Read your sources and take notes

1. Read your sources and take notes As you review your sources, keep your controlling purpose and your research question in mind. Closely read only those parts of your sources that are relevant to your topic.

2. Note Taking • Quotation – copy from the original text word for word, including all punctuation. Use quotation marks to signal the beginning and the end of the quotation. Copy the authors exact words when you think they would help enhance a point you plan to make in your report. Use quotations sparingly.

3. Note Taking • Paraphrase – restate the material in your own words. A paraphrase is approximately the same length as the original. Use this method when your notes need to be very detailed. Use paraphrasing more often than quotations.

4. Note Taking • Summary – record the main idea of a passage in your own words. A summary is about one-third the length of the original. Use this method when you want to remember the general idea. Use summary most often.

5. Guidelines for Note Taking • Use a separate large index card for each idea, quotation, or piece of information. At the top of each card, write a brief heading that indicates the note’s main idea. Later, you can group your cards according to their main ideas and arrange them into logical order to guide your draft.

6. Guidelines for Note Taking • In the upper right-hand corner of each note card, record the number of the corresponding source card.

7. Guidelines for Note Taking • Indicate whether the material is a quotation, a paraphrase, a summary, or an idea of your own. This will help you to remember whether the idea needs to be credited to a source.

8. Guidelines for Note Taking • Record the number of the page on which you found the material in your source. This information is essential for giving proper credit to the source in your report; you’ll also need the page number if you want to go back to the source to verify a fact or quotation or to gather more information.

9. Guidelines for Note Taking • As you take notes, remember to keep your research question in mind: “Why is this person a notable American?” Record only information relevant to that question. You may include biographical information and information about the person’s career, but focus on the person’s contribution and why he or she is notable.

10. Sample Note Card Source NO. Feelings About Battle (main idea) Most soldiers felt restless, nervous, and impatient before battles began. One soldier wrote that nothing “brings such crucial trial as the throbbing emotions that precede the clash of arms.” 339 Summary and quotation