notecards for research paper

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The Note Card System

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When you are faced with starting a research paper, the most important part of researching and beginning to write is organizing the information and your thoughts. If you are not organized, it will take considerably more time to write the paper.

To make it easy on yourself, you can use an index card system as you gather information. With this method, you categorize the information you find by topic. For each topic, you could have any number of cards from several different sources. Later, as you write your paper, each card topic becomes a body paragraph (supporting idea) in your paper.

Researching

As you find interesting facts about your topic during your research, you should write them down. Each sentence or idea that you find should be paraphrased (summarized in your own words), and written on a card. In order to keep your ideas in order, and to remember where you found the ideas, there are four items that you should include on the index card, as you will see below.

Although it may seem tedious to give each note card a topic name, it serves two purposes:

The source title is the name of the book, magazine, website, etc., in which you found the information. In the previous example, the source was given a number , instead of writing out the entire title. You could write out the title on each card, or simply list your sources on a separate sheet of paper, like the example here. Number your sources on this list, and then use the numbers on the note cards to specify which source provided which fact.

Sample Source List

Remember, this is not a complete works cited, bibliography, or reference page. You will need to add the publication information and use the correct citation format (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, etc.) for the formal works cited page.

Item number three is the paraphrased information that you found. It is helpful to paraphrase , or summarize , your research on the index cards while you are taking notes. If you are consistent in paraphrasing at this stage, then you will be certain not to accidentally plagiarize someone else’s work. You will also have less work to do when you are actually writing the paper. the image of a notecard with a mark on page.

It is important to be accurate with the page numbers on your note cards, as you will need them for citations throughout your research paper. Be sure you know which form of citation your teacher requires. (For information on citing your sources, look at English Works! handouts on MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian Style citations).

Once you have written the information down on the note cards, you only need to go back and organize your cards by topic. Group together all the cards that have the same topic (i.e. all the cards titled: “ Hughes’ Poetry ” should be together). When you finish, you should have your cards in piles, one topic per pile. You can have any number of piles and any number of cards in each pile. The length and detail of your paper will determine how many piles and cards you have.

Your piles may look like:

Make an Outline and Start Writing

Once you have separated your cards into piles, each topic pile should become a body paragraph in your paper. That is the key to this system. If every topic directly supports your thesis statement, then each topic pile should become a supporting idea, body paragraph, or part of a paragraph in your paper.

But before you actually begin writing, you should make an outline of the order you want to present these topics in your paper. (For help making an outline, see the English Works web page on Pre-writing and Outlines ). Once the outline is complete, use your note cards as guides and begin writing.

For further help on writing a research paper, refer to the English Works! web page Process of Doing a Research Paper , Guide to Developing Thesis Statements , and/or Guide to Writing Introductions and Conclusions .

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How To Make Notecards For Research Paper In Most Effective Way

Many supervisors, mentors, and teachers recommend their students and apprentices use research note cards while writing research papers. Notecards could be a great tool to organize your word and elements of research.

Note cards might seem like an old and outdated research method, but they still work. They do more than be a tool for you. Notecards help you organize your thoughts that are beneficial in your research and beyond. Let’s talk about some tips and tricks on how to make notecards for research papers.

Table of Contents

Why And How To Make Notecards For Research Paper?

With research note cards, it is easier to track your citations. When citing a source in your dissertation, you can write the source’s name on the note card and add the page number where you found the information. This way, you can quickly find the needed information.

Before writing notecards, look at all the information to write your research document. Once you know basic ideas, gather the main points of your research. Preferably, a 3″ x5″ note card would do your bidding.

Also, notecards look fantastic, and even if they’re scattered around the room, they would add an aesthetic touch to your room rather than making it look messy. Writing notecards will help you stay organized and  write a research paper fast .

Steps Towards Writing Notecards For Research

Here are steps to write perfect notecards for your research paper.

Get Yourself a Pack Of Fresh, Nice Smelling Notecards

When you think of how to make notecards for a research paper, the first thing that will pop up in your mind is: Where are the research note cards? For a dissertation, we will need a lot of them. Try to get some extra. That way, even if you grow short, you will have a new bundle to open and save time during your research process.

Gather More Ideas Than You Need

The more is always safe. It will be great to gather as many ideas and sources as possible when you have the  best research topic . It is the quality of a great writer to always  cite sources . It’s easier than ever to collect sources from the Internet as many as possible. The Internet is like an infinite library. When you have more data, sources, and ideas, you will have more choices to filter out the best. For example, you are  writing an outline for your dissertation  and adding critical points that you are about to discuss. You have twenty key points written on your notecards. When you reconsider and filter out the best, you will probably have half of them left, which is close to ten.

Shortlist The Sources

You have a lot of ideas and a lot of sources written on your notecards. Could you have a look at them again? Now you see that not all ideas sound impeccable anymore. You can take those notecards out, leaving you with the best of them. How easier was it with notecards? Imagine if you were doing this filtration process without notecards. You would have to write a whole new draft for this.

Use A Full Notecard For Each Idea

Remember we talked about getting extra notecards? Now you understand why. Every notecard must be devoted to a single idea. Using a separate note card for each citation, source, or quote would be best. Using one card for more than one idea will cause leaving out essential details. It will also confuse you and make you double-minded. Whatever the page number is, making index cards would always help. Whether you’re researching a 10-page research document or  writing a thesis for a research paper , every notecard must consist of a single idea, be it your own words or some text from a resource.

Write Down The Quotes

In the history of research, quoting and paraphrasing can be great tools to make your paper authentic and reliable. Please use separate notecards to include quotes. A direct statement in quotation marks or creating a bunch of them can make your research look more authentic. Note cards will help you remember where or when you will use them.

Label and Number The Note cards

Labeling and numbering note cards help you avoid trouble and confusion. Imagine the mess if your notecards suddenly fall out of your table and get scattered. It would be like having all your work wasted. You will need hours to reorganize them. Labeling and giving numbers will help you sort them and use them at the exact moment you are going to need them. If your note cards are all labeled and aligned, they can tell you a lot about  how to organize your research paper  as well.

Include Every Attribute / Aspect

A notecard must include every aspect of the source or citation you will use. Let’s create an outline of those factors. A notecard will typically include these necessary points:

• Name of The Author
• The Topic / Title of The Citation
• The Book / Paper that is cited
• Exact Number Of The Page
• Other contributors
• Editions / Versions / Volume
• Date of Publication

Let us discuss one trick that will help you beyond  writing research papers . It will help you in real life too. Whenever you do or say anything, ask yourself first:

Is it necessary?

The same goes for note cards. Only include what’s necessary.

Don’t Use Abbreviations Or Acronyms

When we are talking about how to make notecards for a research paper,  our writers  will disapprove of using abbreviations or acronyms. One abbreviation might have more than one meaning. The same goes for acronyms. This can lead to confusion. Staying accurate is the ultimate goal.

Now you can see that creating note cards for your dissertation is not rocket science if you have the right guide and  Academic writing service . We also learned that note cards are not as old as some might say, and they can help you get the best out of your research. However, if you still need clarification about how to make notecards for a research paper, wait to lose your heart. You can  contact us , and we can provide valuable insights we have learned while writing research over the years.

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Research Note Cards

• Writing Research Papers
• Writing Essays
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Many teachers require students to use note cards to collect information for their first big term paper assignment. While this practice may seem old fashioned and out of date, it is actually still the best method for collecting research. 

You will use research note cards to collect all the information necessary to write your term paper--which includes the details you need for your bibliography notes.

You should take extreme care as you create these note cards, because any time you leave out a single detail, you are creating more work for yourself. You will have to visit each source again if you leave out essential information the first time around.

Remember that citing every source completely and correctly is critical for success. If you don't cite a source, you are guilty of plagiarism! These tips will help you collect research and write a successful paper.

