This document provides tips for effectively taking notes from research sources for a research paper. It recommends recording page numbers, distinguishing between paraphrased, summarized, and quoted information, and keeping works cited information with each source. The document also advises organizing and categorizing notes, determining which to use in the paper, and connecting quoted passages in the written work to make claims supported by evidence. Students are asked to devise a personalized research note-taking plan.

1. Taking notes on research
sources
Some strategies
SLCC
Fairview High School

2. There are many ways you can go about
this
• Note card-ish
• Color code in one document
• Use a database
• What have you done that has worked for
you?

3. No matter what you do, these things are
critical
• Record page numbers
• Make sure you keep track of what is
o Paraphrased
o Summarized
o Quoted verbatim (put quotes around quoted information)
o RECORD PAGE NUMBERS in all cases
o Your thoughts on your notes
• Keep the works cited information for a source as you are
working with it
o So you don’t have to go back for it later!
• Write down your ideas about the information you are
collecting from your sources
o You can often use these tidbits in your paper!

4. How to get from taking notes to writing a
research paper
• Take all your notes from sources, write thoughtful
comments about them.
• Organize and categorize your notes.
• Figure out which ones you want to use in your
paper.
• Put them in a logical order in a word document.
• Write in-between the pieces to connect them—
focusing on what claims the data allow you to make
and how you will warrant the data.
o Voila! Research paper!

5. What’s your plan to organize yourself as
you research?
• And what will you do as you research to help
you with the writing later?
• It’s up to you. I don’t care how you do it, but
you will need to make a plan for yourself!
• Write your plan in your writer's notebook.