Note taking for Research Papers

Taking notes on research and references sources is similar to taking notes on assigned text readings, except that a more flexible and manipulable format is desired. By recording notes on paper strips or lined note cards, one can easily rearrange information from a variety of sources into the order desired for the paper.

Two strategies for research paper notetaking, Notecard and Clip-Strip, are discussed below. These methods are useful in their flexibility and manipulability. They make it easier to integrate information from several different references, including personal interviews, books, journals, and newspapers. The strategies also provide students with an outline from which the first draft of a paper may be written.

Notecard Strategy

The notecard strategy involves recording notes on 3 x 5 or 5 x 7 lined notecards. Because index cards can be purchased in a variety of colors, it is often helpful to use different colors for different references.

The following description of the notecard strategy is modified from "Study and Reference: Mechanics of Note Taking" (author, year).

• Record bibliographic information.
• Bibliographic information includes the author's full name, the name of the article or book, the name of the journal or newspaper (if applicable), the volume number of the journal or newspaper, page numbers, the year of publication, and the city and publisher of the book. There are several options for recording bibliographic information.
• Record the complete information at the top of each notecard. While this approach is less likely to result in mix-ups or lost information, it is more time consuming.
• Record the complete bibliographic information at the top of the first notecard. Use only the authors last name at the top of subsequent notecards. As long as two references don't have the same author, there should be few mix-ups in the bibliographic information.
• Record the complete bibliographic information on the first notecard. Assign that reference a unique value (e.g. 1, 2, 3 ...) and use the number on subsequent cards.
• Read the reference material.
• After reading the material, find the main ideas and identify supporting details for each main idea.
• Record notes on the notecards.
• Write notes about the main ideas and supporting details on notecards. Each major topic, along with its supporting data, should be placed on a separate card.
• Write the main ideas as headings on the first line of the card; underline them or write them in all caps to highlight them. Write the supporting details under the main heading, indenting each one and/or setting them off with bullets. If possible, write only on one side of the card; if the supporting details must be continued on the back, use an arrow on the front to remind yourself that information is written on the back of the card.
• Unless you are recording direct quotations, use abbreviations, symbols, and shorthand to compact the information. Direct quotes should be copied word-for-word and set off by quotation marks. Be sure to write down the page number on which the quote appears in the reference.
• Repeat the previous steps for each additional reference.
• Rearrange the notecards.
• Once notes have been recorded for all reference sources, rearrange the cards in the order desired for the research paper. For more details on this process, refer to the Outlining section of the Writing and Proofreading page.

An illustration of the notecard strategy is provided below. It is based on an excerpt Arnheim, Modern Principles of Athletic Training (1989, p. 174).

• "Athletes who undergo prolonged stress because of overtraining can become stale. The term 'stale' refers to a loss of vigor, initiative, and successful performance. This situation can be attributed to a wide variety of influences."
  
  "The general cause of staleness in athletes is stress, usually occurring over a long period of time without adequate relief. Sometimes it is called athletic 'burnout,' much like psychological 'burnout,' which occurs in any field that has major responsibilities."
  
  "There are countless reasons why athletes become stale. In fact, the athlete could be training too hard and long without proper rest. ...the athlete may not be eating enough carboyhdrates to store glycogen for adequate fuel."
  
  "Although poor eating habits are an important cause of staleness, more often staleness is attributed to emotional problems stemming from daily worries, fears, and, most importantly, anxieties. Anxiety is one of the most common mental and emotional stress producers. It is reflected by a nondescript feat, a sense of apprehension, and restlessness. Typically the anxious athlete is unable to describe the problem. The athlete feels inadequate in a certain situation but is unable to say why. Heart palpitations, shortness of breath, sweaty palms, constriction in the throat, and headache may accompany anxiety."
  
  "Athletes are much more prone to signs of staleness if the rewards of their efforts are minimum. A losing season commonly causes many athletes to experience signs of staleness."

Notecards for this excerpt are as follows.

Clip-Strip Strategy

The clip-strip strategy (Stoner, 1990) has the same purpose as the notecard strategy, except that the medium differs somewhat. Instead of recording notes on individual index cards, notes are written on sheets of loose leaf paper and then separate ideas are cut out using scissors. Again, this allows one to easily manipulate the order and organization of the notes.

Stoner's (1990) directions for using the clip-strip strategy are outlined below.

