sample note card for research paper

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How to Write a Research Paper: Note Cards

–

Back from the library and ready to go

Read your sources and take notes.

After you've gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes.

• Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or idea per card. This way related ideas from different sources can be easily grouped together or rearranged.
• On each index card, be sure to note the source, including the volume number (if there is one) and the page number. If you wind up using that idea in your paper, you will have the information about the source ready to put in your footnote or endnote.
• If you copy something directly from a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so that you know it is an exact quotation. This will help you to avoid plagiarism . (For more, see What is Plagiarism? ).
• Before you sit down to write your rough draft, organize your note cards by subtopic (you can write headings on the cards) and make an outline.

Check out the differences between these two note cards for a research paper on baseball:

Good note card:

WB, 2, p.133 Many Americans could name every major league player, his batting average, and other accomplishments. (What batting records were set?)

Bad note card:

Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers) outfielder one of the great all-time players. Another star was Honus Wagner, a bowlegged shortstop. "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball."

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The Note Card System

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When you are faced with starting a research paper, the most important part of researching and beginning to write is organizing the information and your thoughts. If you are not organized, it will take considerably more time to write the paper.

To make it easy on yourself, you can use an index card system as you gather information. With this method, you categorize the information you find by topic. For each topic, you could have any number of cards from several different sources. Later, as you write your paper, each card topic becomes a body paragraph (supporting idea) in your paper.

Researching

As you find interesting facts about your topic during your research, you should write them down. Each sentence or idea that you find should be paraphrased (summarized in your own words), and written on a card. In order to keep your ideas in order, and to remember where you found the ideas, there are four items that you should include on the index card, as you will see below.

Although it may seem tedious to give each note card a topic name, it serves two purposes:

The source title is the name of the book, magazine, website, etc., in which you found the information. In the previous example, the source was given a number , instead of writing out the entire title. You could write out the title on each card, or simply list your sources on a separate sheet of paper, like the example here. Number your sources on this list, and then use the numbers on the note cards to specify which source provided which fact.

Sample Source List

Remember, this is not a complete works cited, bibliography, or reference page. You will need to add the publication information and use the correct citation format (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, etc.) for the formal works cited page.

Item number three is the paraphrased information that you found. It is helpful to paraphrase , or summarize , your research on the index cards while you are taking notes. If you are consistent in paraphrasing at this stage, then you will be certain not to accidentally plagiarize someone else’s work. You will also have less work to do when you are actually writing the paper. the image of a notecard with a mark on page.

It is important to be accurate with the page numbers on your note cards, as you will need them for citations throughout your research paper. Be sure you know which form of citation your teacher requires. (For information on citing your sources, look at English Works! handouts on MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian Style citations).

Once you have written the information down on the note cards, you only need to go back and organize your cards by topic. Group together all the cards that have the same topic (i.e. all the cards titled: “ Hughes’ Poetry ” should be together). When you finish, you should have your cards in piles, one topic per pile. You can have any number of piles and any number of cards in each pile. The length and detail of your paper will determine how many piles and cards you have.

Your piles may look like:

Make an Outline and Start Writing

Once you have separated your cards into piles, each topic pile should become a body paragraph in your paper. That is the key to this system. If every topic directly supports your thesis statement, then each topic pile should become a supporting idea, body paragraph, or part of a paragraph in your paper.

But before you actually begin writing, you should make an outline of the order you want to present these topics in your paper. (For help making an outline, see the English Works web page on Pre-writing and Outlines ). Once the outline is complete, use your note cards as guides and begin writing.

For further help on writing a research paper, refer to the English Works! web page Process of Doing a Research Paper , Guide to Developing Thesis Statements , and/or Guide to Writing Introductions and Conclusions .

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Organizing Your Research

• Research Note Cards

You may have used Research Note Cards in the past to help your organize information for a research paper. Research Note Cards have you write out quotes or paraphrased information on a note card and include information such as the topic of the source and where you found the source.