• Start with a fresh pack of research note cards. Large, lined cards are probably best, especially if you want to make your own detailed personal notes. Also, consider color coding your cards by topic to keep your paper organized from the start.
• Devote an entire note card to each idea or note. Don't try to fit two sources (quotes and notes) on one card. No sharing space!
• Gather more than you need. Use the library and the Internet to find potential sources for your research paper . You should continue to research until you have quite a few potential sources—about three times as many as your teacher recommends.
• Narrow down your sources. As you read your potential sources, you will find that some are helpful, others are not, and some will repeat the same information you already have. This is how you narrow your list down to include the most solid sources.
• Record as you go. From each source, write down any notes or quotes that could be useful in your paper. As you take notes, try to paraphrase all the information. This reduces the chances of committing accidental plagiarism .
• Include everything. For each note you will need to record author's name, the title of reference (book, article, interview, etc.), reference publication information, to include publisher, date, place, year, issue, volume, page number, and your own personal comments.
• Create your own system and stick to it. For instance, you may want to pre-mark each card with spaces for each category, just to make sure you don't leave anything out.
• Be exact. If at any time you write down information word for word (to be used as a quote), be sure to include all punctuation marks , capitalizations, and breaks exactly as they appear in the source. Before you leave any source, double-check your notes for accuracy.
• If you think it might be useful, write it down. Don't ever, ever pass over information because you're just not sure whether it will be useful! This is a very common and costly mistake in research. More often than not, you find that the passed-over tidbit is critical to your paper, and then there's a good chance you won't find it again.
• Avoid using abbreviations and code words as you record notes —especially if you plan to quote. Your own writing can look completely foreign to you later. It's true! You may not be able to understand your own clever codes after a day or two, either.
• How to Organize Research Notes
• What Is Plagiarism?
• 8 Tips for Taking Notes from Your Reading
• 10 Tips for Art History Students
• How to Write a Research Paper That Earns an A
• How To Take Good Biology Notes
• How to Take Better Notes During Lectures, Discussions, and Interviews
• Finding Trustworthy Sources
• How to Develop a Research Paper Timeline
• Turabian Style Guide With Examples
• 5 Study Secrets to Ace Your Exams
• 5 Steps to Writing a Position Paper
• MLA Bibliography or Works Cited
• How to Write an Interesting Biography
• Tips for Typing an Academic Paper on a Computer
• 10 Do's and Don'ts for Note Taking in Law School

• / Homework Help
• / Writing Skills

How to Write a Research Paper: Note Cards

Back from the library and ready to go

Read your sources and take notes.

After you've gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes.

• Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or idea per card. This way related ideas from different sources can be easily grouped together or rearranged.
• On each index card, be sure to note the source, including the volume number (if there is one) and the page number. If you wind up using that idea in your paper, you will have the information about the source ready to put in your footnote or endnote.
• If you copy something directly from a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so that you know it is an exact quotation. This will help you to avoid plagiarism . (For more, see What is Plagiarism? ).
• Before you sit down to write your rough draft, organize your note cards by subtopic (you can write headings on the cards) and make an outline.

Check out the differences between these two note cards for a research paper on baseball:

Good note card:

Bad note card:

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Organizing Your Research

• Research Note Cards

You may have used Research Note Cards in the past to help your organize information for a research paper. Research Note Cards have you write out quotes or paraphrased information on a note card and include information such as the topic of the source and where you found the source.

There are five parts to Research Note Cards:

• This is going to be the main idea from your research assignment that your quote will connect to. Creating and organizing your information will make it easier to focus your research and complete your assignment.
• This will be the name of the source that your information is from.
• This will be either the quote or your paraphrased sentence(s) from the source. What evidence in this source did you find that will support your thesis statement?
• This is the page number that you found the quote on. If your source does not have page numbers (like an internet source)you can either leave this blank of include the section of the online source that you found this information in.
• Include the complete citation for your source on the back of the note card.

*Note:  It is important to only put one quote or paraphrase per note card.

In the top left corner of the note card is the topic that the quote relates to in the research paper.

Underneath the topic in the top left corner of the note card is an abbreviated name of the source this quote came from.

In the center of the note card is the quote/paraphrased information from the source.

In the bottom right corner of the note card is the page number the information came from.

On the back of the note card is the full citation for the source.

*Note:  Keep in mind, your note card might not be organized the exact same way as the example. That is okay, as long as you make sure you have all the information needed listed on the note card.

Because the quotes and paraphrases are on their own note card, you can group and reorder them in the way you want them to appear in your research paper.

• Use the topic at the top of each note card to group cards by subject.
• Put the groups in the order they should appear in your paper to support your thesis.
• Within each group of note cards, order the note cards in the way they'll appear in each paragraph of your paper.
• Think about the order information needs to be presented in order to build a case for your thesis.

Once everything is organized by topic and in order, you will have created a map or guide to follow when writing your paper. It may also allow you to spot holes in your reasoning or evidence -- you can then return to your sources (or find additional sources) to fill in the needed information.

Work Cited

"The Note Card System."  Gallaudet University , 2021, www.gallaudet.edu/tutorial-and-instructional-programs/english-center/the-process-and-type-of-writing/pre-writing-writing-and-revising/the-note-card-system/.

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Graduate Research: Note-Taking and Organization

• Getting Organized

Taking Notes

• Reference Managers

Taking Notes for Research Papers

How to Take Notes

First of all, make sure that you record all necessary and appropriate information: author, title, publisher, place of publication, volume, the span of pages, date. It's probably easiest to keep this basic information about each source on individual 3x5 or 4x6 notecards. This way when you come to creating the "Works Cited" or "References" at the end of your paper, you can easily alphabetize your cards to create the list. Also, keep a running list of page numbers as you take notes so that you can identify the exact location of each piece of noted information. Remember, you will have to refer to these sources accurately, sometimes using page numbers within your paper and, depending on the type of source, using page numbers as part of your list of sources at the end of the paper.

Many people recommend taking all your notes on notecards. The advantage of notecards is that if you write very specific notes or only one idea on one side of the card, you can then spread them out on a table and rearrange them as you are structuring your paper. They're also small and neat and can help you stay organized.

Some people find notecards too small and frustrating to work with when taking notes and use a notebook instead. They leave plenty of space between notes and only write on one side of the page. Later, they either cut up their notes and arrange them as they would the cards, or they color code their notes to help them arrange information for sections or paragraphs of their paper.

What to Put into Notes

When you take notes, your job is not to write everything down, nor is it a good idea to give in to the temptation of photocopying pages or articles.

Notetaking is the process of extracting only the information that answers your research question or supports your working thesis directly. Notes can be in one of three forms: summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation. (It's a good idea to come up with a system-- you might simply label each card or note "s" "p" or "q"--as a way of keeping track of the kind of notes you took from a source.) Also, a direct quotation reproduces the source's words and punctuation exactly, so you add quotation marks around the sentence(s) to show this. Remember it is essential to record the exact page numbers of the specific notes since you will need them later for your documentation.

Work carefully to make sure you have recorded the source of your notes and the basic information you will need when citing your source, to save yourself a great deal of time and frustration--otherwise you will have to make extra trips to the library when writing your final draft.

How to Use Idea Cards

While doing your research, you will be making connections and synthesizing what you are learning. Some people find it useful to make "idea cards" or notes in which they write out the ideas and perceptions they are developing about their topic.

How to Work with Notes

• After you take notes, re-read them.
• Then re-organize them by putting similar information together. Working with your notes involves re-grouping them by topic instead of by source. Re-group your notes by re-shuffling your index cards or by color-coding or using symbols to code notes in a notebook.
• Review the topics of your newly-grouped notes. If the topics do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly, you may need to do additional research or re-think your original research.
• During this process, you may find that you have taken notes that do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly. Don't be afraid to throw them away.

It may have struck you that you just read a lot of "re" words: re-read, re-organize, re-group, re-shuffle, re-think. That's right; working with your notes essentially means going back and reviewing how this "new" information fits with your thoughts about the topic or issue of the research.

Grouping your notes should enable you to outline the major sections and then the paragraph of your research paper.

