Tips for recording information

 As you begin to find sources and take notes for your paper, adhere to the following guidelines:  Scan the sources and then read the material more closely when you find information that is relevant.  Write down pertinent information from the relevant sources, but keep it brief. Large chunks of information take too much time to record and are too difficult to use.

 As you write down information, keep track of where you found the material.  Develop a system to cross-reference the source with the notes you take from that source.  Print online sources and keep books until you are finished with the research paper.

 Allow a significant amount of time for this important part of the process.  Taking notes builds your research skills and will ultimately help convince your reader by providing arguments/ information to support your thesis.  Realize that 80% of your notes should be in your own words, with no more than 20% from quotations.

 If you are typing your notes into a Microsoft ® Word document, you may create note cards. The following is an example of a note card created in a Word document:

 Note Card 1 Topic: Working Teens: Benefits Quotation: “4 out of 5 teenagers hold part- time jobs.” Summary: Working teaches teenagers good work ethics, responsibility, and time management. Source: Smith. The Benefits of Working p. 5, para. 2

 As you take notes, it is essential to keep track of what information you gather from which sources.  The quotations, summaries, and paraphrases in your paper require documentation.

 Be sure to list your sources—by author’s last name and title of the document as well as the page and paragraph number—underneath each note card.