There are five parts to Research Note Cards:

• This is going to be the main idea from your research assignment that your quote will connect to. Creating and organizing your information will make it easier to focus your research and complete your assignment.
• This will be the name of the source that your information is from.
• This will be either the quote or your paraphrased sentence(s) from the source. What evidence in this source did you find that will support your thesis statement?
• This is the page number that you found the quote on. If your source does not have page numbers (like an internet source)you can either leave this blank of include the section of the online source that you found this information in.
• Include the complete citation for your source on the back of the note card.

*Note:  It is important to only put one quote or paraphrase per note card.

In the top left corner of the note card is the topic that the quote relates to in the research paper.

Underneath the topic in the top left corner of the note card is an abbreviated name of the source this quote came from.

In the center of the note card is the quote/paraphrased information from the source.

In the bottom right corner of the note card is the page number the information came from.

On the back of the note card is the full citation for the source.

*Note:  Keep in mind, your note card might not be organized the exact same way as the example. That is okay, as long as you make sure you have all the information needed listed on the note card.

Because the quotes and paraphrases are on their own note card, you can group and reorder them in the way you want them to appear in your research paper.

• Use the topic at the top of each note card to group cards by subject.
• Put the groups in the order they should appear in your paper to support your thesis.
• Within each group of note cards, order the note cards in the way they'll appear in each paragraph of your paper.
• Think about the order information needs to be presented in order to build a case for your thesis.

Once everything is organized by topic and in order, you will have created a map or guide to follow when writing your paper. It may also allow you to spot holes in your reasoning or evidence -- you can then return to your sources (or find additional sources) to fill in the needed information.

Work Cited

"The Note Card System."  Gallaudet University , 2021, www.gallaudet.edu/tutorial-and-instructional-programs/english-center/the-process-and-type-of-writing/pre-writing-writing-and-revising/the-note-card-system/.

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How To Make Notecards For Research Paper In Most Effective Way

Many supervisors, mentors, and teachers recommend their students and apprentices use research note cards while writing research papers. Notecards could be a great tool to organize your word and elements of research.

Note cards might seem like an old and outdated research method, but they still work. They do more than be a tool for you. Notecards help you organize your thoughts that are beneficial in your research and beyond. Let’s talk about some tips and tricks on how to make notecards for research papers.

Table of Contents

Why And How To Make Notecards For Research Paper?

With research note cards, it is easier to track your citations. When citing a source in your dissertation, you can write the source’s name on the note card and add the page number where you found the information. This way, you can quickly find the needed information.

Before writing notecards, look at all the information to write your research document. Once you know basic ideas, gather the main points of your research. Preferably, a 3″ x5″ note card would do your bidding.

Also, notecards look fantastic, and even if they’re scattered around the room, they would add an aesthetic touch to your room rather than making it look messy. Writing notecards will help you stay organized and  write a research paper fast .

Steps Towards Writing Notecards For Research

Here are steps to write perfect notecards for your research paper.

Get Yourself a Pack Of Fresh, Nice Smelling Notecards

When you think of how to make notecards for a research paper, the first thing that will pop up in your mind is: Where are the research note cards? For a dissertation, we will need a lot of them. Try to get some extra. That way, even if you grow short, you will have a new bundle to open and save time during your research process.

Gather More Ideas Than You Need

The more is always safe. It will be great to gather as many ideas and sources as possible when you have the  best research topic . It is the quality of a great writer to always  cite sources . It’s easier than ever to collect sources from the Internet as many as possible. The Internet is like an infinite library. When you have more data, sources, and ideas, you will have more choices to filter out the best. For example, you are  writing an outline for your dissertation  and adding critical points that you are about to discuss. You have twenty key points written on your notecards. When you reconsider and filter out the best, you will probably have half of them left, which is close to ten.

Shortlist The Sources

You have a lot of ideas and a lot of sources written on your notecards. Could you have a look at them again? Now you see that not all ideas sound impeccable anymore. You can take those notecards out, leaving you with the best of them. How easier was it with notecards? Imagine if you were doing this filtration process without notecards. You would have to write a whole new draft for this.

