How to Take Research Notes

Take organized research notes now, and you'll thank yourself later when writing the paper.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Pencils
• Highlighter Pens
• Index Cards
• Notebooks
• Pens
• Rubber Bands

1. Write down all the bibliographical information - author's name, publisher, date and place of publication - on a 3-by-5 index card when you find a source for research material you would like to use. This will be called a "source card."
2. Number all your source cards.
3. Skim through each source for information on your subject.
4. Write down the information you wish to note on an index card, called an "information card." Write only one piece of information per card, using a direct quote, a paraphrase or anything that will help you remember the information.
5. Jot down the page number of the source from which you got the information on the information card.
6. Number each information card to correspond to the source card of the work from which it comes so that you can always refer back to the source.
7. Organize your information cards according to subject matter. For example, if you are writing a paper about mountain wildlife, separate the cards about bears from the cards about moose. This way, you avoid searching through the cards when writing the paper.

Tips & Warnings

• Paraphrase information as often as possible to cut down on the number of citations you'll have to make.
• Use pen rather than pencil when writing on index cards. Index cards are usually stacked and rub together, so pencil tends to smudge and become illegible.
• Keep your index cards in a case or tightly bound with a rubber band. Make copies and put them in a safe place in case you lose your originals.
• Be scrupulous about citing your sources. If you use someone else's ideas or exact words without giving proper credit, you will be plagiarizing and may be punished.