Credit: Online Writing Center, SUNY Empire State College

Organize Your Notes

• After you take notes, re-read them. 
• Working with your notes involves re-grouping them by topic instead of by source. Re-group your notes by re-shuffling your index cards or by color-coding or using symbols to code notes in a notebook. 
• Review the topics of your newly-grouped notes. If the topics do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly, you may need to do additional research or re-think your original research. 
• During this process, you may find that you have taken notes that do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly. Don't be afraid to throw them away. 

Working with your notes involves a lot of repetition: re-reading, re-organizing, re-grouping, and even re-thinking how "new" information fits with your thoughts about the topic or issue of the research. Ultimately, grouping your notes will allow you to outline the major sections and paragraphs of your research paper.

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Note-taking for Research

As you determine which sources you will rely on most, it is important to establish a system for keeping track of your sources and taking notes. There are several ways to go about it, and no one system is necessarily superior. What matters is that you keep materials in order; record bibliographical information you will need later; and take detailed, organized notes.

Keeping Track of Your Sources

As you conduct research, taking time to keep track of source information and to organize that information now will help ensure that you are not scrambling to find it at the last minute, which easily leads to problems ranging from incomplete essays to plagiarism. Throughout your research, record bibliographical information for each source as soon as you begin using it. Maintaining an electronic list (even by copying and pasting information) can be quick and efficient, but you may instead feel more in control of the information you’ve collected by using pen-and-paper methods, such as a notebook or note cards.

The table below shows the kinds of details you should record for commonly used source types. Use these details to develop a working bibliography —a preliminary list of sources that you will later use to develop the final Works Cited page of your essay.

Details for Commonly Used Source Types

Your research may involve less common types of sources not listed above. For additional information on citing different sources, see the chapter MLA Format and Citation.

Taking Notes Efficiently

Good researchers stay focused and organized as they gather information from sources. Before you begin taking notes, take a moment to step back and think about your goal as a researcher—to find information that will help you answer your research question. When you write your essay, you will present your conclusions about the subject supported by your research. That goal will determine what information you record and how you organize it.

Writers sometimes get caught up in taking extensive notes, so much so that they lose sight of how their notes relate to the questions and ideas they started out with. Remember that you do not need to write down every detail from your reading. Focus on finding and recording details that will help you answer your research questions. The following strategies will help you take notes efficiently.

Use Headings to Organize Ideas

Whether you use old-fashioned index cards or organize your notes using word-processing software, such as MS Word or Google Docs, record just one major point from each source at a time, and use a heading to summarize the information covered. Keep all your notes in one file, digital or otherwise. Doing so will help you identify connections among different pieces of information. It will also help you make connections between your notes and the research questions and subtopics you identified earlier.

Know When to Summarize, Paraphrase, or Directly Quote a Source

Your notes will fall under three categories—summary notes, paraphrased information, and direct quotations from your sources. Effective researchers make choices about which type of notes is most appropriate for their purpose.

• Summary notes give an overview of the main ideas in a source in a few sentences or a short paragraph. A summary is considerably shorter than the original text and captures only the major ideas. Use summary notes when you do not need to record specific details but you intend to refer to broad concepts the author discusses.
• Paraphrased notes restate a fact or idea from a source using your own words and sentence structure, particularly in a way that better suits your purpose and audience than the way the original source said it.
• Direct quotations use the exact wording used by the original source and enclose the quoted material in quotation marks. It is a good strategy to copy direct quotations when an author expresses an idea in an especially lively or memorable way. However, do not rely exclusively on direct quotations in your note taking.

Most of your notes should be paraphrased from the original source. Paraphrasing as you take notes is usually a better strategy than copying direct quotations, because it forces you to think through the information in your source and understand it well enough to restate it. In short, it helps you stay engaged with the material instead of simply copying and pasting. For more information on this, see the section Summary, Paraphrasis, and Quotation.

Maintain Complete, Accurate Notes

Regardless of the format used, any notes you take should include enough information to help you organize ideas and locate them instantly in the original text if you need to review them. Make sure your notes include the vital bibliographic information noted above.

Throughout the process of taking notes, be scrupulous about making sure you have correctly attributed each idea to its source. Always include source information so you know exactly which ideas came from which sources. Use quotation marks to set off any words for phrases taken directly from the original text. If you add your own responses and ideas, make sure they are distinct from ideas you quoted or paraphrased.

Finally, make sure your notes accurately reflect the content of the original text. Make sure quoted material is copied verbatim. If you omit words from a quotation, use ellipses to show the omission and make sure the omission does not change the author’s meaning. Paraphrase ideas carefully, and check your paraphrased notes against the original text to make sure that you have restated the author’s ideas accurately in your own words. For more information on this, see the section Summary, Paraphrasis, and Quotation.

Use a System That Works for You

There are several formats you can use to take notes. No technique is necessarily better than the others—it is more important to choose a format you are comfortable using. Choosing the format that works best for you will ensure your notes are organized, complete, and accurate. Consider implementing one of these formats when you begin taking notes:

• Use index cards. This traditional format involves writing each note on a separate index card. It takes more time than copying and pasting into an electronic document, which encourages you to be selective in choosing which ideas to record. Recording notes on separate cards makes it easy to later organize your notes according to major topics. Some writers color-code their cards to make them still more organized.
• Use note-taking software. Word-processing and office software packages often include different types of note-taking software. Although you may need to set aside some time to learn the software, this method combines the speed of typing with the same degree of organization associated with handwritten note cards.
• Maintain a research notebook. Instead of using index cards or electronic note cards, you may wish to keep a notebook or electronic folder, allotting a few pages (or one file) for each of your sources. This method makes it easy to create a separate column or section of the document where you add your responses to the information you encounter in your research.
• Annotate your sources. This method involves making handwritten notes in the margins of sources that you have printed or photocopied. If using electronic sources, you can make comments within the source document. For example, you might add comment boxes to a PDF version of an article. This method works best for experienced researchers who have already thought a great deal about the topic because it can be difficult to organize your notes later when starting your draft.

Choose one of the methods from the list to use for taking notes. Continue gathering sources and taking notes. In the next section, you will learn strategies for organizing and synthesizing the information you have found.

The Writing Textbook Copyright © 2021 by Josh Woods, editor and contributor, as well as an unnamed author (by request from the original publisher), and other authors named separately is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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The note card system

The note card system organizes research notes on 3×5 inch or 5×7 inch index cards. The system has been a staple for researchers for decades and is still recommended by researchers and instructors as a great way to organize your research notes.  However, even if you do not use actual index cards, the method of organizing and sorting notes still proves useful.

“Good notes and critical reading lead you to more sources, inspire new ideas, and pave the way toward sound conclusions. Knowing how to take good notes saves you headaches down the road, as you’ll know when and whom to cite and have clear ideas about the relationships that exist between your documents.” — William Cronon

The Research Note Card

So how do you turn an index card into a research note card?  Well, it so happens that there are simple rules to follow:

One Source Per Card

Clearly identify the source or document from which you take the note. Relating each note to a single source helps you later when it comes time to cite your sources.

One Item Per Card

Try to limit your note to a specific idea or quotation. Concise notes make it easier to rely on the note cards to create outlines and organize your writing.

Label Each Card

Keywords make it easy to track the content of your note cards. When it is time to write, the key words give you ideas on how to group and organize your cards.

Write a Complete Note

Make it clear whether a note is paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting directly, or recording your own thoughts and analysis. Taking this action greatly reduces the chances of unintentional plagiarism.  Additionally, full notes helps you gather your thoughts as you write.

Use Quotation Marks When Quoting

Just in case it wasn’t already clear: use quotation marks to protect against plagiarism. This is by far the easiest what to know when the text you see came from you or from someone else.

The Source Card

Source cards are all about looking ahead. In this case, looking ahead to when it is time to write and cite sources. Recording bibliographical data before you start taking notes helps avoid plagiarism and saves time when it is time to compile a bibliography.

