Using Roam Research in Academia

I have fallen in love with the note-taking, research, “second brain” app called, Roam Research. It is a simple application that enables me to take notes and do research in ways that I have not been able to do with other note-taking systems. As someone who loves to read, research, and write, I find Roam’s approach to be really refreshing and unique. I am excited to use it. I am excited to take notes and work on ideas in its environment. I find myself wanting to continue to develop ideas and take notes even when I’m done with the initial task at hand.

I find Roam has at least three strengths:

1. Prioritizes writing over organizing,
2. Links ideas together (manually and automatically),
3. Harnesses Return on Attention in ways that other apps cannot – the more you use it and the more notes, research, and information you put into Roam, the better it gets.

If you research, write, journal, and even manage tasks, I’d recommend you give it a shot. Here’s how:

  • Setup an account to Roam Research – it is free
  • Watch this short video on YouTube (below)
  • Start typing out some thoughts or notes. Create new pages that are separate notes, ideas, concepts.
  • Begin linking pages together by using the shortcuts [[]] and (())
  • Open Roam on your mobile and use the Quick Capture feature

Here is a whole long article I wrote for the website RoamBrain on how to use Roam Research for academic work. I think you will enjoy it if you are interested in learning a new app of this kind.