Research Writing How to take Notes

Organizing notes for research Label your notes with the specific date and class in which the research is being conducted Create a heading that explains your topic. Note that it is not the topic that you are researching that should go here, but an aspect of your topic that the notes you are recording are specifically about (i.e., battles of WWII, foreign policies of President Obama, state bird of Texas) Specific questions that you have before you research to guide you in your searching. (i.e., Which battles of WWII had the most civilian casualties? What is President Obama’s policy on oversees genocide? Where kind of climate does the Texas state bird prefer for living conditions? )

Staying organized Once you have determined that a resource will now be used as a source for your research, create a numbered bibliography list with all necessary citation information for each source. As you take your notes, identify each set of notes by the number in which the source is identified on your bibliography list. If working from a printed source, then always record the page number of where the notes can be found. Identifying notes as being found on more than two pages is unacceptable (i.e., pgs. 533-546). Be specific and accurate. Separate your notes based on subtopic. Your main topic is your research (i.e., World War II) but your subtopic is an aspect of that subject (i.e., British involvement).

How to record information Only copy necessary information to your subtopic in your notes. Necessary information are details that pertain to the purpose of your writing. For example, if your goal for writing a research paper on World War II is to show the unification of the allied forces, then notes on Germany’s specific alliances and war tactics may not be as relevant. Fight the urge to write down all information. DO NOT WRITE IN COMPLETE SENTENCES! Notes should be short, incomplete sentences that provide details not sentences. Paraphrase or summarize information. Read pages or an article and paraphrase (put it into your own words) or summarize (identify the main ideas). Be accurate. Identify direct quotations with quotation marks and the author of the quotation.

Tips for Easy Note Taking Use different color pens/pencils/highlighters to signal different information Summarize your notes when you finish so that you remember what information is on that notes page without having to re-read your notes in their entirety. Spend at least 15 minutes at the end of each research day to collect your notes, organize them, and evaluate your strategy based on the new material you gathered.