Making Note Cards Better

Ilaro is a database for note cards.  Ilaro works to combine the best parts of the note card system with the intuitiveness and power of iOS.  In addition to providing note cards and source cards,  Ilaro improves the note card system with additions such as cards for both authors and subjects.

The Author Card

Author cards let you see, at a glance, the sources that person has authored or edited.  Ilaro’s author card also allows you to see which subjects you have related to that author.

The card displays the relationships across all your notes in all of your projects.  If you select a project, then the card displays the relationships just within the selected project.  If you select more than one project, then the Ilaro author card will generate and display the combined data for every selected project!

The Subject Card

Future Ilaro development will enhance research workflows by adding key features for organizing note cards and moving your research to the writing process.

More About the Note Card System and Research Note-Taking

The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th Edition by Kate L. Turabian.

The Study Guides and Strategies Website . The  Learning Historical Research website by historian William Cronon. Purdue Online Writing Lab .

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The Notecard System: The Key For Remembering, Organizing And Using Everything You Read

Now to be clear, this is not “my” notecard system. If anything, I use a perverted version of a system taught to me by the genius  Robert Greene , when I was his research assistant. What he taught me was neat, clean and orderly. Mine is more of a mess. But it’s still be hugely helpful to me and I think I’m in a unique position to explain this method to people.

I hope it inspires your own method.

-It’s difficult to describe this in any linear way so I am just going to do this in kind a brain dump way. By the end of it, I promise the system will make sense.

-If I have a thought, I write it down on a 4×6 notecard and identify it with a theme–or if I am working on a specific project, where it would fit in the project. For instance, as I was preparing for my next book,  The Obstacle is The Way , I filled out thousands of these cards for ideas and concepts that I wanted included in the book. Some examples:

“Don’t be the slave of circumstance.” (intro)

“We know objectively that we learn from failure, yet we spend all our time trying to avoid it. Why?” (intro)

“Gaman–the Japanese word for endurance” (Persistence)

“Our actions our constrained, our will is not. We always decide whether we continue or not.” (Will)

“Ulysses S. Grant–incident at Mathew Brady’s studio where glass fell on him and he didn’t move. Also, where he ran toward the explosion at City Point. See: Simpson’s bio” (Nerve)

So those are the kinds of notes I write to myself. Either sentences in my own writing, words I like, questions I have, or examples I think might fit somewhere and want to learn more about.

-Most of the time, what I write down are quotes (I used to  put them on a blog instead  but it was too unwieldy). They’re either famous quotes or quotes from the writer that I think are smart. It’s very important that you mark quotes properly so you never risk forgetting to attribute. To make this extra clear, I always put a circle around the first quotation mark. If I am quoting someone quoting someone else, I’ll usually write “qtd in.”

-If it’s a really long story or example, I will just jot down a few notes on the key points and then put something like: “For a story about _________ see: pg 14 in [insert book].”

Here are some quotes from my Strategy cards:

“It is better to see once than hear a hundred times.” – Gorbachev

Retort: “You may not be afraid to have your hand cut off, but your body will suffer.” – John D. Rockefeller

“Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.” – Schopenhauer pg 77

“Pursuit should be to the last breath of man and beast.” – (Prussian Maxim qtd in Knights Cross)

“All men work more zealously against their enemies than they cooperate with their friends.” – Caesar qtd in Schiff’s Cleopatra pg 19

“Find them! Fix them! Fight them! Finish them!” – Gen. Ridgway/military slogan in Korean War. qtd in Savior Generals.

So those are the kinds of quotes I grab for one particular topic. Most of the quotes are longer than that, but space is constrained here in this post so I won’t rewrite the longer ones for you. For longer quotes, I will type them out and print them. Then I cut them out and tape them to a notecard.

-I’ve talked about this before, but  the key to this system is the ritual : Read a book or an article and diligently mark the passages and portions that stand out at you. If you have a thought, write it down on the page (this is called marginalia). Fold the bottom corner of the page where you’ve made a note or marked something (alternatively, use post-it flags).

-A few weeks after finishing the book , return to it and transfer those notes/thoughts on to the appropriate note cards. Why wait? Waiting helps you separate the wheat from the chaff. I promise that many of the pages you marked will not seem to important or noteworthy when you return to them. This is a good thing–it’s a form of editing.

-In the top right hand corner of each card, put a theme or category that this card belongs to. If a card can fit in multiple categories, just make a duplicate card. Robert uses color coded cards for an extra layer of organization.

Some categories I currently use:

*Life (General advice about life)

* The Narrative Fallacy  (Something I’d like to write a book about one day)

*Strategy (Examples of strategic genius or wisdom)

*Post Ideas (Many cards here have been turned into articles you’ve read)

*Animals (Weird stories about animals. For instance, according to the book  One Summer by Bill Bryson , the hotel that Babe Ruth lived in for most of his career had a live seal living in the lobby fountain)

* Trust Me, I’m Lying  (Media manipulation)

* Writing  (Wisdom about the craft)

* Education  (Wisdom and ideas about learning)

*Misc (Naturally)

-As you compile cards and study different things, it’s not uncommon to organically begin coming across unexpected themes. This is how new categories are born.

-If you are working on a book project where there are a limited amount of themes or you know exactly what they are, it makes sense to introduce a shorthand. For instance, with my last book  Growth Hacker Marketing , I had 6 themes that roughly corresponded with the chapters and structure of the book:

2) Growth Hacking

3) Product Market Fit

4) Growth Hacks

5) Virality

6) Optimization and Retention

-If anyone hassles me about my sloppy handwriting in the photos, I swear to god…

-Originally I would do one set of note cards for a whole book (numbering the cards 1,2,3,4,5 etc–but I found that limited my ability to move the pieces around because unrelated but important ideas were wrongly joined together.

-I think it’s important that the notes are not just about work. In mine, my two most important categories are “Life” (which is mostly advice for myself) and another called “Me”, where I put things that I think are important criticisms or places for improvement in my own life. (By that I mean stuff about dealing with parents, relationships, etc. Just little reminders that help.)

Here are some cards from those sections:

“He’s detached about  your  pain, but God knows he takes his own pain more seriously than cancer… It finally dawned on me that my father, for all his protestations and lectures and writing about detachment, is a very, very needy man.” Margaret Salinger, qtd in Salinger pg 570 (Me)

These people don’t work hard enough for their opinions to matter to you. (Life)

“Just because you’re winning a game doesn’t mean it’s a good game.” Seth Godin,  Icarus Deception  (Life)

“Q: Ok, but what should I be most worried about here? A:  Nothing  should worry you” conversation with a friend (Me)

“Character is fate.” Heraclitus (Life)

“If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud.” – Taleb

Don’t pick fights with members of your own team. (Life)

“You know workmen by the chips they leave.” – Old saying (Life)

-Don’t stress about filling up whole cards. I have hundreds that just have a ONE or TWO words on them. These might be cool new words that I’ve never heard before, words I think have a lot of meaning in them, reminders about topics I want to mention.

-Helpful tip: If you end up using the back of the card (I do it fairly often), put an arrow on the front side. Sometimes when you’re flipping through them, you miss the fact that there is text on the back.

-Get in the habit. If you have an idea, put it on a damn card. If you don’t, you’ll regret it. I can’t tell you how many times I saved my ass writing down a title idea or a thought, I otherwise would have forgotten. It’s a good thing when your own cards surprise you.

-When I go back through the cards, I’ll often remember other things from more recent reading or thinking and add to them. This is why, if you went through all mine, you’d see different colors of ink on the same card.

Other People Who Use This

-I want to be clear that I’m not the one who invented this. I didn’t even perfect it. I’m just explaining it because people asked.

