Notetaking

You will spend the majority of your time for research

papers

Taking notes!

Note Taking Process:1. Skim. Skim through the article first to know whether it will

or will not be useful for your paper. Read the first couple of paragraphs to determine its usefulness.

2. Read. You must read AND understand what you read. This means reading an entire paragraph or section before you take notes on it AND being able to state verbally or in writing what you have just read.

3. Select. While taking notes, be picky about what you note. Do yourself a future favor by selecting carefully at this stage. Only write down notes that will be useful later in writing your paper.

4. Record. Remember to jot down the author or title of the source, page numbers, and “slugs” or categories for later sorting and outlining.

Note Taking Techniques:“How do I put what I'm reading into my own words?”

1. Don’t write down word-for-word and don't copy phrases unique to the style of the author unless you plan on using it later as a quotation.

2. Use abbreviations and incomplete sentences – whatever saves time – as long as you know that you’ll be able to understand your notes later.

3. For complicated paragraphs, you may want to make a mini outline of key points (Main Idea - Sub Idea) as your notes.

4. Don't just substitute words from the original while note taking. You will have to change it later because it is considered plagiarism. Even though you’re using different words, you are copying the author's phrasing and sentence structure.

5. Test yourself! Read a paragraph or section until you feel you understand the content. Without looking at the original text, write down what you remember. Then, go back and read the original work to make sure that the words are different but the meaning is the same.

Note Taking Process:There are three ways to take notes:

1. Quotations. These are identical to the original source. When note taking, put “quotation marks” around the words. Quotations are helpful to support your points, but shouldn’t overwhelm your paper. A paper filled with quotations doesn’t reflect your thoughts or opinions, just repeats those of others.

2. Paraphrasing. This means taking a paragraph or section from the source and putting it into your own words. Most of your notes should be paraphrases. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original.

3. Summarizing. This means taking the main idea(s) of a paragraph or section and putting it into your own words. Summaries are shorter than paraphrases and take a broader view of the source material.

“What is Plagiarism?”

To "plagiarize" is presenting someone else's writing or ideas as your own. The most common example is copying something word for word, including phrases that are unique to someone's writing style, without using quotation marks. But you also plagiarize when you use someone's ideas without giving them credit. When you don't cite your sources, you tell the audience that YOU came up with these ideas, not the original author or artist.

To give credit, you need parenthetical citations (otherwise known as in-text citations) and the source needs to be listed at the end of your paper in a “Works Cited” (MLA format) or a “References” page (APA format).

Plagiarism

Plagiarism continued“But I didn't mean to plagiarize!”

Students sometimes plagiarize unintentionally. You know that copying and pasting from the Internet is plagiarism. But plagiarism also includes:

• copying phrases unique to someone's writing style without using quotes

• stating ideas and information that were researched, organized, and interpreted by someone else without proper citing. This includes your paraphrases and summaries from your notes.

Even if you don’t use a direct quotation, you still need to cite the source. In fact, anything not considered common knowledge, needs a citation.

Rule of thumb: If you didn't know it before you read it, then it isn't "common knowledge."

Plagiarism continuedFrom Purdue University's OWL site:

The original passage:Students frequently overuse direct quotation in taking notes, and as a result they overuse quotations in the final [research] paper. Probably only about 10% of your final manuscript should appear as directly quoted matter. Therefore, you should strive to limit the amount of exact transcribing of source materials while taking notes. Lester, James D. Writing Research Papers. 2nd ed. (1976): 46-47.

A plagiarized version:Students often use too many direct quotations when they take notes, resulting in too many of them in the final research paper. In fact, probably only about 10% of the final copy should consist of directly quoted material. So it is important to limit the amount of source material copied while taking notes.

This is a common example of plagiarism. The student just changed certain words. For example, "overuse" is replaced with "use too many.” This is considered plagiarism because the student is using the exact meaning and sentence structure of the author. The student also did not provide a citation.

Plagiarism continuedFrom Purdue University's OWL site:

A legitimate paraphrase:In research papers students often quote excessively, failing to keep quoted material down to a desirable level. Since the problem usually originates during note taking, it is essential to minimize the material recorded verbatim (Lester 46-47).

An acceptable summary:Students should take just a few notes in direct quotation from sources to help minimize the amount of quoted material in a research paper (Lester 46-47).

Note Cards

Note Taking Method #1:

Note Cards:In this method, you will need a big stack of index cards. Some people like cards of different colors so they can organize them easier later.

Bibliography CardsThe traditional way of using note cards requires a bibliography card. A bibliography card contains information about the source that you will use to take notes for your paper and eventually put in your “Works Cited” (MLA) or “References” page (APA).

Even if you use Easybib for your citations, it may still a good idea to create a bibliography card with the following information for each source: Author, title, today’s date, database (if used), ISBN number and page number (if it’s a print source) URL (if it’s a website).

If the source is a database or a website, you can write down the keywords that you used to find the article. If the source is an eBook, you may want to write down where you found the eBook and from which place you borrowed it (and when it’s due)!

Note Cards:Your other note cards will contain notes taken from your sources. These notes can be in the form of a quotation (copy exactly), a paraphrase, or a summary.

Be sure to write down a “slug” or category name on each card. These slugs will be used to organize your notes later. Some students choose to use index cards with different colors to keep their slugs organized. Some use use highlighters of different colors to code their “slugs.”

