Taking Notes

• Make a list of questions to answer regarding your topic.  Do not take notes on anything which does not directly answer your questions.  (This will help you stay focused.)
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• Scan each source to see if there is relevant information in the source.  If so, copy the bibliographic information needed for a citation.  Number that bibliographic information so you do not have to copy the information each time you use material from that source.  (This will help you to use only sources which are pertinent to your topic and to give the appropriate credit to those sources.)
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• Write down the desired information from the source.  Use your numbering system (step 2) to indicate from where you obtained the information.  Include the page numbers for the material, if appropriate.  (Index cards are useful for writing down information because they can be easily sorted into the order by which you will write the final report.)
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• Paraphrase as much as possible.  According the American Heritage Dictionary, the definition of paraphrase is "a restatement of a text or passage in another form or other words, often to clarify meaning."  This does not mean that you change only a few words.  Rather, you read the passage, think about it, and then write down what you need using your own words.  Paraphrasing is a skill which you must practice in order to improve.

"How to Take Research Notes." eHow. 2005. 1 Dec 2007 <http://www.ehow.com/how_2853_research-notes.html>.

"paraphrase." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 01 Dec. 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/paraphrase

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