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Google Docs for Researchers: Creating, Editing, and Sharing
Your Work Online
Whitney Townsend, MLISHealth Sciences Libraries
University of Michigan
The Document Creation Process1.Create a new document in Word, Excel, or
Powerpoint2.Do a little work on it, then save it to your desktop or
network3.You're going to work on it at home, so you e-mail a
copy to yourself4.You do more work on it at home, save the changes
to your new document, and e-mail to yourself again5.Edit it more at work, then e-mail it to your
colleagues for input and edits6.Save a new copy with your colleagues' edits and
finalize it7.E-mail your document to everyone that needs to see
it
What do you get?many versions of your document floating around
you are tied to the computer or network where your document is saved
you need to have an expensive and compatible software like MSOffice
It doesn't have to be this hard!
With Google Docs you can easily:• access your documents from any computer• upload and edit previously created word, excel, and
powerpoint documents• track the history of your documents' revisions, and
revert to old versions• collaborate, share, and publish your documents
easily
Sounds great! How do I get started?
Create (or log in to) your Google account
Start uploading, creating, and sharing documents!
www.docs.google.com
Adding content to your Google Docs account
Documents (up to 500KB)HTML files and plain text (.txt), Microsoft Word (.doc), Rich Text (.rtf), OpenDocument Text (.odt) and StarOffice (.sxw).
Presentations (up to 10MB from your computer, 2MB from the web, 500KB via email)Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt, .pps).
Spreadsheets (up to 1MB)Comma Separated Value (.csv), Microsoft Excel (.xls) files and OpenDocument Spreadsheet (.ods).
PDF Files(10 MB from your computer, 2 MB from web)
upload existing documents
http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=37603&topic=15119
Storage Limits
In a nutshell: • Docs: Each doc can have a maximum size of 500K, plus up to 2MB
per embedded image. • Spreadsheets: Each can be up to 256 columns, 200,000 cells, or
100 sheets--whichever is reached first. There's no limit on rows.• Presentations: Files in .ppt and .pps formats can have a maximum
size of 10MB or 200 slides; files uploaded from the Web can be up
to 2MB; emailed files can be up to 500K. • PDFs: You can store up to 10MB per PDF from your computer and
2MB from the web in your Docs list, up to 100 PDFs.
Editing your Google documents
• Editing works much like traditional applications (MS Office etc.)
• Functionality is limited, but improving all the time!
• Use the "Revisions" tab to revert to previous versions of your doc
• Be sure to save before closing your document!
Google Docs
• Basic word processing • Similar to MS Word• Fewer fonts, symbols, features, etc.• Not compatible with Endnote, Refworks, or Zotero
citation management softwares Great for:• working on drafts with multiple collaborators when
meeting is impossible• converting Word files to PDFs without expensive
software
Spreadsheets
• Excel-type spreadsheet files• New enhancements coming all the time• Ability to insert graphs, charts, and "gadgets"• Instant formulas
Great for:• Collaboratively adding data to a single spreadsheet
file• Basic to intermediate functionality• Real-time updates for collaborators-no more waiting
for the newest version to be e-mailed• Basic forms
Forms for Spreadsheets
• Easily create basic forms• Forms can be e-mailed or embedded onto a
webpage• Data from submitted forms is put into a spreadsheet• Form templates are available, or you can make your
own Great for:• Quickly collecting basic information from colleagues
(current phone, title, etc.)• Populating spreadsheets with data points for
information that is entered regularly
Presentations
• Basic Powerpoint-type presentation tool• Ability to share and collaborate on basic
presentations• Easily publish and conduct presentations online• New templates added frequently
Great for:• Clean, basic presentations• Online presentations with chat option• BACKUP!!!!
Useful Google Docs Tools
PDFs
• Upload PDFs (articles etc.) and share with colleagues
• Convert files to PDF without expensive software
• CANNOT edit original PDF documents
Templates
• Create or select frequently used document types
• Lots of background options
• Particularly useful for Forms
Collaborating using Google Documents
Sharing your documents
• Invite others as "collaborators" or "viewers"o collaborators can edit
the document, viewers can only see it
Collaborating using Google Documents
Publishing your documents
Publish your document to the Internet (unique URL)
Publish your document directly to your blog
OR
Converting your Google docs to other file types
OR, Sometimes it needs to be in Word!
Google Docs supports export to the following file types:
Documents: HTML (zipped); RTF; Word; OpenOffice; PDF;TextSpreadsheets: .csv; .html; .ods; .pdf; .txt; .xls (Excel)Presentations: .pdf; .txt; .ppt (PowerPoint)
Using Google Presentations
Show as a standard slideshow, or do more!
Provide the unique URL for remote viewing of your presentation
Invite others to participate in your presentation
Answer questions and share comments using the chat feature
THINGS TO REMEMBER• Google Docs IS NOT the same thing as MS Office!• There is less functionality in Google Docs compared
to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint• Importing existing MS Office docs is not seamless;
you may need to do some editing (does NOT support Office 2007!)
• Exporting Google Docs to other filetypes is not seamless; you may need to do some editing
• The primary advantages of Google Docs are its web-based access mode and collaborative features
• Keep your Google Docs organized! Make folders, and use the "revisions" tab instead of saving old copies of a working document.
The Big QuestionIs Google Docs secure?
What Google says:Rest assured that your documents, spreadsheets and presentations will remain private unless you publish them to the Web or invite collaborators and/or viewers. Once you're signed in, you can grant access to whomever you'd like. Until then, your documents, spreadsheets and presentations are private. Because robots and spiders can't get to your documents, spreadsheets or presentations, your docs won't appear in any search index. Keep in mind:• Documents are hosted on Google's servers• Default sharing permissions are NOT the most secure options available• There has been one security breach (will discuss)• Do not store highly sensitive information• Make sure your Google login and password is extremely secure
How could I use Google Docs?
Google Docs is good for...
• time sensitive items worked on by multiple people
• items that are worked on from many locations
• drafting and brainstorming
• sharing PDFs
Google Docs IS NOT for...
• the final product of ANYTHING!
• writing that requires Endnote, Refworks, or Zotero (articles, etc.)
• extremely sensitive information
• areas with poor internet connectivity
In Closing Google Docs is constantly being revised and updated; know what's going on by using the "New Features" link OR check out the Google Docs Blog
http://googledocs.blogspot.com
In Closing Don't be afraid to ask for HELP!The Help link in Google Docs is filled with useful information and tips to make your use of Google Docs easy and efficient