-Here’s Robert explaining his system in  an interview with Andrew Warner at Mixergy  (he shows one of his boxes on camera if you feel like looking):

I read a book and I take, as I’m reading it, I underline it and put notes on the side and then I go back and put them on notecards. And I can gauge a good book will generate 20 to 31 notecards. A bad book will generate two or three notecards and I will find themes in this book and I will take a book that’s maybe not organized very well and I will do the organizing. On page 30 you talk about this and you talk about it on page 180, you should have put those two together but I’m going to put those two together. And I find the themes in there and I break the book down into the gist of it, the heart of it.

And, I categorize it later as I move into the process, I see these themes and patterns that you were talking about that an apprenticeship, creativity, working with a mentor, social intelligence. Slowly the chapters come to life and I’m now able to organize it in various chapters. Each part has the title of the book on it and is color coded, having different colors of cards, depending on the kind of subject that I’m dealing with. If it’s the arts, science, , politics, etc. It’s elaborate. You don’t want to know everything about it, but with this there now, if I’ve done all that work and I sit down to write, I have at my fingertips, all of this. If I want to do Leonardo da Vinci, I have 50 notecards that break him down from every possible angle. I can now, with that, write in a much fuller, deeper, dimensional way because I’ve taken all this information and I’ve organized it.

-Someone also asked him about it in his Reddit AMA.  Here is that exchange  with some info about the color coding:

user: Robert, I’m a big fan of yours. In one interview you mentioned your research method for your books (with index cards and shoe boxes). Could you provide some more detail on the process of your method? [–]robertgreene I read a book, very carefully, writing on the margins with all kinds of notes. A few weeks later I return to the book, and transfer my scribbles on to note cards each card representing an important theme in the book. For instance, in Mastery, the theme of mirror neurons. After going through several dozen books, I might have three hundred cards, and from those cards I see patterns and themes that coalesce into hardcore chapters. I can then thumb through the cards and move them around at will. For many reasons I find this an incredible way to shape a book. user: Ah–found it! Still curious about the colors, but I guess the obvious answer is that they would represent categories, topics, and the like. 🙂 [–]robertgreene The colors represent categories, you are correct. So, for instance, with the War book, blue cards would be about politics, yellow strictly war, green the arts and entertainment, pink cards on strategy, etc. I could use this in several ways. I could glance at the cards for one chapter and see no blue or green cards and realize a problem. I could also take out all the cards of one color to see which story I liked best, etc. It also made the shoebox look pretty cool. user: That’s ingenious–so you’ve effectively created a relational database in a shoebox, because you can have many to many relationships between card colors and chapters. Your passion for organization is one of the (many) things that makes your work so incredibly fun to read and reference. Thank you for sharing some of that with us.

-It looks like the system is also very similar to Luhmann’s  Zettelkasten . Though again, his discipline seems to exceed mine because I am a lot less ordered.

– Ronald Reagan also kept a similar system  that apparently very few people knew about until he died. In his system, he used 3×5 notecards and kept them in a photo binder by theme. These note cards–which were mostly filled with quotes–have actually been turned  into a book edited by the historian Douglas Brinkley . These were not only responsible for many of his speeches as president, but before office Reagan delivered hundreds of talks as part of his role at General Electric. There are about 50 years of practical wisdom in these cards. Far more than anything I’ve assembled–whatever you think of the guy. I highly recommend at least looking at it.

-It’s not totally dissimilar to the Dewey Decimal system and old library card catalogs.

-I’m sure there are other awesome people who use a similar system. If anyone has examples, send away!

What do you use these note cards for?  Whatever I want! Recently I started tweeting quotes that I had taken note of. But that’s just a little thing. I use these notecards for my life. When I have a problem, I flip through them. When I am looking for material in my writing, I use them. For instance,  I wrote this post exclusively off my notecards  (if you couldn’t tell).

How do you know what to write down?  You just write down whatever you want. Don’t stress about it. This is your system. We all have our own preferences. Personally, I look for actionable, small sized chunks.

Where do you put the cards?  I have one big box that I used that’s actually meant for photos. It’s called a  Cropper Hopper . But it took me a long time to acquire enough cards to need that. Before, I used the smaller Vaultz 4×6 Index Card File boxes . There are also cheaper cardboard versions out there.

What do you do when a box gets full?  If I am taking notes for a specific project, like a book, I give it it’s own box. For instance, my  Cash Money  book is just about at the stage where it can fill up a Vaultz box. After another hundred or so notecards, I’ll move it into it’s own Cropper Hopper.

Wouldn’t digital be easier?  Yes. But I don’t want this to be easy. Writing them down by hand forces me to take my time and to go over everything again (taking notes on a Kindle is too easy and that’s the problem). Also being able to physically arrange stuff is crucial for getting the structure of your book or project right. I can move cards from one category to another. As I shuffle through the cards, I bump into stuff I had forgotten about, etc.

Isn’t it hard to carry around?  Yeah, a little. But so what? It pays off so it’s worth it. Joking aside, what I tend to do is just take the section I am working on with me. If I am working on chapter 2–I take those cards. If I am writing a post about education, I’ll take the education cards with me. Very rarely do I find that I need the whole thing with me.

How do you remember it all?  That’s why doing it physically is so important. I am invested in each one of these cards. I made them and arranged them with my own hands. This tactile relationship helps. As one reader put it, it helps make a “memory palace.” I don’t vaguely remember what I put on the note cards, but where I put it, what it’s connected to, what’s around it, when I did it, etc.

Do you review the cards?  Absolutely. If I am lacking inspiration or just kicking something new off, I always try to flip back through them. It doesn’t have to be all of them either. Just grab a few. Another example: When I wrote the new foreword for  Trust Me I’m Lying , I started by going back through the cards. When I starting prepping the paperback of  Growth Hacker Marketing  (out in 2014), I went through the cards and was able to find a place for some that I hadn’t used the first time.

But wouldn’t Evernote be better?  Maybe for you but not for me. If that’s what you want to use then go for it. But I think there is something irreplaceable about the physical aspect. Physical books, physical notecards, that’s the best in my opinion.

What if something happened to your box?   My house recently got robbed  and I was so fucking terrified that someone took it, you have no idea. Thankfully they didn’t. I am actually thinking of using  TaskRabbit  to have someone create a digital backup. In the meantime, these boxes are what I’m running back into a fire for to pull out (in fact, I sometimes keep them in a fireproof safe).

Remember there is no right and wrong way to do this. The system that I have was taught to me by someone and I made my own modifications. His way works best for him, and I have a way that works better for me.

Make your own way. But I think you’ll love this system.

Want to learn more about writing habits? Check out WritingRoutines.com . You can also download the free PDF “ 12 Essential Writing Routines To Help You To Craft Your Own .”

This post originally ran on  ThoughtCatalog.com . Comments can be seen there.

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66 Comments

I’ve always felt overwhelming loss associated with reading because I never knew how to pin down all my favorite quotes / themes and what I thought about them…and in a way that I could quickly reference them again and again. I also often use “clutter” as a reason to take notes or pen down ideas on my computer — however, I often feel a loss there too what with the lack of intimacy when things go digital. The lack of intimacy makes things hard to remember too. I like this. I’m going to try this method for a few months — I imagine the ROI is life-changing. Thanks, Ryan.

Hey Ryan, thanks for this post. It’s gold and I’ve started using it. I also read your post that mentioned that these cards are the first thing you would grab in a fire. That being said, please, get an evernote account or something similar and transfer these cards and categories to it. If anything ever happened to them (flood, fire, robbery, etc.) you could recreate them. By hand if necessary. But you’d have them.

I saw a post about a similar system a while back, I believe it was from you Ryan! It has been a lifesaver, and really helped save my sanity. Reading this updated version has inspired me to upgrade my organization!

I got a Kindle roundabout Christmas 2011. I’ve read probably about 150 books since then and maybe 120 were on the Kindle. I read a lot more now that I have the Kindle (partly because of the portability and the ease of getting new books but also partly because I just make more time for reading than I used to) and I take a ton more notes than I used to (all digital).

