Jstor and Project Muse for free?

JSTOR and Project Muse are an academic's best friend. However those from developing countries often find themselves having difficulty in accessing these scientific archives. Good thing, the Global Development Network allows eligible researchers access to scientific and academic journals.

Registering with GDN also allows you to be a member of a robust development network, with annual awards for best papers of young academics, too.

This was lifted from GDN's site:

"In cooperation with J-Stor, GDN offers Free Access to J-Stor Collection to GDNet Registered Eligible Researchers. Through J-Stor, registered researchers can retrieve scanned images of journal issues and pages as they were originally designed, printed, and illustrated.

JSTOR offers both multidisciplinary and discipline-specific collections. These options are designed to provide flexibility for libraries and institutions to choose the sets of journals and collection that are appropriate for their needs.

GDN has granted access to J-Stor Journal Collection to GDNet Registered Eligible Researchers on the Knowledge Base. Researchers will be provided with access to Business I and II and Arts and Science II and VI Collections.The current Collection brings together titles in Economics, Finance, Education, Social Sciences, Political Science, Archaeology, Marketing, Managements and more.

To access any of the collections stated above, please log into your profile available on the GDNet website using your username and password (www.gdnet.org/update ). Once you are logged in, please click over “Your registered services” and choose J-STOR."

If you are not a member of GDNet researchers’ community, please feel free to register your profile online(www.gdnet.org/register) and benefit from other online servicesavailable(www.gdnet.org/online-services)."

Editing a PDF File

I and Mr Bargainhunter, who are relatively young in our respective careers, are almost in an application frenzy. But with most application forms now in PDF format, we find it to be such a hassle to print the forms, fill them up by hand and then scan again for emailing, or worse, to go on foot for postal mailing!

Thanks to PDF Xchange Viewer, it is possible to fill-up those forms, ala typewriter. I find it especially cool too that it has a highlighter function. I can mark certain phrases for emphasis, or easy thumbing later on. Much the same way I mark in neon those passages that strike me, or which I need to be useful for quoting later on.

The sticky notes in the program is also a plus, coz sometimes I want to write down my own thoughts , or just make general scribbles around the text, when I am reading.

And best of all, it comes free!

Converting Files to Pdf Format

If you are using Open Office, chances are you already know that your file can be converted to PDF with the built-in converter in the program. But if you are using MS Word, how do you do it? And how about converting any other file you have to PDF?

In the previous entry, I mentioned about Primo PDF. While it's very helpful in appending many files to one PDF file, it produces a paler output. So if I don't need to append but just need to convert my file to PDF format, there's always Cute PDF Writer. The output file really looks better. Primo is like a point and shoot camera as Cute PDF is DSLR. Try it out.

And if you don't know why you may want to convert a word file to PDF. You have a problem, seriously. Haha. Kidding. Let's say you have a resume or CV. Making that CV in PDF makes it more polished, crisp looking. You also avoid the risk of having any unwanted layout change to your file, as what often happens with Word files opened in another PC.

JoiningTwo Files into one PDF

Here's a big thanks to my friend, Doraemon. Waking up with a "nice" migraine today makes it difficult to think of what topic to write about. And so his comment to my first ever post in this blog came right in time ;)

So the question is, how do you join two files into one PDF? File #1 may be in word processing format or another PDF file.

1. Download Primo PDF.
2. Install the program (it automatically makes itself one of your printers)
3. Open file #1.
4. If file #1 is a word file, click print using the PrimoPDF printer.
5. PrimoPDF prompts you to append or save the file.
6. Choose save as...
7. Primo Pdf converts file #1 to PDF.

8. Open file #2.
9. Print file #2 using the PrimoPDF printer.
10. PrimoPDF prompts you to append or save the file.
11. Choose append to file #1.

You now have two files joined to one. ;)

I find this program very neat. Don't be intimidated with the number of instructions. You can do it in a few seconds really. But this step by step thing makes it easier for the newbie I guess.

In the next post, I will write about other choices to make a word file into a PDF.