Bibliography Cards and the Three Kinds of
Note Cards
Adapted from the MLA Handbook for Writer of Reseach Papers, Sixth Edition &
http://www.eths.k12.il.us/manual_of_form_and_style/bibliography_cards.html
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For each source you use in your research, you need one
bibliography card, made from an index card.
A bibliography card records all the information from a source
you will need to make your “Works Cited” page.
The card also contains all of the information required to find
the source again, should the need arise.
Furthermore, on your bibliography card, you assign each
source a unique number, that you will use when you make
your note cards from that source.
The next slide is just one example of a bibliography card.
This is the source number, which
corresponds to the source number
on the bibliography cards.
2
Campbell, Joseph. Dionysus: His History, Culture, and Worship. New York:
Doubleday, 1988. Print.
This is the citation information.
This is where the source was found.
This is the library call number of the
source, if it has one.
809.4
Ca
Clifton Public Library
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Once you’ve made your bibliography card for
a source, you are ready to start taking notes.
You should also take your notes on index
cards, this time formatted as note cards.
There are three different kinds of note cards
you should use in your research: summary,
paraphrase, and quotation cards.
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A summary card records only the general idea
of a large amount of material.
It is useful if you do not plan on using any
specifics from that source.
The summary card also has a number on it,
which corresponds to the source.
The next slide is an example of a summary
card.
This is the source number, which
corresponds to the source number
on the bibliography cards.
2
This source relates the history and traditions behind the Greek god
Dionysus. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine, fertility, and the theater. The source
discusses his origins from several local deities, his important role in Greek culture,
and how he had many complex ceremonies related to his worship. He also figures
prominently in many Greek myths.
The rest of the index card is used for your summary.
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When you need more specific information
than what is provided by a summary (and you
definitely will) you should use a paraphrase
card.
A paraphrase card contains detailed
information from a specific sentence or
passage, but in your own words.
Again, the paraphrase card also makes use of
the source numbers from your bibliography
cards, so you can easily match up your
information with its source.
The next slide is an example of a paraphrase
card.
This is the source number, which
corresponds to the source number
on the bibliography cards.
2
Dionysus is a combination of a Greek god and another god from Turkey or another
region (12).
The rest of the index card is for your paraphrase.
The information here is detailed, but NOT a direct
quote.
Note that I have also included the page of the
source where I found this information, as I still
would have to cite paraphrased information in my
paper.
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When you believe a specific sentence or passage in
its original words will add to your paper, you
should use a quotation card.
A quotation card includes a direct quote from the
source, as well as the page number on which it was
found.
Quotation cards are always useful, but become
extremely important once you have narrowed down
your topic.
Of course, the quotation card also uses the source
numbers from your bibliography cards, so you can
keep track of where each quote originated.
The next slide is an example of a quotation card.
This is the source number, which
corresponds to the source number
on the bibliography cards.
1
“Dionysus is in fact a fusion of a local Greek nature god, and another more potent
god imported rather late in Greek pre-history from Phrygia (the central area of
modern day Turkey) or Thrace” (12).
The rest of the index card is for your direct quote.
Be sure to copy the text EXACTLY as it appears in
your source.
Note that I have also included the page of the
source where I found this information, as I will need
this information if I decide to use this quote in my
paper.
I also placed it in quotation marks so I may easily
distinguish this card from a paraphrase card.
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If I were actually taking notes for a real paper, I
would not have taken these three different kinds of
note cards on the same piece of information.
Instead, I probably would have made only one of
these cards, depending on what I thought would be
the most useful to me.
When you write note cards for your research paper,
I do not expect to see three cards containing the
same information presented in different ways!
However, you will have multiple note cards for each
source overall, depending on how much
information you find in that source.