Taking Notes
- The purpose of note taking is to extract information from your sources that is relevant to your topic.
- There are many methods for taking notes, including note cards. You teacher will tell you if he or she requires you to take notes in a certain format.
- Sometimes, you'll want to use a direct quotation (text copied word for word). Other times, you'll want to use the information in your own words (paraphrase or summary). Each of these methods of note taking is valid.
- No matter what type of note you are taking, it is necessary that you indicate the source from which the note came. If it's a book source, you also want to indicate the page number(s) on which you found the information.
NOTE TAKING FORMATS:
- Note cards
- One per fact / main idea
- Create as many note cards per source as you need
- Only put a page number in the upper right for print sources; otherwise, put an "E" for electronic
- If you are using a direct quotation, put quotation marks around the quote in the middle of the page.
- Practice Note Card Worksheet
- Notetaking worksheet: Take notes by subtopic - one subtopic per page - as many notes as you need.
- Taking Purposeful Research Notes (guidelines and optional format)
TYPES OF NOTES: