How to Take Good Notes and Avoid Plagiarism Unit 10: Research Strategies Workshop

Formatting Your Notes You will be using index cards to take notes while you do your research For each source you must do the following: Create a source card with a full citation in MLA format. This will include the author’s name, the publishing date, etc., The Owl at Purdue: Link 2 Individual notecards for each topic must be labeled to identify the source and page number, with different information on each card.

Take Accurate Notes Paraphrase the source by restating it in your own words. Summarize by recording only the most important ideas in your own words. Quote the source by copying an important phrase, sentence, or paragraph word for word. Enclose the copied words in quotation marks. You must do this to avoid plagiarism! Write only on one side of the card Write clearly, legibly Keep your cards organized Use paperclips or rubber bands to keep cards on the same sub-topic together Do not worry about numbering cards

Avoid Plagiarism Paraphrase and summarize in your own words, or use quotation marks for direct quotes Do not rely heavily on just one source Place quotation marks around key words or phrases—not just full sentences or paragraphs Put away your source when you begin writing your paper. Work from your notes, not the source!

Avoid Plagiarism When you do begin writing your paper, make sure you “give credit when credit is due” (The Owl at Purdue) This means that you must cite (give the name of the source) any information that is not from your own mind, is not common knowledge, or is not an accepted fact. Taking good notes during the research process will help you avoid plagiarism in your writing!

What Does it Look Like? The World Book Encyclopedia’s Website Koala, hoh AH Luh, is and Australian mammal that looks like a teddy bear. It is sometimes called a koala bear or native bear, but the koala is not related to any kind of bear. Koalas have soft, thick fur; a large, hairless nose; round ears; and no tail. The fur is gray or brown on the animal’s back and white on the belly. Koalas measure from 25 to 30 inches in length and weigh 15 to 30 pounds.

What Does it Look Like? Source Card: World Book Encyclopedia Online- A Augee, Michael L. "World Book Encyclopedia Online, Reference Books Set & Kids Education." World Book Encyclopedia Online, Reference Books Set & Kids Education. N.p., 12 July 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2014.

What Does it Look Like? How do koalas look? A Like teddy bear Soft, thick fur Gray or brown on back; white on stomach No tail No hair on nose Round ears

What Does it Look Like? In my paper, I would write… Koalas have soft, thick fur. They have round ears, but they do not have tails. While the fur on their stomachs is white, the fur on their backs may be brown or grey (Augee).