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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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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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Research Note Cards
- Writing Research Papers
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- 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.
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- SCC Research Guides
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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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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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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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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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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How to Create a Structured Research Paper Outline | Example
Published on August 7, 2022 by Courtney Gahan . Revised on August 15, 2023.
A research paper outline is a useful tool to aid in the writing process , providing a structure to follow with all information to be included in the paper clearly organized.
A quality outline can make writing your research paper more efficient by helping to:
- Organize your thoughts
- Understand the flow of information and how ideas are related
- Ensure nothing is forgotten
A research paper outline can also give your teacher an early idea of the final product.
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Table of contents
Research paper outline example, how to write a research paper outline, formatting your research paper outline, language in research paper outlines.
- Definition of measles
- Rise in cases in recent years in places the disease was previously eliminated or had very low rates of infection
- Figures: Number of cases per year on average, number in recent years. Relate to immunization
- Symptoms and timeframes of disease
- Risk of fatality, including statistics
- How measles is spread
- Immunization procedures in different regions
- Different regions, focusing on the arguments from those against immunization
- Immunization figures in affected regions
- High number of cases in non-immunizing regions
- Illnesses that can result from measles virus
- Fatal cases of other illnesses after patient contracted measles
- Summary of arguments of different groups
- Summary of figures and relationship with recent immunization debate
- Which side of the argument appears to be correct?
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Follow these steps to start your research paper outline:
- Decide on the subject of the paper
- Write down all the ideas you want to include or discuss
- Organize related ideas into sub-groups
- Arrange your ideas into a hierarchy: What should the reader learn first? What is most important? Which idea will help end your paper most effectively?
- Create headings and subheadings that are effective
- Format the outline in either alphanumeric, full-sentence or decimal format
There are three different kinds of research paper outline: alphanumeric, full-sentence and decimal outlines. The differences relate to formatting and style of writing.
- Alphanumeric
- Full-sentence
An alphanumeric outline is most commonly used. It uses Roman numerals, capitalized letters, arabic numerals, lowercase letters to organize the flow of information. Text is written with short notes rather than full sentences.
- Sub-point of sub-point 1
Essentially the same as the alphanumeric outline, but with the text written in full sentences rather than short points.
- Additional sub-point to conclude discussion of point of evidence introduced in point A
A decimal outline is similar in format to the alphanumeric outline, but with a different numbering system: 1, 1.1, 1.2, etc. Text is written as short notes rather than full sentences.
- 1.1.1 Sub-point of first point
- 1.1.2 Sub-point of first point
- 1.2 Second point
To write an effective research paper outline, it is important to pay attention to language. This is especially important if it is one you will show to your teacher or be assessed on.
There are four main considerations: parallelism, coordination, subordination and division.
Parallelism: Be consistent with grammatical form
Parallel structure or parallelism is the repetition of a particular grammatical form within a sentence, or in this case, between points and sub-points. This simply means that if the first point is a verb , the sub-point should also be a verb.
Example of parallelism:
- Include different regions, focusing on the different arguments from those against immunization
Coordination: Be aware of each point’s weight
Your chosen subheadings should hold the same significance as each other, as should all first sub-points, secondary sub-points, and so on.
Example of coordination:
- Include immunization figures in affected regions
- Illnesses that can result from the measles virus
Subordination: Work from general to specific
Subordination refers to the separation of general points from specific. Your main headings should be quite general, and each level of sub-point should become more specific.
Example of subordination:
Division: break information into sub-points.
Your headings should be divided into two or more subsections. There is no limit to how many subsections you can include under each heading, but keep in mind that the information will be structured into a paragraph during the writing stage, so you should not go overboard with the number of sub-points.
Ready to start writing or looking for guidance on a different step in the process? Read our step-by-step guide on how to write a research paper .
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Gahan, C. (2023, August 15). How to Create a Structured Research Paper Outline | Example. Scribbr. Retrieved March 12, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-paper/outline/
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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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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.
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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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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.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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:
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. ... Grouping your notes should enable you to outline the major sections and then the paragraph of your research paper. Credit: Online Writing ...
that works lays the groundwork for successfully writing your research paper. Writing a paper can be a daunting task, but effective notetaking enables you to better prioritize and remember information, improve organization skills, and stay focused—making writing your paper that much easier! Additional Resources for Reference:
To create research note cards using index cards, follow these steps: Create one note card for each source. Write down all data necessary to locate that source, using the core element list. If you are using a direct quote from that source, write that down on the index card and specify it's a direct quote. Write a summary of the source, similar ...
problems that commonly arise when using note cards in research: Problem #1: Students write too much information on a card Problem #2: Students fill out cards just to meet teacher requirements (i.e. "you must have 50 note cards for your paper") without considering the usefulness of the information or its relevance to the topic
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. Direct Quotation: Store source material for future reference.
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 ...
Use index cards to keep notes and track sources used in your paper. Create Work Cited cards for each source. 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.
The Research Note Card. A research note card contains a single quote, note, or idea. Due to the physical size of index cards, there is a limit to how much you can write on on each card. But this limitation forces you to keep concise notes. ... A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th Edition by Kate L. Turabian.
This video shows how to set up and use notecards in a research paper.
A research paper outline is a useful tool to aid in the writing process, providing a structure to follow with all information to be included in the paper clearly organized. A quality outline can make writing your research paper more efficient by helping to: Organize your thoughts; Understand the flow of information and how ideas are related
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: Part 1: Topic ...
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. ... visualize an outline and ultimately transform their research into a paper. SuperNotecard works on various devices and gives teachers tools to launch the lesson ...
Top Research Note Card Software Options. As you begin your search for note card software, start with these popular choices: 1. Scrivener. 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.
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 ...
Put each card to that corner of the table which has the name of the most suitable section for this note. In the end, you will have as many groups of cards as the number of chapters. Now you can begin with the introductory section. Take those selected notes, and put all the other cards aside.
Section 1: Understanding the Purpose of Notecards Notecards serve as invaluable aids in the research process, offering a structured method to gather, organize, and synthesize information. By utilizing notecards, you can streamline your thoughts, identify key details, and create a solid foundation for your research paper.
931 templates. Create a blank Note Card. Blue Purple Simple Brush Thank You Note Card. Note Card by Rayhan Studio. Blue and Yellow Playful Thank You Note Card. Note Card by warriorstd. Pastel Pink Cute Illustrated Note Card. Note Card by Gevariel Azka. Black and White Minimalist Thank You Note Card.
4.9. (53) $8.25. Zip. Teaching students how to write a research paper can be difficult. This FULL UNIT makes it easier for the teacher to teach students to write quality research papers about the National Parks. This resource will walk your students step-by-step through the writing process- from brainstorming ideas to publishing the final ...