How I Set Up Scrivener for my PhD Dissertation

OPEN ME!: At long last I finally have a video on Scrivener. I had so many issues filming this lol. This is not an exhaustive list of everything Scrivener can do, but I got a lot of questions asking how I set up my Scrivener binder for my PhD Dissertation. So I'm opening up my diss file and giving you a tour of what things looked like and how I used it. I hope this is helpful to other academics. I noticed when I started using it that most of the videos I was finding were geared towards creative writing projects, so I had no real guide in how to set things up for my dissertation. Hopefully this will help others avoid the same frustration. I hope you enjoy! :) xx

Let’s connect!

Snapchat: seversonsimotti

Random Fact: I have tried filming this video 5 times. I hate trying to record my screen lol.

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions expressed on this channel are entirely my own. None of the products featured or mentioned are sponsored. Any links included are just to provide you with more info, they are not affiliate links.

[AndreaJSeverson]

QUESTIONS ABOUT CITATION MANAGERS...I get a lot of questions in the comments about citation managers so I thought I'd pin a comment at the top to address this. I didn't use a citation manager for my dissertation. Apparently I'm the only one who still manages their citations and sources manually the old fashioned way lol. That's how I learned and I just never bothered changing it. So I don't know how you would use a citation manager with Scrivener. Also, the version I'm using in this video is Scrivener 1. I now have Scrivener 3. It would be worth it to research using citation management software with Scrivener 3. I think someone had mentioned they found a video on YouTube that showed this. So it probably is possible, it's just not something I'm able to help with.

[jeffreygang]

This is one of the most helpful Scrivener videos for academics I have come across. Thank you so much!

[ldmcravin]

It’s 2021, and this video is still relevant! I appreciate it. Thank you.

[booksnlipstick]

Wow this was so helpful!!! I’m about to defend my phd proposal (and begin writing) so I’m glad I came across this. I’m also really glad you’re based in the Humanities - too often PhD content on YT is STEM-based and adapting methods is a whole other exercise.

[duaneshort]

Best Scrivener tutorial I've seen. Literature and Latte should pay you! Thank you!!!

[brittokeefe]

Absolutely brilliant, thank you so much. Scrivener appears to have an abundance of features over Latex and looks to be more user friendly. I am in the infancy of a Ph.D. and loved your video. Thank you thank you thank you.

[andreaannibale]

Just wanted to say thank you a million times over for this tutorial! I needed it for my dissertation, but the suggestion at the end to use this for setting up teaching modules was the thing that saved my life. I've been struggling for years to find a way to organize my courses and I finally feel like I have a place to brainstorm and organize so that I don't feel like I'm losing my mind every week.

[aniccab]

The most helpful Scrivener videos for academic writing. Thank you, Andrea. Great job!

[sgmummyful]

This is the most helpful Scrivener tutorial I have watched on essay-style writing. It really showed me the tools it provides to structure both time and essay. Thank you.

[ruthgenevieve]

Wow! You're super organized! I really enjoyed this video. I've been using Scrivener for a few years now, but only for important academic writing projects. I've only learned the basics (enough to get by, lol), but this video inspired me to go and really explore everything that Scrivener has to offer, especially now that I've started my PhD. From seeing the headers of your dissertation, I think it's fascinating that you've done research something related to fashion! That's really cool! =)

[RoccosPlace]

I used to use Scrivener. I took a class in its use, got a book. Then I lost a project. I opened up a project I had been working on the night before and it was empty, 39, 000 words gone. Not to mention the whole outline. I went for the backup, which Scrivener has a convoluted way of storing and reinstating, and it was just a bare outline. I backup my files to a cloud service in case of a drive crash, but it was just a copy of what Scrivener called a backup. I contacted my instructor, got on the forums no one could tell me where my project had gone or what I did wrong. It was just gone. Since I do not know what if anything I did wrong I just do not trust Scrivener. But, I love Scrivener's features. So, now I write in FocusWriter or Bambo Paper and cut and paste it into Scrivener. So, I can still use the features I love but if Scrivener pulls another Houdini I have another copy. I also backup the FocusWriter to the cloud. I also cut and paste to OneNote as well, color me paranoid.

[PorschaWrites]

Coming back to this! Not doing a dissertation but I do long form non fiction and this is a life saver, thank you

[Books_and_Butterbeer]

I am just starting with my PhD and I am so happy about your video! Thanks for all the explanations! I will use Scrivener as well now <3

[marlijnmeijer]

Great video! One of the only ones focused on a dissertation, so helpful! I followed the whole tutorial manual and it did not include how to edit the target of the words, so thanks for discussing that!

[Tom-ktlu]

Was skeptical at first, but good stuff. You’ve converted me.

[keithbothamley]

What an excellent video. Just about to start a long project on the Greenland Norse and you have given me the confidence to delve into Scrivener and use it. If only Scrivener has existed when I wrote my PhD 30 years ago! Many thanks.

[Atheeleyah]

I am looking at Scrivener now for my Master's Thesis and will use it when i continue on for my doctoral degree. Thank you so much for this video! The way you broke each section down on the basics of Scrivener has helped me tremendously!

[myrnamoretti]

I'm just starting my diss and this was so much more helpful than the Scrivener video. I was about to give up but I'm going to stick with it now!

[brucejiang]

Thank you so much. Your video has offered the clearest demonstration for how a researcher can use Scrivener for academic writing. The official L&L tutorial is useful and tries to cover all the potential users, but it is less informative for a specific group of users, like researchers. Your video fills up the gap; I will use this app for the next papers.

[aprillindala]

This was the video that pushed me into purchasing Scrivener! I do love working with it. Thank you so much for taking the time to show various aspects of your dissertation. Working on my proposal now.