Use A Full Notecard For Each Idea

Remember we talked about getting extra notecards? Now you understand why. Every notecard must be devoted to a single idea. Using a separate note card for each citation, source, or quote would be best. Using one card for more than one idea will cause leaving out essential details. It will also confuse you and make you double-minded. Whatever the page number is, making index cards would always help. Whether you’re researching a 10-page research document or  writing a thesis for a research paper , every notecard must consist of a single idea, be it your own words or some text from a resource.

Write Down The Quotes

In the history of research, quoting and paraphrasing can be great tools to make your paper authentic and reliable. Please use separate notecards to include quotes. A direct statement in quotation marks or creating a bunch of them can make your research look more authentic. Note cards will help you remember where or when you will use them.

Label and Number The Note cards

Labeling and numbering note cards help you avoid trouble and confusion. Imagine the mess if your notecards suddenly fall out of your table and get scattered. It would be like having all your work wasted. You will need hours to reorganize them. Labeling and giving numbers will help you sort them and use them at the exact moment you are going to need them. If your note cards are all labeled and aligned, they can tell you a lot about  how to organize your research paper  as well.

Include Every Attribute / Aspect

A notecard must include every aspect of the source or citation you will use. Let’s create an outline of those factors. A notecard will typically include these necessary points:

• Name of The Author
• The Topic / Title of The Citation
• The Book / Paper that is cited
• Exact Number Of The Page
• Other contributors
• Editions / Versions / Volume
• Date of Publication

Let us discuss one trick that will help you beyond  writing research papers . It will help you in real life too. Whenever you do or say anything, ask yourself first:

Is it necessary?

The same goes for note cards. Only include what’s necessary.

Don’t Use Abbreviations Or Acronyms

When we are talking about how to make notecards for a research paper,  our writers  will disapprove of using abbreviations or acronyms. One abbreviation might have more than one meaning. The same goes for acronyms. This can lead to confusion. Staying accurate is the ultimate goal.

Now you can see that creating note cards for your dissertation is not rocket science if you have the right guide and  Academic writing service . We also learned that note cards are not as old as some might say, and they can help you get the best out of your research. However, if you still need clarification about how to make notecards for a research paper, wait to lose your heart. You can  contact us , and we can provide valuable insights we have learned while writing research over the years.

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Research Note Cards

• Writing Research Papers
• Writing Essays
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Many teachers require students to use note cards to collect information for their first big term paper assignment. While this practice may seem old fashioned and out of date, it is actually still the best method for collecting research. 

You will use research note cards to collect all the information necessary to write your term paper--which includes the details you need for your bibliography notes.

You should take extreme care as you create these note cards, because any time you leave out a single detail, you are creating more work for yourself. You will have to visit each source again if you leave out essential information the first time around.

Remember that citing every source completely and correctly is critical for success. If you don't cite a source, you are guilty of plagiarism! These tips will help you collect research and write a successful paper.

