1. Research: Creating Note Cards
How to Take Good Notes and Not Drive Yourself Crazy in the Process

2. Getting Ready Have materials handy: Copies of your sources Note cards
Relevant text (make sure page numbers are clear)
Citation information
Title page and date of publication from books
Cover of magazine or top of newspaper
Pre-created citation from databases
Relevant information from web sites
Note cards
Highlighters
Pens/pencils

3. Citing Books
Basic Format for a Work Prepared by an Editor Lastname, Firstname, Ed. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. Page 18 in MLA Packet

4. Sample Source Card
Source #1
Carlisle, Rodney P., Ed. Handbook to Life in America: Postwar America, 1950
to New York: Facts on File, Print.
(Carlisle 111)
Make sure to write the source number on the top right corner of the card. Each source will have a different number. All note cards from that same source will share that same number.

5. Sample Note Card: Quote
Quote—Information that is take WORD FOR WORD directly from the article.
Use quotation marks
Use quotes rarely

6. Sample Note Card: Quote
SLUG (topic for the card) (source #)
“A direct quote is the author’s thoughts in the author’s words.”
(Parenthetical Citation)

7. Sample Note Card: Quote
School Spending (1)
“Proportionally, states spent far less per student in black schools than in white.”
(Carlisle 111)

8. Sample Note Card: Paraphrase
Paraphrase-The author’s ideas put into your OWN original language
a balance between YOUR words
and the author’s ideas.

9. Sample Note Card: Paraphrase
SLUG (topic for the card) (source #)
A paraphrase sums up the author’s meaning, but is written in your own words.
Bulleted lists (sentences/fragments)
Only a few closely related facts per card
(Parenthetical Citation)

10. Sample Note Card: Paraphrase
Jim Crow Laws (1)
Created to allow legal discrimination
Blacks could not vote
Upheld “Separate but equal”
Segregation in public places
(Carlisle 111)

11. Take Lots of Notes
Repeat the note taking process until you have read all of your research
Locate additional articles and take more notes as needed
Move on to
organizing your cards