Notes in a Notebook vs Clippings

I'm using Logos as an aid to writing a seminary paper. I've been reading lots of resources and journals in Logos. When I find an interesting quote that I may end up using as I write the paper in the coming weeks, what's the best tool to use to store it in Logos? Do I use a clipping that I give a title to and add tags specific to my paper (and/or sub-topic)? Or I should I create a brand new note that is stored in a notebook dedicated to research for the paper?

Thanks!

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Simon’s Brother

I would recommend clippings for this purpose. That is the intent of them, for collecting quotes etc and addicting some brief notes and tags. You might create a file for each paper or each research topic.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228636#Comment_1228636

I would recommend clippings for this purpose.

[Y] Definitely.

You may want to create separate clippings or notes files for different topics or subjects in your research. Since there is no way to create 'folders' in either notes or clippings to help you organize them, this is the best work-around we have.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228649#Comment_1228649

Thanks for the ideas. I like the notebooks idea because I can have multiple of them, but I guess I can accomplish the same thing with clippings and tags. Just seems like a little more work.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1228989#Comment_1228989

Think of clippings as note cards that have the quote and the citation which will be important in the paper.

Notes are useful in the research stage for capturing ideas, thoughts, reflection. Also, one nice thing about notes is that they can be directly imported to a sermon document which can then be exported to a MSWord document. Think of this workflow: collect research in notes=>sermon doc which is a draft of your paper (you can directly import the research in notes)=>export to MSWord for final editing.

I just wish there was a way to directly import clipping to a sermon doc too! Maybe in a future upgrade?

Dan

what's the best tool to use to store it in Logos?

My rule-of-thumb is, anytime I *can* use Clippings, I *do* use Clippings. It is a more intuitive tool, and a simpler tool. If it works for what I need, I use it over the Notes tool.

For your specified use, Clippings is the specific tool designed to do what you are suggesting to do.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1229042#Comment_1229042

I may have run into an issue with clippings. I see that I can tag them - which I have been doing. But I haven't found a way that I can search for them - especially in the documents tab. Am I missing something? (I mean search for the tag)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1229114#Comment_1229114

Have you tried mytag: ?

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1229132#Comment_1229132

Aaaaaah - conceptual breakthrough here. Each clippings "document" can contain more than one clipping. I was putting every clipping that I found useful in its own clippings document. It was becoming unmanageable.

The way to search for a tag is to open the clippings "document" and do ctrl-f (is there not a UI element to open find?). This search also applies to text in the clippings. The mytag: modifier is not supported in this context.

Another way to search for a tag is from main search...other. The mytag: modifier *is* supported here.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1229132#Comment_1229132

Thanks for the mytag tip!

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1229199#Comment_1229199

Each clippings "document" can contain more than one clipping.

Bean-go.

I wish I'd picked up on that earlier...I'd have been more helpful. [:(]

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1229199#Comment_1229199

David,

I know this is very after the fact, but your conceptual breakthrough was a game-changer for me as well, so thank you for pointing it out!

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249886#Comment_1249886

Based on above discussion, it seems like there is a place where Clippings are a more useful tool than Notes. If that is the case, there should be at least 1 thing that a Clipping does that a Notes cannot do – something unique to Clippings.

To identify that 1 or 2 unique things that Clippings does relative to Notes, I did the following experiment. I cut-paste a para from a book (not a Bible) I was reading. Sounds like a place to use Clippings based on discussion above.

See Screenshot for Clippings

I copy-pasted the same para on to Notes. See Screenshot for Notes

Let’s compare

	Clippings	Notes
Copy-pasted information	“Clipping”	Anchor
Resource information	Full book name on top left	Abbreviation included along with Anchor
Resource information	Clickable information takes you back to Resource	Clickable information takes you back to Resource
Can add Tags?	Yes	Yes
Can take Notes?	Yes	Yes
Bibliographic info of Resource	When you hover mouse over Notes, an Arrow pops up. You hit the Arrow and the Biblio is there, which can then be copied	When you hit the link to the Resource abbreviation given in the Anchor, it takes you to the Resource. Hit the 3 Vertical Dots menu button, then Information about the Biblio information is available, which can then be copied

Where is the copy-pasted Information coming from?	It tells you in the top-middle of the Clipping. In the example, it was “Preface”	Not Available
When was Clipping made?	It tells you at the top Right	Not Available

If I am missing any comparison points, please let me know. Based on above comparison, it looks like Clippings provide 2 unique things relative to Notes (the last 2 comparison points above). Is this worth it? You have to decide.

