Concept
The three lenses: Library, Analysis, Writing
Every project has three views of the same work, and you can jump between them with one key.
A research project moves through stages: gathering papers, making sense of them, and writing. In CurTask these are not separate apps. They are three lenses on one project. Switching lens never leaves the project, and what you do in one lens is there in the others.
Library: the papers in this project
The Library lens lists the papers linked to this project. Add papers from your Global Library with Add from Global Library, import new ones, or discover related papers. Removing a paper from a project leaves it in your Global Library.
Open a paper to see its details, its full text and its Baggage. See Add papers to a project.
Analysis: matrix, coding and themes
The Analysis lens has three views:
- Matrix: a grid of papers and the things you want to compare (methods, sample, findings, or your own columns). The AI can fill it, with a page and a quote for every value. See The literature matrix.
- Coding: mark passages with codes, shown as coloured strips beside the text. See Code your papers.
- Synthesis map: group your codes into themes and show where papers agree or contradict. See The Synthesis Map.
Writing: your manuscript
The Writing lens is where you write, section by section, with your papers beside you. Cite with @, quote from the reader and see the dashed line back to the source passage. The insight margin shows where your accepted analysis supports or contradicts a paragraph. See Write and cite and Corkboard and outline.
Switch lens
Inside a project, the three lenses sit in the rail on the left, under the Global Library icon. Choose one, or use the keyboard:
| Lens | Keys |
|---|---|
| Library | Alt+1 (on a Mac, ⌥1) |
| Analysis | Alt+2 (⌥2) |
| Writing | Alt+3 (⌥3) |
On Home, each project in Continue where you left off also has Open Library, Open Analysis and Open Writing.
The lens icons appear in the rail only when a project is open. See Find your way around.
What travels between lenses
The lenses share one set of evidence. A matrix value you accept can be cited in your draft; a coded passage can become part of a theme; a theme can be sent to Writing as a new section. Wherever a quote ends up, it still points back to its page in the paper. See The evidence line.