1. The Research Process: Evaluating Sources & Creating Source Cards

2. Why Do We Research? To learn more about the world around us
To find facts that support our opinions
Because Mrs. N says we have to do it

3. Research: Step 1
1) Choose a topic. Brainstorm what you know about this topic, and come up with some key questions to direct your research.
2) Do a preliminary (beginning) search on your topic – decide if enough information is available, or if there is too much information about your topic.
3) Finalize your topic – narrow, expand, or change your topic to fit available research

4. Research: Step 2
Begin gathering sources. You can use encyclopedias, news articles, the internet, books, magazines, audio/video clips, and more.
Make sure that your sources are credible, especially when using online sources.

5. What you should check for:
A credible source is a source that is reliable and can be trusted to give accurate information.
What you should check for:
Age of source
Author of essay, article, or book
Publication source (who authorized the creation of this material?)

6. Research: Step 3 Create Source Cards
A source card is a card that cites any source from which you have gathered information. Source cards use MLA formatting to give proper credit to a source's author.
A source card is NOT the same thing is a note card! A note card contains specific facts (notes) from a source. A source card simply lists the source's publication information.

7. Source Cards (Continued)
A source card should include (if available):
The author's first and last name
Title of the work, and/or any larger volume it is housed in (if your source is an encyclopedia or magazine article, or a clip from a website)
Publication information: who published this material, where, and when
The URL (if it's a website)
All source cards should be numbered!

8. Source Card: Example

9. Source Card: Example

10. PRACTICE!!
Look at the SOURCE CARD document you were given at the beginning of class.
Use the information to help you create a source card for your independent reading book.

11. Step 4: Note Card System
Card 1 (source card) will include the following:
Type of source
Citation of your source
Note Cards will include the following:
Quote or info you are going to use
Page or paragraph number

12. Step 4: Creating Note Cards
Note cards contain facts or quotes that you can use in your paper
They can be written in sentence form or as lists or phrases
Notes on cards should be paraphrased – NEVER plagiarize information.
IF you are using a direct quote, you must put it in quotation marks and list the name of the person who said it

13. Note Cards (continued):
Note cards should have a SOURCE NUMBER at the top. This number should match the number of the source from which the information comes.
Note cards should have a topic listed at the top right corner, to help you organize information when you're ready to outline your essay.
At the bottom of your note card, you should include the page number/location of the information you found.

14. Note Card Example

15. Source 1 Type: Book Citation:
Sundquist, Eric. Faulkner, A House Divided. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, Print.

16. Source 1 Topic: Modern Faulkner References
Quote: “William Faulkner’s legacy continues to live on in contemporary culture.”
Page number: 97
Place: Paragraph 2

17. Practice!!
Use your notes/examples to create a note card from your independent reading book. Find a quote that you liked and cite it appropriately on your note card.