Melinda’s story: From index cards to AI
By: Melinda T. (Tourangeau) 17-01-2025
I am 58 years old and finally pursuing my doctorate in
Strategic Leadership—a dream over 20 years in the making. My academic journey has been long and rewarding, including earning two master’s degrees: one in engineering and another in business administration. Achieving my doctorate is both a deeply personal goal and a way to honor my family’s legacy.
When I started my doctorate in March 2022, I discovered an online tool called PERRLA, which was a huge leap from my pen-and-paper days of taking notes and writing research papers. PERRLA helped me easily catalog sources and draft research papers without worrying about APA-7 formatting. Despite embracing this tool, I still clung to my trusty index cards, spiral notebooks, pens, graph paper, and stencils for creating mind maps. Here’s an example of one of my mind maps for a particularly complex literature review:
Fast forward two and a half years to October 2024, when I began an eight-week term to draft my dissertation concept paper—a 40-page document with all the essential components of my future dissertation. Around this time, I came across a tool called LitMaps, my first experience with AI in research. Within 10 minutes, I realized its potential and immediately subscribed. Just two days later, I received an email about a “Literature Review Using AI Tools” seminar led by Ilya Shebanov. Intrigued but cautious, I signed up.
Earlier in 2024, someone had suggested that AI tools could write my dissertation for me. I was skeptical and defensive, unsure about the ethics of using AI in such a way. However, I decided to approach Ilya’s seminar with an open mind, thinking it might introduce me to new, legitimate
research methods.
The seminar was eye-opening. In just four hours, Ilya introduced tools like LitMaps, Obsidian, and several other AI-driven platforms. As someone who had my first computer (an Apple II-Plus with a 5 1⁄4-inch floppy disk) at age 13, I’m reasonably tech-savvy for my age. However, I was unprepared for the sheer power and sophistication of these tools. By the end of the second hour, my head was spinning! I decided to pause the seminar midway to absorb what I had learned so far, knowing I could revisit the content later.
Ilya’s sincerity, clarity, and depth of understanding gave me the confidence to adopt these tools into my workflow. Switching to digital note-taking and semantic searches for sources was a monumental shift for me. Surprisingly, it brought a sense of relief—I hadn’t realized how stressed I was by my disjointed manual system.
I purchased Ilya’s Effortless AI (EAI) course and Effortless Academic Manual (EAM, [now renamed to “Effortless Note Taking”]) course, both of which were generously discounted for students. Starting with the literature review course, I dove into learning how to use Obsidian. It wasn’t easy at first—Obsidian has a steep learning curve—but I was determined. I created a trial vault to experiment with features like annotations, linking notes, and organizing workspaces. It was a lot of trial and error, but I allowed myself the freedom to make mistakes and repeat actions until they became second nature.
The effort paid off. I eventually mastered using Obsidian and other tools, such as SciSpace and Consensus AI, which saved me countless hours finding and analyzing articles. Learning these tools while developing my doctoral topic was challenging, but it deepened my focus and understanding of both my research and my workflow.
By the end of my eight-week term, I had completed a high-quality concept paper, feeling confident and far less stressed. I even created a Map of Content for a section of my literature review, linking paraphrased notes to streamline my writing process. Although I initially wished for an automated way to compile those notes into a draft, manually copying them turned out to be a blessing. It forced me to engage deeply with the material, helping me structure my Problem Statement—a crucial part of any dissertation.
I also found unexpected joy in using Obsidian. Each morning, I felt a pull to my computer, excited to explore new ways to organize and link my notes. I’ve since transitioned to Mendeley for my reference library and plan to adopt Zotero for its seamless integration with Obsidian.
My journey into AI tools has been transformative. Despite my initial doubts, I now embrace these tools wholeheartedly, knowing they enhance—not replace—my scholarly efforts. Ilya Shebanov’s courses have been instrumental in this transformation, providing not only knowledge but also confidence and ownership of my research process.
To anyone hesitant about using AI tools, I say this: the learning curve is worth it. These tools save time, reduce stress, and elevate the quality of your work. Even the challenges along the way become opportunities for growth and discovery. I am confident I will become Dr. Tourangeau in a fraction of the time it would have taken me with my index cards and pens!
Thank you, Mr. Shabanov, for sharing your passion and expertise with researchers like me. Your work has made a profound difference in my academic journey.