Other things to consider:

If you use Clippings and Notes, is it easy to search Tags in both Clippings and Notes? Or is it easier to do Search with Notes alone or Clippings alone? I don’t know.
If you use Clippings and Notes, is it equally easy to search both Tools to extract all the personal notes you have taken on a topic using your own tags? Or is it easier to do Search with Notes alone or Clippings alone? I don’t know.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1229132#Comment_1229132

Have you tried mytag: ?

Mytag doesn't work for tags in clippings or notes....

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249923#Comment_1249923

Have you tried mytag: ?

Mytag doesn't work for tags in clippings or notes....

I think it does - just searched my docs with mytag:xxxxx for a tag I put into a clipping, works great.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249921#Comment_1249921

1Cor10:31,

That is a fantastic compilation of compared features. Thanks for taking the time to put together!

From the perspective of what I am personally looking for, and where I think the two different tools diverge slightly (at least in my mind) is the fact that Notes are very tied to the Bible text itself, whereas Clippings are not.

Notes seems to have a strong bias toward/was designed to work around being anchored to scripture text. That is very helpful and relevant for my Bible study, but is not as much (at least as I've been trying to use it) for more "scholarly" study, such as my Greek vocab/syntax or other historical/conceptual information not directly tied to the text (such as history/concepts/events/etc. about early Christianity/heresies/etc.) that are not linked to verses in the Bible. Clippings is starting to work as a great filing system for these kinds of things for me.

For topics/issues that aren't easily categorized within a Bible-book hierarchical framework, I find the Clippings system to create virtual topical filing cabinets a lot easier to use.

I don't know if that makes sense.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249923#Comment_1249923

Mytag doesn't work for tags in clippings or notes....

Could you post a screenshot of your test? It works for me -- tags would be useless if it didn't work.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249921#Comment_1249921

Bibliographic info of Resource

When you hover mouse over Notes, an Arrow pops up.

When you hit the link to the Resource abbreviation given in the Anchor,....

The arrow "pops up" at the bottom of Notes in Clippings.

Harder to get biblio in Notes.

Where is the copy-pasted Information coming from?

It tells you in the top-middle of the Clipping. In the example, it was “Preface”

Not Available

Advantage: you can modify that top-middle text to clarify the source in Clippings.

When was Clipping made?

It tells you at the top Right

Not Available

It is available in Notes on hover in Default view.

If you use Clippings and Notes, is it equally easy to search both Tools to extract all the personal notes you have taken on a topic using your own tags?

Advantage: You can search the selected source text in Clippings but NOT in Notes

is it easier to do Search with Notes alone or Clippings alone? I don’t know.

How you search for tags or text is a personal matter:

if related, search both Notes and clippings
your tags should be more concise than text if looking for a topic
search text if looking for a specific phrase

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249984#Comment_1249984

Dave,

I realize it may be asking a lot, but would you consider making a Youtube video walking through some of your "tips and tricks" and workflows for how you use Clippings (including, perhaps, highlighting some of the differences between Clippings and Notes)? I am a relatively new user of Logos and I feel I personally would benefit tremendously from your experience, and I suspect other users might as well. It feels to me like Clippings might better meet some of my needs, but I am still trying to wrap my head around how to best organize my studies and research in Logos.

Of course, I don't really know how hard it is to record a video like that, so maybe it is not practical.

In any case, thank you for your input.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249986#Comment_1249986

would you consider making a Youtube video walking through some of your "tips and tricks" and workflows...
Of course, I don't really know how hard it is to record a video like that, so maybe it is not practical.

I would trip over myself in a video!

I am not a Notes person ---> (Notes = Notes tool)
I use Clippings for Bible Study on topics or bible books and they can be easily printed as necessary

Notes are hopeless for collating and printing unless you do Sermons.
You can have one set of notes with a multiple-clip Clippings document, or have notes with each clip.

