[Hitch]

skb:

I actually agree with you about needing to know the question, before you search for the answer.

WRT Scrivener...{shrug}. To me, much of what people seem to like (like card view), I guess I just don't "get." I can do what's done in card view, pretty much, in YWriter, or in OneNote or Evernote, etc.

In Evernote, as it happens, you can create a massive outline of interlinked notes. Use one as your "outline," and then create the research links that you discussed, above, and link those to the main outline. For research, that would be quite good, and I've used it that way.

You can do something similar in OneNote. You can use the "linked notes" feature, with Word and OneNote, which is uber-handy, again, if you are doing soemthing very detailed and research-heavy. In many ways, using these two together--to me, and apparently, me alone--gives you Scrivener, pretty much, and like you suggested, I'd put images, files, etc., in a single Dropbox or other Directory. Perhaps a OneDrive Directory, and really link it all together.

As I stated, what works for you is what works for you. Some people swear by Scrivener, some by PowerBlocks, some by whats-is-name's BB6, etc. I'm sort of old-skool with Word and OneNote, myself, because I'll use it. I've got pretty much EVERY piece of "writing software" made (some for research, some for the biz, some just 'cuz), and they're all designed to suit different types of folks. (I don't know anything about DevonThink; I won't buy Mac-only programs, even for the Mac in my office. I'm a cross-platform girl, myself.)

I do think that if @MarjaE can quantify her problem, then the solution should present itself, I'd think.

Hitch