After you are finished taking notes, put your slugs into different piles for your outline.

Note Cards:Example:

A student is researching steroid use among high school students. The student has read background information, created keywords and questions, and developed an essential question: Why do high school students use steroids? The student is now conducting research and has found a great source which discusses this problem.

Quenqua

- author

Study in Pediatrics Journal – 38% middle - high school boys use protein supplements, 6%, steroids.

SIRS – database1/12/13 – date

Stats - slug

high schoolstudents - keywords

Quenqua

- author


Reasons Why - slug


Body image changing among males. Now must be muscular. Also, male sports heroes have lessoned public percep of risk. Sports more competitive – give an edge.

Note Cards:Note Taking Method #2:

Notebook

Notebook:For some students, note cards can be too confining or cumbersome. You can use the same techniques as note cards by using a regular notebook. The key is to write only on one side of the paper and draw lines to separate your “slugs.” You may then use different colored highlighters if you wish to separate your “slugs.”

When you are finished taking notes, rip out all of your pages and using scissors, cut your notes into “cards.”

Notebook:

Quenqua

- author



Stats - slug


Quenqua

- author


Reasons Why - slug



Example: A student is researching steroid use among high school students. The student has read background information, created keywords and questions, and developed an essential question: Why do high school students use steroids? The student is now conducting research and has found a great source which discusses this problem.


Word Processor

Many people feel comfortable thinking and creating on a computer. If your handwriting isn’t the best or it’s too large, or you find that hand writing your notes (especially quotations) seems repetitive, you may want to use a word processor like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. When you are finished taking notes, you can print out all of your pages and using scissors, cut your notes into “cards.” Or organize it in new files as you see fit.

Make sure that you include the same information that you include for note cards or the notebook method, including “slugs.” Remember that you will need access to a computer at all times and you should have your files in a portable format. Do not save your files on different computers (i.e. one at school and one at home). Get a flash drive or use Google Docs to prevent yourself from duplicating your efforts.

Microsoft Word has an Notebook layout mode which has the look of a notebook and will make an outline easily. There’s also an audio notes feature.

Word Processor:

Word Processor: Quenqua - author


SIRS – database1/12/13 – datehigh school students – keywords

Stats - slug

Quenqua - author Reasons Why - slug


SIRS – database1/12/13 – datehigh school students – keywords

Example: A student is researching steroid use among high school students. The student has read background information, created keywords and questions, and developed an essential question: Why do high school students use steroids? The student is now conducting research and has found a great source which discusses this problem.

Word Processor:A special word of caution:

Although this method can be quicker than the others, be leery of copying and pasting everything in place of real note taking. Any fourth grader can select a paragraph or section of an article, copy it, and paste it into a word processor. It takes skill to read it, understand it, and paraphrase or summarize the contents. If you skip these important steps, you firstly, will not select the appropriate information (usually, students select too much), nor will you have a complete understanding of the material. Some students think they’re accomplishing a lot with a few short-cuts. Ultimately, they’re wasting their time because they’re not learning anything.

The rise of plagiarism is due to student copy and paste from the internet. To avoid accidental plagiarism, please refer to the section on plagiarism.


Easybib

Easybib:Lastly, a method that is unlike anything else…Easybib has a Notes & Outline feature. It is only available for school accounts like ours and you need to login in order to use it. You obviously, also need to be at a computer and have internet access. The benefits are as follows:

You directly link your Works Cited (which is in Easybib anyway) with your notes. You can also drag your note cards over to the “outline” side of the page. This way, you can see your notes and your outline in the same place. Also, there isn’t a physical item that you need to keep track of. Basically, your notes, Works Cited, and outline are all linked together just by logging into Easybib.

Easybib:Login to Easybib. Start a project. Click on Notes & Outline. Create a New Note. Choose the appropriate source. Type your “slug” in the “identifier” box. You don’t need to type in the other information since you are linking the source directly with your Works Cited.

When you’re ready, you can stack them together, then move the notes boxes over to the right side and you’ll see your outline form.

Easybib:

Enter new note.

View notes.

Make an outline.

Organization:If using the note card, notebook, or word processing method, gather all of your cards, pages, or printouts. Separate them into piles according to their “slugs.” Get a rubber band, a box, or a paper clip to keep your piles in order. If using Easybib Notes, login and go to your project.

Take time to read your notes again. Consider which “stack” should go first. If you find you need to do more research, now’s the time.

For those cards which seem to be singular points and don’t quite make up a stack, put them aside. They may be useful at some point in your paper, or in your introduction or conclusion.

You now need to formulate a thesis statement.

Works Cited:

Driscoll, Dana Lynn, and Allen Brizee. "Quoting,

Paraphrasing, and Summarizing." Purdue OWL. N.p., 14

Dec. 2011. Web. 07 Jan. 2013.

<http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/>.

"Hunter College Reading/Writing Center." Research

Guidelines: Notetaking. Hunter College, 11 Mar. 1999.

Web. 07 Jan. 2013. <http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/reading-

writing/on-line/notetaki.html>.

Mills, Barbara, and Mary Stiles. A Rookie's Guide to

Research: An MLA Style Guide. Bryson City, NC: Union

Creek, 2009. Print.

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Notetaking