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Notebooks and notecards are two popular methods for organizing notes. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these. Notecards are easy to shuffle and reorganize but they are also easy to lose. Their biggest advantage is that they can be laid out in any order when organizing and writing your paper. Bound notebooks are easy to carry but you have to leaf through them continuously to find the information. If your teacher does not assign a method, pick the one which works best for you. The following examples may help you make up your mind.
Notecards
look like this:
- Use 3x5 or 4x6 index cards.
- In the upper right hand corner of the first card write the library call number found on the book.
- On the first card, write the information needed for the bibliography; title, author, publisher, publication date, volume, page number, etc.
- In the upper left hand corner number the card. The first source used will be #1, the second source will be #2 and so on. Put the number on every card used for each source. You may have six cards with the #1 and three with the #2.
- Write one idea, fact or quote on each card.
- Use only one side of the card.
- Don't lose any of the cards!
A notebook would look like this:
- Use a notebook large enough to hold all of the notes.
- Put the library call number found on the book in the upper right hand corner of the page.
- Write the information needed for the bibliography; title, author, publisher, publication date, volume, page number, etc.
- Use bullet points and skip a line between each fact/idea/quote to keep them separate.
- You may want to start a new page for each source.
The best time to take notes is as you are reading. The information is fresh in your mind and right in front of you. Don't procrastinate and say you will come back when you are done with the source. It is unlikely you will remember everything that you wanted to write down or where to find it.
Here are some things to keep in mind as you are taking notes:
- Write in your own words. Summarizing the idea in your own words will prevent you from plagiarizing (taking ideas, writings, etc. from another and passing them off as one's own)
- Put quotation marks around any direct quote taken from a resource. This will remind you that it is a quote and needs a footnote or endnote.
- Use short phrases and avoid writing long sentences. Put down as much information as needed to grasp a particular point or idea.
- Include the page number where the information was found on the note card or notebook page. This will assist in locating the facts, if needed, later.
Work carefully and efficiently. Skim resources for pertinent material. Take careful notes so you don't have to go back to the same source again. Take accurate notes so you aren't mistaken with your information. Make certain to distinguish between fact and opinion. And, don't ignore facts that disagree with your thesis. |