So I research passages as part of that Study, rather than studying passages or quotes for their own sake and documenting as Notes.
I use hierarchical folders in Favorites for significant quotes that may or may not be related to current/past Studies.

they could easily be linked in a Clipping (as well as bible passages) if necessary.

If using the app with a Small Group, linked items will "pop-up".

Please ask for clarification or pose other questions.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249995#Comment_1249995

Totally understood. I would also not know how to go about putting together a video!

One last ask:

Would you be willing to share some screenshots of how you organize your folders and research so that I could visualize it?

I am still trying to see how people who have already thought about this have "invented the wheel" and put things together.

If not, no worries. Thank you once again for having chimed in.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249928#Comment_1249928

Have you tried mytag: ?

Mytag doesn't work for tags in clippings or notes....

I think it does - just searched my docs with mytag:xxxxx for a tag I put into a clipping, works great.

I agree Mytag: works with documents.... but I still cannot use Mytag: to find a tag of a note in Notes... am I missing something?

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249984#Comment_1249984

Thank you Dave for your point-by-point response. Much much appreciated.

1Cor10:31">
Bibliographic info of Resource

When you hover mouse over Notes, an Arrow pops up.

The arrow "pops up" at the bottom of Notes in Clippings.

Harder to get biblio in Notes.

Thanks for the clarification on where the arrow “pops up”. Your are right; it is at the bottom. My bad.

I also agree that that is harder to get biblio in Notes. Extra clicks are extra clicks.

1Cor10:31">
When was Clipping made?

It tells you at the top Right

Not Available

It is available in Notes on hover in Default view.

Thank you. I seem to have always used the “Compact” view and so knowing this helps.

1Cor10:31">
If you use Clippings and Notes, is it equally easy to search both Tools to extract all the personal notes you have taken on a topic using your own tags?

Advantage: You can search the selected source text in Clippings but NOT in Notes

THIS IS A BIGGIE! I didn’t realize this advantage that Clippings had over Notes.

Dave: I always Highlight and then take Notes. So there are 2 items under “Notes”: one for Highlights and one for Notes. (Sometimes, I also simply Highlight some material without adding Notes.)

CAN I SEARCH ON MY HIGHLIGHTS? If so, Clippings will be unnecessary for my needs and I will stick to the way I’m taking Notes, by highlighting first and then taking Notes. Thanks.

1Cor10:31">
is it easier to do Search with Notes alone or Clippings alone? I don’t know.

How you search for tags or text is a personal matter:

if related, search both Notes and clippings

your tags should be more concise than text if looking for a topic

search text if looking for a specific phrase

It is good to know that we can search Notes and Clippings. Will both Notes and Clippings show up if I search under “Docs”? If not, how do we search both? Thanks

I use Clippings for Bible Study on topics or bible books and they can be easily printed as necessary

Notes are hopeless for collating and printing unless you do Sermons.

I got the above from one of your other replies. I agree when I tried to print Notes, it was just bad. It required lots of cleaning.

I would trip over myself in a video!

I had to cancel class last semester due to family emergency. I has to do a video recording for the missed class. It was super easy. 1. Start Zoom recording. 2. Share Logos screen (I shared my Powerpoint slides). 3. Do whatever you do on Logos. 4. Then stop recording.

Thanks

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250042#Comment_1250042

I still cannot use Mytag: to find a tag of a note in Notes... am I missing something?

it seems that syntax doesn't work in Notes, however, using the tag's name you can find the tags in the facets search of the Notes tool

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249997#Comment_1249997

Would you be willing to share some screenshots of how you organize your folders and research so that I could visualize it?

I am not organized in a systematic way, as this partial Favorites list will demonstrate:

Bible Study Groups lets me know where I am with each group as they have different studies.

The 2300 Days may eventually be placed under Eschatology, which has many clips without sub-folders.

The key element is to rename each link so that I can grasp the topic/clip in three words or less.

When I get systematic the title is Subject (Source).