But fuck, I’m starting to yearn for physical books again. The Kindle’s so convenient but after 150 books I just can’t help but feel like something’s missing. And I WISH I’d put more time in over the last few years to create a better note-taking system like the one you describe here – my Evernote is bulging with book quotes but I almost never review them and I have my doubts that it’s really paid me back for the time I’ve invested into it. If I’d read 10% less books since 2011 but made better notes, I think that would have been a better time investment.

Part of my problem though (and I know this isn’t an excuse, I’m just saying) is that I LOVE reading books but don’t enjoy making notes for its own sake. If I have a spare half hour, I always prefer cracking open a new book than going back over an old one – the first feels like play, the latter feels like work. Do you or did you ever feel the same way? It is something you just suck up and deal with because it’s worth it (like e.g. the pain of exercise), or do you enjoy it for its own sake?

I like my Kindle (I’m on my 3rd one!) but I do miss the physical notes in a book.

I’m going to add some index cards to my Kindle – and start benefiting from the simplicity of this. I’ve tried using underlining in the e-text, but I just can’t remember which book has the good stuff in it.

I’m a reasonably intelligent person but I’m sorry but I was lost after the first two sentences. Can you simplify this process? If you only had 30 seconds to tell someone (Cliff Notes-style) how to do it before the elevator got to your stop, what would you say Ryan?

I wouldn’t. Because it’s not my job to compensate for other people’s laziness. I can already tell that this notecard system is not for you.

Ryan, It’s not laziness if you’re making it too complex. Geniuses (which I’d classify you as) are able to take something complex and make it simple. Look at what you did with Trust Me I’m Lying. You were able to show how to manipulate the current media to get what you want in a step-by-step process. Find a low hanging fruit blog that a larger blog often hyperlinks/validates to, then go up the ladder to a mid-sized blog then work your way up to the nationals. That’s what I’m asking you here. How would you explain this process to a 5-year-old?

It’s not too complex. It’s too complex for YOU.

Other people are implementing it, and it works for Ryan. So if there’s an issue here, it’s you, not the system.

This article rang for me, because I’ve personally found something very similar to have been very helpful to me for many years. Though I took some amazing tips from it, and will implement them.

Jamie, you may find it helpful to re-read Ryan’s post and think of two words “marginalia” and “commonplace.”

– Read, and whilst reading annotate, highlight, write in the margins if you own the book, if not then certainly take loose notes and page number them. – Set the book aside, get note cards, and create a personally meaningful system of categories that reflects your own goals and interests. – Categorize each card. Transcribe quotes or facts from the places in the book you highlighted or left margin notes, per the card’s theme.

-Struggle and own the method, adapt it to you rown needs, RESIST the urge to ask for explanations because your own elegant solutions will come as you struggle with it.

Read up on Commonplace Books It’s a modern form of Commonplace booking. What Ryan is doing is pretty much straight out of the tradition of classical rhetoric. He compiles topics, tropes, themes, and uses them in the process of “invention” in coming up with topics. This process is a process of discovering new knowledge, from combinations of existing knowledge. This is a powerful process, to ask Ryan to simplify it in a nutshell is almost, in a sense, to insult him and the process.

Trust yourself, trust the freaking process, just start doing it and make it right for you and your needs. If you pause or freeze up due to its perceived complexity then work through it. By working through it you gain proficiency and competence.

Thanks, Kemal!

Extremely interesting system! Out of (slightly weird) curiosity – what is your posture when doing the majority of your reading? I’m interested in knowing whether this process has you arched over a desk, or sitting relaxed in your favorite chair.

Always moving around

Do you read all your books on physical copies or do you use a kindle(or ipad)?

Any criteria that dictates which you choose?

This is an awesome post, but for those of us that are visually orientated why don’t you create a video of the process and how you use this to create and write books.

I am curious as to why you don’t make a customized note card. I used to use vertical 3x5s from Levinger quite a bit. I wanted to change the layout a bit so I went to a printer and had my own made. I used a simple design and I had three “boxes” or sections at the top to write in to help me categorize my cards. I also had the printer use a heavier card stock that seemed to hold up much better than a normal note card. It was surprisingly inexpensive. The pluses are that the cards are now your own. The heavier stock doesn’t seem like it would matter much but it did. My thoughts just seemed more important on a nicer card. If you are going to go through your process then spend a couple bucks and do it on a custom made Ryan Holiday card and then tell me if you didn’t think its worth it.

Because I have zero complains about 4×6 cards after several years of using them?

I had zero complaints about riding my bike until I got my drivers license.

Really, ok.

Last thought. So they stop making index cards tomorrow. You go to the printer and tell him I want a red line on top and then blue lines the rest of the way down on thin enough paper so they curl up on me. I love you Ryan, DON’T EVER CHANGE!

I have been thinking about putting this system into place for my own writing. I first came across it whilst reading ‘Lila’ by Robert Pirsig. Thank you for the article it has given me the push I needed. Keep up the great work. Regards Patrick

According to his biographer, Michael Keene, General Patton used to use a similar system:

“He read every treatise on warfare ever written. He would take copious notes on 4-by-6 index cards for every book that he ever read. It was that immense knowledge of history that he had that he could bring to battle. So he could almost anticipate what the enemy was going to do next.”

Oh shit, what book is this from?

It’s from Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer by Michael Keene. I haven’t had a chance to really dig into it yet, but it explores how Patton’s personality and spiritual beliefs shaped his decisions, as opposed to just another recounting of his military exploits.

Thank you for sharing this system with us, I really appreciate you attention to detail and your no-nonsense step by step explanation of the method.

One quick question – Do you prefer to underline/write in the book/tag etc. the entire book BEFORE writing onto note cards or do you transcribe ideas onto the note cards simultaneously? (In the article you mention that when you have a thought, you write it down on your 4 x 6 cards, and yet you also mention re-visiting books a few weeks after they’ve been read)

Thanks for clarifying, keep up the inspiring work and enjoy your weekend!

I actually finish the book and revisit in 2-3 weeks to take the notes.

I was watching a show about Joan Rivers and she had a 3 x 5 index card system of her jokes and categorized them by type. She had them filed in metal card files and there were lots of drawers of them. She kept them from the beginning of her career.

I bet it’s a pain in the ass to carry these around with you if you get sick of working from home.

Someone on reddit just told me to google you to read about the system. 🙂 I like it! It’s inspired me to tie up some loose ends, I have linger with my system…which is very similar. Just this year I made a gmail account, just for me to send myself creative ideas, interesting quotes, and write down moving experiences. I also send myself articles that I like and it’s nice to be able to write my thoughts or key words to go with it. Then the email can be organized into folders for the different themes. 🙂 It’s a really easy way to bring it all with me and to never feel like I have to wait to record an idea.

Thanks Ryan, I am now inspired to do this constantly and to use them.

Very much enjoyed your RealVisionTV interview. I came to your site to learn more and had the feeling of being “on the same team” when I saw your article on Meditations.

Darwin had a similar system of organizing information. He collected facts and notes in different portfolios based on the subject matter. He further maintained an index for each of these portfolios and so was able to efficiently reference his accumulated knowledge of any topic. See point three in the link below if interested:

https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2016/10/charles-darwins-reflections-mind/

Thank you for the great article. I’m going to implement this in my own life. Just curious do you find it easier to read an entire book through, mark the important pages and then return to put the info on the note cards or do you prefer to do it while reading, or a bit of both? It seems from the post you do it after reading, hence the book markers but I wasn’t exactly sure.

By the way, thanks for all the great work you put out. Just finished Trust Me, I’m Lying, great read!

Just saw an earlier post which answered my question, sorry for the duplication.

Heaven sent. Kismet. And all of that. I am an academic (professor) and loathe that I might find the process so satisfying. thank you for sharing so generously. I also have read your Ego text, your Daily Stoic text, and I treasure both. I just read an interview you gave on another website — and it was simply divine. Thank you for modeling stoicism for us all. Not sure if you have seen the novel, A Gentleman in Moscow — but it seems as if the Count in novel is reading the Daily Stoic for 32 years in Moscow… Cheers.

