2. Definition
Note taking
➢ is an indispensable part of writing a research paper.
➢ Your notes record information from the sources that
you will use in writing your paper.
➢ Therefore, it is necessary to critically evaluate the texts
or articles you are reading and to make reasonable
choices about what will and will not be useful for your
paper. Otherwise, you will overload yourself with
information and spend too much time sifting through
notes.
7. Why Note Cards?
Helps you to organize material
Easier to identify sources
Information at your fingertips
Good study tool
Helps you to avoid plagiarism
8. Types of Note Cards
Cards for recording your sources
Cards for recording notes on your topic
9. Purposes of Source Cards
Every time you find a source that might be useful for
your research paper, you need to prepare a Source
Card for it. A Source Card serves 3 purposes:
1. First, it enables you to find the source again.
2. Second, it enables you to prepare documentation
for your paper.
3. Third, it enables you to prepare the list of Works
Cited that will appear at the end of your paper.
10. Source Card Essentials
Each time you use information from a source, write the
following information on your source card…
1. Author #1
2.Title of article, book, magazine, or other source
3. Place of publication
4. Name of publishing company
5. Date of publication
6. Any other information pertinent to that specific
source being used
Assign a number to each source used. Place it in the
right-hand corner of your note card.
11. Gathering Information
Su
shortened versions of the material; includes lists also
Material is put into your own words
Record author’s material word for word
Summary
Paraphrase
Direct
Quotation
12. Making Summary Cards
➢ Contains the main points of the particular
research in a nutshell
➢ Close your book and then write a summary
➢ No quotation marks (put in your own words)
➢ Use when the source runs too long to be
quoted or paraphrased
13. Making Cards for
Paraphrasing
❏ Writing the idea of another using your
own words and sentence structure
❏ Your most common note form
❏ Usually about the same length of the
original
14. Making Cards for
Quotes
★ Material is recorded exactly as it is taken
from the source
★ Anything that is quoted directly from the
source must be enclosed within quotation
marks
★ Use when the source material is especially
well-stated
15. Parts of a Note Card
Describes the note’s information and keeps you from having to
read the entire note each time you want to know what the note
says
Reason famous 5
“…he was and is an everlasting glory to the literature
of his country.”
102
Page reference
Information
Source card
16. Useful note-taking
software
★ Microsoft OneNote (part of Microsoft
Office; also available as iOS / Android app)
★ Evernote (free and paid versions; also
available as iOS / Android app)
