Taking Notes about

Your Research Sources

How to Record Notes:

1. 4" x 6" index cards

2. Research notebook

3. Loose-leaf paper and 3-ring binder

4. Computer files

5. Print-outs and highlighting and notes in the margins

How to Take Notes:

1. Summary

2. Paraphrase

3. Quotation

4. Common Knowledge

5. Your Own Ideas

What to Include in Addition to the Notes:

1. Author's name and/or title of source

2. Page number from which the note is taken

What to Be Careful About:

1. Highlighting -- it is a "passive" form of reading and note-taking -- you might not be fully processing and understanding what you are reading.
2. Copying-and-pasting text from a web page or other source into your notes and/or your paper -- this is essentially quotation and many people forget to go back and include quotation marks -- PLAGIARISM -- many people also forget to go back and include the author's name and page number - PLAGIARISM.
3. Not taking enough time -- this can lead to sloppy note-taking and incomplete citations -- PLAGIARISM.