I was searching for notecard systems after reading Will and Ariel Durant’s dual autobiography and not having much luck. The book talks a lot about his writing and the use of “classification slips” to cover the depth of material, especially for The Story of Civilization series they did.

And then by chance I came across this post! Super super helpful. Thanks for sharing this!

PS: Heard your podcast on Ferriss a while back. Your post was a good reminder to order your two books. Done!

Thanks much for sharing. I use a similar note-taking system using Evernote. I take my notes ‘live’ while reading, or at least at the end of every reading session. Ebook notation just isn’t there yet, and you can’t mark up the library books, LOL

I have one evernote “note” for each book, with category tags denoting the type of book. Within each note, I have sections: How I came across the book. Where I got it. The dates I completed reading it. The Book Notes themselves. And a Review for cut/paste into amazon or goodreads.

Like you, I go back later and review, but I review my notes and not the book. You are correct that some of what I found interesting on the first readthrough was not as remarkable on the second pass. The initial note taking is for getting the important info out, like turning the book into a pamphlet or cliff notes, the second pass really helps me to clean up and clarify the practical takeaways, and that’s when I usually realize interesting ties to other books/ideas.

Another thing I’ve found useful is to try to put the author’s arguments into the classical logic format. Premise One + Premise Two = Conclusion One. (Sorry, B.A. in Philosophy. Can’t turn it off!) But it is amazing how often the premises are assumed to be true, or conclusion does not necessarily follow.

Keep up the great work, Ryan! -Conrad

I use the “Notepad” in my various electronic devices but often run into the challenge of actually looking back on them. I believe this to be not because I don’t remember to but actually because they aren’t something physical for me to see.

As much as technology advances our species, somethings are better left to tradition. \

Thanks Ryan

Thanks ! I wonder why not MS One note or Mindmap softwares are used

This is just what I needed! After reading a book, I usually pull few quotes out for IG and Twitter, but I’m not left with much for my blogs (or future books). I love writing but the digital method of note taking just hasn’t worked for me. I’m seeing that writing things down builds a better memory connection with what I’m noting down. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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How To Write Notecards For A Research Paper

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How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: 4a. Take Notes

• Get Started
• 1a. Select a Topic
• 1b. Develop Research Questions
• 1c. Identify Keywords
• 1d. Find Background Information
• 1e. Refine a Topic
• 2a. Search Strategies
• 2d. Articles
• 2e. Videos & Images
• 2f. Databases
• 2g. Websites
• 2h. Grey Literature
• 2i. Open Access Materials
• 3a. Evaluate Sources
• 3b. Primary vs. Secondary
• 3c. Types of Periodicals
• 4a. Take Notes
• 4b. Outline the Paper
• 4c. Incorporate Source Material
• 5a. Avoid Plagiarism
• 5b. Zotero & MyBib
• 5c. MLA Formatting
• 5d. MLA Citation Examples
• 5e. APA Formatting
• 5f. APA Citation Examples
• 5g. Annotated Bibliographies

Note Taking in Bibliographic Management Tools

We encourage students to use bibliographic citation management tools (such as Zotero, EasyBib and RefWorks) to keep track of their research citations. Each service includes a note-taking function. Find more information about citation management tools here . Whether or not you're using one of these, the tips below will help you.

Tips for Taking Notes Electronically

• Try using a bibliographic citation management tool to keep track of your sources and to take notes.
• As you add sources, put them in the format you're using (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).
• Group sources by publication type (i.e., book, article, website).
• Number each source within the publication type group.
• For websites, include the URL information and the date you accessed each site.
• Next to each idea, include the source number from the Works Cited file and the page number from the source. See the examples below. Note that #A5 and #B2 refer to article source 5 and book source 2 from the Works Cited file.

#A5 p.35: 76.69% of the hyperlinks selected from homepage are for articles and the catalog #B2 p.76: online library guides evolved from the paper pathfinders of the 1960s

• When done taking notes, assign keywords or sub-topic headings to each idea, quote or summary.
• Use the copy and paste feature to group keywords or sub-topic ideas together.
• Back up your master list and note files frequently!

Tips for Taking Notes by Hand

• Use index cards to keep notes and track sources used in your paper.
• Include the citation (i.e., author, title, publisher, date, page numbers, etc.) in the format you're using. It will be easier to organize the sources alphabetically when creating the Works Cited page.
• Number the source cards.
• Use only one side to record a single idea, fact or quote from one source. It will be easier to rearrange them later when it comes time to organize your paper.
• Include a heading or key words at the top of the card. 
• Include the Work Cited source card number.
• Include the page number where you found the information.
• Use abbreviations, acronyms, or incomplete sentences to record information to speed up the notetaking process.
• Write down only the information that answers your research questions.
• Use symbols, diagrams, charts or drawings to simplify and visualize ideas.

Forms of Notetaking

Use one of these notetaking forms to capture information:

• Summarize : Capture the main ideas of the source succinctly by restating them in your own words.
• Paraphrase : Restate the author's ideas in your own words.
• Quote : Copy the quotation exactly as it appears in the original source. Put quotation marks around the text and note the name of the person you are quoting.

Example of a Work Cited Card

Example notecard.

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• Next: 4b. Outline the Paper >>
• Last Updated: Feb 21, 2024 11:01 AM
• URL: https://libguides.elmira.edu/research

Organizing Your Research: Research Note Cards

Research note cards.

• Research Source Table
• Research Outlines
• Recommended Resources
• Ask a Librarian

You may have used Research Note Cards in the past to help your organize information for a research paper. Research Note Cards have you write out quotes or paraphrased information on a note card and include information such as the topic of the source and where you found the source.

There are five parts to Research Note Cards:

• This is going to be the main idea from your research assignment that your quote will connect to. Creating and organizing your information will make it easier to focus your research and complete your assignment.
• This will be the name of the source that your information is from.
• This will be either the quote or your paraphrased sentence(s) from the source. What evidence in this source did you find that will support your thesis statement?
• This is the page number that you found the quote on. If your source does not have page numbers (like an internet source)you can either leave this blank of include the section of the online source that you found this information in.
• Include the complete citation for your source (whether it be MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) on the back of the note card.

*Note: It is important to only put one quote or paraphrase per note card.

Example Note Card

In the top left corner of the note card is the topic that the quote relates to in the research paper.

Underneath the topic in the top left corner of the note card is an abbreviated name of the source this quote came from.

In the center of the note card is the quote/paraphrased information from the source.

In the bottom right corner of the note card is the page number the information came from.

On the back of the note card is the full citation for the source.

*Note: Keep in mind, your note card might not be organized the exact same way as the example. That is okay, as long as you make sure you have all the information needed listed on the note card.

Because the quotes and paraphrases are on their own note card, you can group and reorder them in the way you want them to appear in your research paper.

• Use the topic at the top of each note card to group cards by subject.
• Put the groups in the order they should appear in your paper to support your thesis.
• Within each group of note cards, order the note cards in the way they'll appear in each paragraph of your paper.
• Think about the order information needs to be presented in order to build a case for your thesis.

Once everything is organized by topic and in order, you will have created a map or guide to follow when writing your paper. It may also allow you to spot holes in your reasoning or evidence -- you can then return to your sources (or find additional sources) to fill in the needed information.

Work Cited

"The Note Card System."  Gallaudet University , 2021, www.gallaudet.edu/tutorial-and-instructional-programs/english-center/the-process-and-type-of-writing/pre-writing-writing-and-revising/the-note-card-system/.

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• Last Updated: Jun 21, 2023 10:48 AM
• URL: https://uscupstate.libguides.com/researchorganization

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"It’s simple, elegant, powerful"

— Alan S.

"When I tried SuperNotecard I finally found what I was looking for"

— Kim B.

"With all the ways to stack decks and organize, it’s like Minecraft for story"

— Justin P.

"A powerful, intuitive, and truly useful program"

— Daniel S.