• Record bibliographic information.
• Bibliographic information includes the author's full name, the name of the article or book, the name of the journal or newspaper (if applicable), the volume number of the journal or newspaper, page numbers, the year of publication, and the city and publisher of the book.
• This information is written at the top of the paper. Because this section of the page eventually will become the bibliography of the final paper, it is best to record the bibliographic information in the form required for the final paper.
• Divide the paper.
• Divide the paper by drawing a vertical line from top to bottom about 1-2" from the right side of the paper. This narrow right-hand column will be used later for coding the notes.
• Record the notes.
• Take notes from the reference, paraphrasing the main ideas and supporting details. Skip at least one line between lines of notes, and skip several lines between main ideas to allow for cutting later. Always put the page number from which the information was taken at then end of the line of notes. Leave the right-hand margin blank when recording notes.
• Color code the notes.
• Once the notes from one resource have been recorded, color code the page(s) of notes by running a colored lined down the page in the narrow right-hand column. Thick-tipped markers or highlighters work well for coding. Use the same color for all pages of notes from the same reference. Use different colors for each source. If only one color is available, use one line of color for one reference, two lines of color for another references, three lines for a third, etc.
• Clip the notes into strips.
  • Carefully cut apart the pages between the main ideas or, if necessary, between individual lines. If lines are separated, make sure each has a page number. Cut horizontally, from left to right.
• Sort the strips.
• Sort the strip notes from the various references into piles containing related ideas. Each pile should represent the major topics to be covered in the paper. Assign a letter (e.g. A, B, C, etc.) to each pile, and write that letter in the narrow right-hand margin of each strip in the pile.
• Order the strips of notes in each pile.
  • Order the strips in each pile spatially, temporally, topically, or in some other logical sequence (refer to the section on Structure and Organization in the Writing and Proofreading page for details). Write a number in the narrow right-hand margin on each strip within each pile to indicate the order of the strips. Each strip should now have a color code, a letter, and a number.
• Organize the paper.
• The notes are now ready to be organized into the first draft of the paper. For more details on this step, refer to the Writing Drafts section of the Writing and Proofreading page.

• The first steps are to record the bibliographic information and notes.

• Then cut the note strips.

• Separate the strips into piles of related information and code each strip in each pile.
• Bibliography Pile
  

Arnheim, D.D. (1989) Modern Principles of Athletic Training, St. Louis, Times Mirror, p. 174.



• Definition Pile
  

Staleness = loss of vigor or initiative, unsuccessful performance (174)

A



• Causes Pile



Staleness caused by excess training w/o adequate rest (174)

B




Staleness caused by improper nutrition, not enough carbohydrates (174)

B




Staleness caused by emotional problems (174)

B




Anxiety is one of the most common mental and emotional stress producers. (174)

B

• The last step is to put the strips in each pile into order and number the strips.
• Bibliography Pile
  

Arnheim, D.D. (1989) Modern Principles of Athletic Training, St. Louis, Times Mirror, p. 174.



• Definition Pile
  

Staleness = loss of vigor or initiative, unsuccessful performance (174)

A 1



• Causes Pile
  

Staleness caused by emotional problems (174)

B 1




Anxiety is one of the most common mental and emotional stress producers. (174)

B 2




Staleness caused by excess training w/o adequate rest (174)

B 3




Staleness caused by improper nutrition, not enough carbohydrates (174)

B 4

Miscellaneous Tips

• The most effective order of activities when taking notes is: listen, look, think, understand, paraphrase, then write.
• Note taking style should be tailored to the type of presentation.
• Lectures - listen and take notes as the instructor speaks.
• Seminars - listen to the discussion, write down main points after class.
• Labs - keep a notebook handy to record brief notes about procedures and results.
• Listen for the following types of information during lecture; this is important material that should be recorded in notes.
• Information not contained in the assigned readings
• Explanations of obscure material within the texts and readings that students might not understand
• Demonstrations or examples that provide greater understanding of the subject matter
• Background information that puts the course material in context
• Strive to understand the big picture of the lecture. Don't waste time writing down details and copying tables or illustrations that can be found in the book and copied later. Instead, write brief notes about the subject being discussed.
• Avoid writing in full sentences.
• When in doubt about the importance of a piece of information, write it down. Check its significance later against the required readings or with the instructor.
• Write on your own notebook paper. There is not enough space to take notes on outlines or handouts provided by the instructor.
• Don't by stingy with notebook paper. Skip lines or leave empty spaces for adding information, clarifying information, or writing questions.
• Be cautious when loaning your notes to another student. Give him/her a xerox copy instead, and always get his/her name and phone number. Lost notes are irreplaceable.
• Make your own set of notes. While you certainly may supplement your notes with those of another student, don't rely on solely on notes taken by someone else. The notes may not be as complete or accurate as your own, you may not understand another person's shorthand or symbols, and another person may not record things he/she already knows but you don't.
• Always date your notes. Put the day, month and year at the top of every page. Dating notes helps one to find certain pieces of information and to organize notes.
• Always put page numbers on your notes. Like recording dates, using page numbers helps one to find information and to organize notes. Page numbering is particularly useful if notes are dropped and scrambled out of order.
• Put page numbers at the top of each page. You may want to start at "page 1" for each day, or you may choose to have a running page count for each unit (between exams) or for the entire semester or quarter.
• If you recopy or reorganize notes, be sure to renumber and redate the pages.
• Check the accuracy and completeness of notes by using any combination of the following sources of supporting information: textbook and other assigned readings, class mates, instructor, and tutors.