How to Take Notes from an
Informational Text
Step #1
 Complete the “Citation Reference Form” for the text you are
using.
o Blue - Books
o Pink –Website or Online Resource
o Green – Encyclopedia
Book Reference Form
CITING A BOOK
Last Name, First Name. Title of book. City of publication: Publisher's name, YYYY (if none given, put n.d.).
Example with---ONE NAMED AUTHOR: Salisbury, Graham. Blue Skin of the Sea: A Novel in Stories. New York: Delacorte, 1992.
Example with---MULTIPLE AUTHORS:
Burnham, Robert W., Randall M. Hanes and C. James Bartleson. Color, a Guideto Basic Facts and Concepts. New York: Wiley, 1963.
Example with---NO NAMED AUTHOR BUT WITH AN EDITOR: Burnham, Robert W., ed. Blueprint for Life. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1993.
Example with---NO NAMED AUTHOR OR EDITOR: Blueprint for Life. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1993.
Author's (or Editor's) Last Name_________________________________________________________________________,
Author's (or Editor's) First Name_________________________________________________________________________.
Title of Book ________________________________________________________________________________________.
City of Publication ____________________________________________________________________________________:
Publisher ___________________________________________________________________________________________,
Date of Publication____________________________________________________________________________________.
Article or Online Reference Form
Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Website. Ed. First Name Last Name. DD Mo. YYYY. Institution. DD Mo.YYYY <URL>.
Example:
Abilock, Debbie."Research Advice for a Complex Topic." Nueva Library Help. 9 Sept. 1997. Nueva School. 31 Dec. 1997
<http://nuevaschool.org/~debbie/library/research/advice.html>.
Author's Last Name _______________________________________________________________________________________________,
Author or Editor's First Name ________________________________________________________________________________________.
Title of Article (or name of the individual webpage) "______________________________________________________________________.“
Title of Website _________________________________________________________________________________________________.
First Name of Editor of the Website (if given) : Ed.________________________________________________________________________
Last Name of Editor of the Website (if given) ____________________________________________________________________________.
Date of Publication (DD Mo. YYYY) __________________________________________________________________________________.
Publishing Institution (organization that sponsors this website) ________________________________________________________________.
Date You Accessed Info: ___________________ (Day) ________________________ (Month -- Spell Out)___________________ (Year)
URL(web address) <____________________________________________________________________________________________>.
Encyclopedia Reference Form
CITING AN ARTICLE IN A REFERENCE BOOK (ENCYCLOPEDIA, ALMANAC, DICTIONARY, ETC)
Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article or Entry." Name of book. YYYY ed. YYYY (if none given, put n.d.).
EXAMPLE: Mohanty, Jitendra M. "Indian Philosophy." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia. 15th ed. 1987.
Author's (or Editor's) Last Name_________________________________________________________________________,
Author's (or Editor's) First Name_________________________________________________________________________.
Title of Article "______________________________________________________________________________________."
Name of Book _______________________________________________________________________________________.
Edition _____________________________________________________________________________________________.
Date of Publication ___________________________________________________________________________________.
Step #2
 Staple the reference form to a blank sheet of notebook paper.
 Write the name of the article and the author on the top line
of the notebook paper.
Step #3 Taking Notes
 Take notes in the form of an outline. This will help you keep
everything organized and structured.
 Determine which of your three subtopics will be found in
this text, and write it on the line below the
book/article/encyclopedia title
 (See example on next slide).
Example of Main Ideas
 Subtopics Found in this ________(book, article,
encyclopedia)
 Economy
 Food
 Climate
Step #3 continued
 Below the “Subtopics Found in this ______” write the
subtopic that you are going to be researching first (See
example on the next slide).
Example of First Researched Subtopic
 Subtopics Found in this ________(book, article,
encyclopedia)
 Economy
 Food
 Climate
 Economy
 $3.2 billion = GDP (pg. 32)
Step #3: continued
 Remember, when taking notes:
 Do not write in complete sentences, only paraphrase. This is
help mineralize the possibility of plagiarizing.
 If you want to copy the entire sentence(s), make sure to put
quotation marks around it. This way you know in the future
that it is a direct quote.
 Write the page number next to each piece of information you
write down. This will help you when it is time to go back and
cite your sources (see example on the next slide).
Example of How to Take Notes
 Economy
 $3.2 billion = GDP (pg. 32)
 Exports: lead, coal, sugar, cotton (pg. 125)
 Imports: oil, wheat, steal (pg. 126)
 Unemployment Rate: 14.5% (pg. 42)
 Major Industries: Mining, Services (labor), Agricultural (pg. 87).
 “Many people in this poor country have to work ten to twelve hours
a day in horrible working conditions” (pg. 94).
Step #3 continued
 When you have found all of the information you
need/want/can or the first subtopic, write the second
subtopic below it as a new bullet.
 See example on the next slide.
Example of Second Researched Subtopic
 Subtopics Found in this _______(book/article/encyclopedia)
 Economy
 Food
 Climate
 Economy
 $3.2 billion = GDP (pg. 32)
 Food
 Low diary standards (pg. 5)
 Corn and wheat = primary sources of diet (pg .2)
One last thing…
 Complete a “Reference Form” for each book, article, or
encyclopedia that you use.
 Make sure that you take very good notes because you will be
using these to help you write your Culture Essays second
semester. The odds are that you will not have access to the
same books that you checked out to get more information
later.
 Good luck and if you have any questions, please let me know.
Example Notes




Subtopics Found in this _______(book/article/encyclopedia)
 Economy
 Food
 Climate
Economy
 $3.2 billion = GDP (pg. 32)
 Exports: lead, coal, sugar, cotton (pg. 125)
 Imports: oil, wheat, steal (pg. 126)
 Unemployment Rate: 14.5% (pg. 42)
 Major Industries: Mining, Services (labor), Agricultural (pg. 87).
 “Many people in this poor country have to work ten to twelve hours a day in horrible working conditions” (pg. 94).
Food
 Dated back to 4th century BC (pg. 3)
 High dietary standards (pg. 5)
 Introduced items to Americas: potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, and maize
 Primary dietary sources: wheat and tomatoes(pg .2)
 Agriculture: potatoes, wheat, corn (pg. 4)
 Popular dishes contain pasta (pg. 5)
Climate
 High of 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and low of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (pg. 45)
 Mild winters and extremely hot summers (pg. 46)
 Monsoon season is July thru September (pg. 32).