note taking
~gathering answers to your research questions
Task: As you read your sources, look for information that answers your research question. You will need forty
notes at the end of our research phase (due in increments of ten). When you find a useful piece of
information, record it on a Note Card set up like the example below:
Related research question
Source (Last name of author or title) and page # /n.pag.
ONE piece of researched information that will be useful in your paper (a fact,
statistic, example, anecdote, expert opinion, etc.). This piece of information can be
either directly quoted (written word for word and surrounded in quotation marks)
or summarized (shortened and written in your own words and sentence structure).
Suggested: A brief reaction or explanation by YOU (what it means, or why it’s
interesting, or how it is useful to your paper)
EXAMPLES
HOW TO DEAL WITH ABUSE?
“Intervention” n.pag.
“Because the symptoms of prescription drug abuse can be subtle at times,
or even easily confused with typical teenage mood changes, putting off
talking to your teen could be easy, but it would be a big mistake because
with some pills, taking just one could be your child's last.” Pediatrician
Aneisa McDonald
This shows that parents might need to invade their teen’s privacy in order
to confirm the abuse.
This is a quote taken from a Web source with no author.
SIGNS OF ABUSE?
Heeney 24
Adderall can cause loss of appetite, nausea, upset stomach, and
diarrhea. The eating habits of those abusing the drug may change.
Sudden weight loss can be a sign of the drug’s abuse.
Perhaps some people abuse Adderall for this very reason: to lose
weight.
This is a summary taken from a print source with an author.
Perhaps some people abuse Adderall for this very reason: to
lose weight.
Suge
TIPS AND REMINDERS:
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Take notes with purpose. Notes should help answer a research question.
Categorize or color-code your notes according to what you foresee to be subsections of your paper
Know when to quote and when to summarize.
o QUOTE brief statements displaying impressive style, or creating a strong emotional impact, or
quoting a noteworthy expert, or stating an important definition. Use quotation marks!
o SUMMARIZE lengthy/complex ideas that could be simplified. Use your words and style!
Be NEAT and ACCURATE. You need to USE these notes later, so write legibly. Failure to clearly include
quotation marks, the source information, or page numbers could lead to unintentional plagiarism
later. Notes that are illegible or are missing components will have to be redone.