcript
- Survey Responses
- Location
- Demographic Details
- Geographic Details
- Source
- Case ID
- Academic literature
- Observational
- Quantitative
Keywords can be assigned to sections of text (Tip: keywords apply to the whole section- you can’t select an individual word or paragraph to apply the keyword) and have their own pop-up pane. Keywords can also display on the cork board via a coloured tab.
Another way to categorise or label sections of your writing is via
highlighting. I don’t personally recommend highlighting but it is customisable (you can add a name to a particular highlight colour) and searchable in Scrivener. So if you are a visual person who loves your highlighters- this is for you.
(Tip: A good post on how to custom and search highlighting is accessible here)
I’ve put together a Table to show the different display and search options for these. I think it is important to spend some time thinking and perhaps sketching how you might use these as unlike Comments and Annotations – you can’t convert between the different formats. If you start with one method and change your mind- you’ll have to manually change it all.
Function
|
Label
|
Status
|
Custom Meta-Data
|
Keywords
|
Highlighting
|
Index Card Watermark
|
x
|
✓
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
Index Card coloured pin
|
✓
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
Index Card coloured side tab
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
✓
|
x
|
Outliner Display
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
x
|
Outliner Sort
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
✓
|
x
|
Search for Word or Colour
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
✓
|
✓
|
Search Display as a column
|
✓
|
✓
|
x
|
x
|
x
|
Search within this category |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
x |
x |
Hope this helps
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