Notecards
Notecards are the building blocks of your research paper. Here’s what you need to know about using them:
 Take Notes
 Notes = keywords/main ideas, NOT complete sentences; leave out articles, transitions, etc.
 If you want to quote a text, use “quotation marks” and be accurate with wording and
spelling
 Take RELEVANT notes
 Only write down information that is important to your topic
 Cite your source
 Record which source you are using on your note card
 Keep it brief
 Space your information so it is easy to read and identify. A notecard with only one or two
lines filled is not complete.
Formatting your notecard
 Follow the format below for each notecard.
 As you enter the outline stage, you may find it helpful to number your notecards.
 WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE BACK OF EACH NOTECARD.
This represents the main idea of the notecard and will turn
into the focus of your paragraph. Your subtopic should
match one of your three keywords.
Subtopic: Sickness
You should number your list of
sources on the Warm-Up sheet, so
that you can match your cards to
their sources. You may also use
words from your source’s title.
Source: #1
NOTES EXAMPLE:
 Making mummies—learned about human body, lungs, heart
 Better treat sickness b/c dealing with organs
 Made medicine from plants
 Keeping clean very important
Page # 28
QUOTATION EXAMPLE:
“They figured out that your pulse was related to your heart-beat.
They learned that your bronchial tubes ran under your collarbones,
from your throat to your lungs.”
Page # 29
Always include page
numbers (or section
headingss) at the end of
notes, so that you can
easily refer back to the
original.