Using Notecards to Record Source Information

Has this ever happened to you? You're in the process of writing a research paper or assignment, and you realize that a specific quotation, fact, or example you found during your research process would fit perfectly within your paragraph. But there's one problem: You can't remember what it was or where you found it.

Developing a personalized note-taking system can help you organize and apply your research. The system that you use will depend on the type of research you are conducting and your note-taking preferences. Some students like to take notes by hand using a pencil and index cards, whereas others opt to use a computer. However, all systems will share certain key characteristics. Consider the following example.

Isaac is writing a research paper on the benefits of driving an electric car. One of his sources is an article from Consumer Reportsthat compares electric cars to traditional gasoline-powered cars in terms of overall cost. He has already determined that the source is reliable. Now he wants to record information using a note-taking system.

To learn more about note-taking best practices, read the information that follows.

A System for Taking Notes

Identify Your Source

Record Key Information and Direct Quotations

Connect Your Source to Your Topic

Over time, owning an electric car saves you money.

A Nissan Leaf (pure electric) sells for $35,430 and costs $1.74 to drive for 50 miles.

A Toyota Corolla (gasoline) sells for $18,404 and costs $5.94 to drive for 50 miles.

The author states, "Maintenance on an electric car is theoretically miniscule compared with gasoline cars."

Evarts, Eric. "Leaf, Volt Tests Show Electric Cars Cost Less Per Mile to Operate." ConsumerReports, Dec. 2011, www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/12/leaf-volt-tests-show-electric-cars-cost-less-per-mile-to-operate/index.htm.

Always identify the source. Identifying the sourcewill help you find it again later and ensure that you give full credit to the original author for his or her ideas.

Many instructors require students to use a specific documentation style, such as MLA or CMS, in their research papers. In this example, Isaac has identified his source using the appropriate MLA style. This will save him time and effort later on in the research process.

Key information generally consists of which of the following?Check all that apply.

A. Ideas

B. Publication dates

C. Examples

D. Facts

E. Statistics

A.B.C.D OR E ?

Directions: Review the following note card. Then answer the questions that follow.

Problems of an aging prison population

A Longer sentences and more older people being sent to prison = twice as many prisoners 55 and older now than in 1995

B Prisoners are at higher risk of dementia than their unimprisoned counterparts

C Identification and care of prisoners with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia is expensive

D Paul Kleinman, psychologist, said, "There's a number of people [with Alzheimer's] in the system that we really haven't tapped. They're not being identified properly."

A.B.C OR D ?

The final note on this card ("Paul Kleinman, psychologist, said . . .") is which of the following?

A. Phrase or sentence connecting the information to the topic

B. Source

C. Direct quotation

A.B OR C ?

What information is missing from this note card?

A. Direct quotation

B. Source

C. Phrase or sentence connecting the information to the topic

A.B OR C ?