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250135#Comment_1250135

Fantastic. Thank you very much.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250135#Comment_1250135

Fantastic. Thank you very much.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250071#Comment_1250071

Dave: I always Highlight and then take Notes. So there are 2 items under “Notes”: one for Highlights and one for Notes. (Sometimes, I also simply Highlight some material without adding Notes.)

CAN I SEARCH ON MY HIGHLIGHTS?

See https://wiki.logos.com/New_Search_HELP#Highlighting

You can search for words in highlights e.g. watcher IN highlight:Personality

Will both Notes and Clippings show up if I search under “Docs”? If not, how do we search both?

1. Yes

2. Select both from All Docs

.

I has to do a video recording for the missed class. It was super easy.

The mechanics is easy but scripting the recording is a different matter!

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1249921#Comment_1249921

I don't use clippings (haven't seen the need so far)... but I do use Notes... and in my notes... I have a lot of references to other books..... which I use the L4 link with. For example... say I am studying John 7:39 and in my searching... I find something in "The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian Today" .... so I highlight the first sentence of the paragraph I want to use... then go to my note on John 7:39... add the text to name it.... highlight that text and then add "link" (the chain icon) insert my L4 link and save it.

This way I don't have all the "extra" text in my notes and I can click on the link and pop up that book to read as much as I want on the subject from that book.

The one big difference in Notes vs Clippings... is that in a document... clippings can be seen in Mobile app.... whereby in my notes the L4 link does not work.

I am hoping that links will work with Notes verrrrrrry soooooon! [8-|]

To me... this gives me the best of both worlds.... clippings and notes.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250142#Comment_1250142

1Cor10:31">
Dave: I always Highlight and then take Notes. So there are 2 items under “Notes”: one for Highlights and one for Notes. (Sometimes, I also simply Highlight some material without adding Notes.)

CAN I SEARCH ON MY HIGHLIGHTS?

See https://wiki.logos.com/New_Search_HELP#Highlighting

You can search for words in highlights e.g. watcher IN highlight:Personality

1Cor10:31">Will both Notes and Clippings show up if I search under “Docs”? If not, how do we search both?

1. Yes

2. Select both from All Docs

.

1Cor10:31">I has to do a video recording for the missed class. It was super easy.

The mechanics is easy but scripting the recording is a different matter!

Thanks a lot, Dave. Felt silly for not having figured that out myself instead of asking in the Forum.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250399#Comment_1250399

Felt silly for not having figured that out myself instead of asking in the Forum.

Yes, but now there is an answer in the forums so that others won't feel silly asking the same question. I think that makes it a Christian act of kindness to celebrate.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250279#Comment_1250279

I don't use clippings (haven't seen the need so far)... but I do use Notes... and in my notes... I have a lot of references to other books..... which I use the L4 link with. For example... say I am studying John 7:39 and in my searching... I find something in "The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Christian Today" .... so I highlight the first sentence of the paragraph I want to use... then go to my note on John 7:39... add the text to name it.... highlight that text and then add "link" (the chain icon) insert my L4 link and save it.

This way I don't have all the "extra" text in my notes and I can click on the link and pop up that book to read as much as I want on the subject from that book.

The fundamental difference is that you are studying a passage whilst I might be studying a bible book or topic. Clippings cater for a large selection of a resource, but always provide a link back to the resource. And I can also create many L4 hyperlinks to other resources.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250418#Comment_1250418

Good discussion.... thanks to all!

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1250399#Comment_1250399

Based on Dave’s suggestion here (https://community.logos.com/forums/p/216273/1259543.aspx#1259543), I’ve been using Clippings for my Topics study. I found another benefit of Clippings compared to Notes (I am sure long-term Logosians know this). When I clip a passage from a resource, then in the clipping document, the verses are hyperlinked. Therefore, it is easy to check the Bible reference with the Clippings. On the other hand, if I use Notes, then the same passage will be an Anchor in the Note, but the verses are not hyperlinked. So here is a situation where Clippings > Note. This benefit clearly increases with the number of verses being included in the passage you’re clipping. Typically, when you are doing a Topic study, there will be a lot of verses and hence clippings come in very handy indeed. Thank you Mr. Dave for exposing me to the benefits of Clippings. I am enjoying the usage so far.

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