SuperNotecard provides virtual notecards to organize, compose and perfect your work. Learn More .

Move elements around. Quickly switch perspectives. Track every scene, character, fact or source. Learn More .

Profile your characters. Itemize your sources. Link them to cards. Generate bibliographies. Learn More .

Create an Account

SuperNotecard is an online writing tool that provides virtual notecards to help arrange facts or scenes, track details, organize paragraphs, and clarify your compositional process.

SuperNotecard in School

Notecards help students organize facts, visualize an outline and ultimately transform their research into a paper. SuperNotecard works on various devices and gives teachers tools to launch the lesson and manage the results. Learn More .

Professionals

Our best features come from writers. Let us introduce a few who have helped to shape SuperNotecard.

Taking Notes, Organizing and Outlining

A breakthrough approach to note-taking that empowers thoughtful, reflective research.

Gather evidence on digital notecards that give you space to think.

• Direct Quotation : Store source material for future reference. Highlight and annotate to ensure close reading.
• Paraphrase / Summarize : Explain the source material in your own words.  Check your understanding.
• My Ideas : Reflect and engage. Articulate ideas, assumptions and questions.  What do I wonder? How does it fit with what I know? How should I follow up?

Graphically organize your notecards to make connections and mental leaps.

• Tag and pile.  Sort, tag and color-code notecards to consider associations. Pile notecards in a stack to build commonalities.
• Outline.  Drag and drop notecards into the outline to provide evidence for each claim.

Ready to learn more?

View detailed tutorials on all of these features.

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Best Research Note Card Software: 4 Top Choices

Research note card software helps you organize your notes and bibliography in a digital format, so you never lose a reference again.

When you learn how to write a research paper in high school, note cards are a major part of the process. Students write their outline points on index cards, so they can more easily organize them when they are ready to write. Research note card software performs the same function but in a digital model.

Serious writers who learned the benefit of using cards as students and want to continue their note-taking and organization methods as adult writers can tap into this software to more intuitively keep their thoughts organized.

This guide will help you choose the right software to help you write .

Top Research Note Card Software Options

1. scrivener, 2. onenote, 3. evernote, 4. zotero, the final word on research note card software, how can i use research note card software effectively, what is the best note card app for collaborative projects.

As you begin your search for note card software, start with these popular choices:

Who It’s For: Scrivener is ideal for writers creating long-form works, like dissertations and books. It also works well for scriptwriting.  Pricing: $45

Scrivener  tops the list of note-taking and writing software because of its robust list of features. This software can become your entire workflow, organizing not only your research but also your writing. 

Scrivener organizes notes and research along with the manuscript for a project all in one place, combining it into a digital binder you can easily navigate. When you are writing, your research is always readily available. It even supports digital index cards.

It also lets the writer use templates to guide writing and notecard creation. Scrivener is available for both Mac and PC. It also has a mobile app for Android and iOS. 

• All in one content-generation tool
• Ideal for long documents
• Everything all in one place
• May have too many features for simple note taking
• Has a tough learning curve
• No free version

Scrivener is our go-to app for long-form writing projects. It's popular with best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. 

Who It’s For: OneNote is ideal for people who need to share their research with a team, making it a good choice for business people. Pricing: $69.99/year

With  Microsoft OneNote , a cross-platform app you get when you purchase Office 365, you get the option to create digital notes through your Microsoft OneDrive.

In addition, this app has the option to create To-Do LIsts for yourself or your team. It integrates well with MS Office products and apps, and it works with the Apple stylus.

To make the most out of OneNote, you should have an Office 365 subscription. If you have Office 365, you will find that this tool integrates the best of all of the note-taking apps with the products you use. It has collaborative functions through Microsoft OneDrive.

• Creates digital notes quickly
• Easy to use with little learning curve
• Works best with Office 365, and may not work well with other apps
• Lacks formatting options for note cards
• Rich text formatting is sometimes lost when pasting into OneNote from Outlook or Word

Who It’s For: Anyone who does online research and who stores multimedia resources can benefit from the flexibility of Evernote. Pricing: Free to ₱162.90 per month

Evernote  is one of the more popular note-taking apps on the market. It allows you to capture, organize and store your notes on a phone or web browser, including both Android and iOS options and Windows or OS X desktops browsers.

Evernote allows you to capture ideas in pictures, store articles you want to look at later for potential annotations, and even put photo notes or audio recordings in the app along with your text files. 

It has built-in tagging and searches features so you can retrieve your research more easily. This multimedia platform is what makes it so helpful in note-taking.

• An affordable option for note taking
• Multimedia research storage
• Compatible with iOS, Windows, Mac, Chrome, Edge, Safari, Android and others
• Often does not retain the formatting of the text
• Can slow down on older devices
• Requires premium paid version for offline access

Who It’s For: Zotero is ideal for writers who need to organize and access online research. It also has collaboration features, so students or workers working on collaborative projects can share their libraries with each other. Pricing: Free to $120/year

Zotero  is an independent, open-source project which means it is free of charge. When you are doing online research, Zotero helps you keep it organized. Create digital note cards to save searches, collect sources to cite and create bibliography cards.

The intuitive nature of Zotero earned it a spot on this list. It automatically fills note cards with material as you research, saving you time. It also has the option to sync across your various devices, so you can access your research whether you’re on your computer, iPad or phone.

• Free note generation program
• Integrates with MS Word
• Fast to learn
• Reliant on users for fixing bugs because of open-source design
• Requires Zotfile plugin to work with PDFs
• Works better with MLA format than APA style

Want more? Check out our guide to the Zettelkasten method .

With so much research at your fingertips due to the World Wide Web, you need a notecard system to keep it all organized. Apps and digital systems give you the power to organize that without cumbersome paper files. The right app or software program will help you keep research notes, bibliography information and more organized and accessible.

To choose a research note card system, consider what you will use it for. Choose a system that handles the reference material in the format you use, and move forward confidently knowing your research is always accessible as you write.

FAQs About Research Note Card Software

Research note card software can take the place of your paper note card system to organize your annotations and research cards in one place. Some programs are multimedia programs that can store videos, audio files, PDFs, web pages and more.

Many have templates to automatically put note cards into MLA or APA format.

If you are doing a collaborative project, Zotera and OneNote work well. These note-taking apps let you easily share your project with others.

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Nicole Harms has been writing professionally since 2006. She specializes in education content and real estate writing but enjoys a wide gamut of topics. Her goal is to connect with the reader in an engaging, but informative way. Her work has been featured on USA Today, and she ghostwrites for many high-profile companies. As a former teacher, she is passionate about both research and grammar, giving her clients the quality they demand in today's online marketing world.

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Research Paper Notecards: An Effective Way to Organize Unknown Information

Conducting research can be rather a challenging process. Basically, the main challenge you will face is the amount of unknown information, ideas of various authors that you will have to integrate in your paper later.

Making research paper notecards is one of the effective ways to organize all that info and take advantage of it. Thus, let us talk about research paper notecards and give general guidelines on how to make them properly.

What a research paper notecard is all about

To put it into simple words, a research paper notecard is a piece of paper that contains some idea you want to include in your paper and all information about the source from which the idea comes. In other words, a research paper notecard is not only a means of arranging unknown info, but also a great way to avoid plagiarism.

What research paper notecard format should be used?

Research paper notecard format, in other words, can be defined as the right way to organize everything on your cards. This is what research paper notecard format is all about:

• In the upper left-hand corner, you write a general idea of your card, e.g. “Robert Frost’s poetry”.
• In the upper right-hand corner, you give all publishing information about the source.
• In the middle of the research paper notecard, you write an idea, which you want to cover in your paper.
• Mind that this idea should come in the form of a paraphrase of the author’s words or a quote.
• Finally, in the bottom right-hand corner, write the number of page, where the idea is taken from.

We should say that it is just one of the possible research paper notecard formats. Some students, for instance, put all publishing info on the back side of a card.

Here, you can also read about research paper references and a research paper outline.

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