• Start with a fresh pack of research note cards. Large, lined cards are probably best, especially if you want to make your own detailed personal notes. Also, consider color coding your cards by topic to keep your paper organized from the start.
• Devote an entire note card to each idea or note. Don't try to fit two sources (quotes and notes) on one card. No sharing space!
• Gather more than you need. Use the library and the Internet to find potential sources for your research paper . You should continue to research until you have quite a few potential sources—about three times as many as your teacher recommends.
• Narrow down your sources. As you read your potential sources, you will find that some are helpful, others are not, and some will repeat the same information you already have. This is how you narrow your list down to include the most solid sources.
• Record as you go. From each source, write down any notes or quotes that could be useful in your paper. As you take notes, try to paraphrase all the information. This reduces the chances of committing accidental plagiarism .
• Include everything. For each note you will need to record author's name, the title of reference (book, article, interview, etc.), reference publication information, to include publisher, date, place, year, issue, volume, page number, and your own personal comments.
• Create your own system and stick to it. For instance, you may want to pre-mark each card with spaces for each category, just to make sure you don't leave anything out.
• Be exact. If at any time you write down information word for word (to be used as a quote), be sure to include all punctuation marks , capitalizations, and breaks exactly as they appear in the source. Before you leave any source, double-check your notes for accuracy.
• If you think it might be useful, write it down. Don't ever, ever pass over information because you're just not sure whether it will be useful! This is a very common and costly mistake in research. More often than not, you find that the passed-over tidbit is critical to your paper, and then there's a good chance you won't find it again.
• Avoid using abbreviations and code words as you record notes —especially if you plan to quote. Your own writing can look completely foreign to you later. It's true! You may not be able to understand your own clever codes after a day or two, either.
• Strategies for Writing a 20-Page Paper
• How to Develop a Research Paper Timeline
• Tips for Typing an Academic Paper on a Computer
• How to Find Trustworthy Sources
• Finding Trustworthy Sources
• How to Write a 10-Page Research Paper
• How to Narrow the Research Topic for Your Paper
• Ethos, Logos, Pathos for Persuasion
• What Is a Bibliography?
• Creating a Table of Contents
• Et Al. Meaning and How to Use It
• Understanding the Progressive Era
• Unreliable Sources for Your Research Project
• Convince Me: A Persuasive Writing Activity
• Writing an Annotated Bibliography for a Paper
• What Is a Senior Thesis?

Making Note Cards

Ask these questions:

How do I do it?

1. Write the subtopic heading of the note at the top of each note card. (see Tip Sheet 11: Creating Subtopic Headings )

2. Write only one main point on a note card

3. Only write information directly related to your Statement of Purpose. (see Tip Sheet 9: Writing a Statement of Purpose )

4. Write only essential words, abbreviate when possible.

5. Be accurate: double check direct quotes and statistics.

6. Identify direct quotes with quotation marks and the person's name.

7. Bracket your own words [ ] when you add them into a quote.

8. Use ellipsis points (...) where you leave out non-essential words from a quote.

9. Distinguish between 'fact' and 'opinion'.

10. Include the source's number on the card (see Tip Sheet 4: Making Source Cards )

11. Write the page number of the source after the note.

12. Use the word 'over' to indicate information on the back of the card.

Sample note card:

:

Resources for Researchers

Written to Support The Back Porch Guide to the Research Paper

I am no longer updating Resources for Researchers. Some materials are being transfered to stevenlberg.info .

• Researching
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• Academic Integrity
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• The Back Porch Guide to the Research Paper

Types of Note Cards

How to Write a Research Paper: Read Your Sources and Take Notes

–

Back from the library and ready to go

Read your sources and take notes.

After you've gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes.

• Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or idea per card. This way related ideas from different sources can be easily grouped together or rearranged.
• On each index card, be sure to note the source, including the volume number (if there is one) and the page number. If you wind up using that idea in your paper, you will have the information about the source ready to put in your footnote or endnote.
• If you copy something directly from a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so that you know it is an exact quotation. This will help you to avoid plagiarism . (For more, see What is Plagiarism? ).
• Before you sit down to write your rough draft, organize your note cards by subtopic (you can write headings on the cards) and make an outline.

Check out the differences between these two note cards for a research paper on baseball:

Good note card:

WB, 2, p.133 Many Americans could name every major league player, his batting average, and other accomplishments. (What batting records were set?)

Bad note card:

Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers) outfielder one of the great all-time players. Another star was Honus Wagner, a bowlegged shortstop. "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball."

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Here are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

Organizing Your Research: Research Note Cards

Research note cards.

• Research Source Table
• Research Outlines
• Recommended Resources
• Ask a Librarian

You may have used Research Note Cards in the past to help your organize information for a research paper. Research Note Cards have you write out quotes or paraphrased information on a note card and include information such as the topic of the source and where you found the source.

There are five parts to Research Note Cards:

• This is going to be the main idea from your research assignment that your quote will connect to. Creating and organizing your information will make it easier to focus your research and complete your assignment.
• This will be the name of the source that your information is from.
• This will be either the quote or your paraphrased sentence(s) from the source. What evidence in this source did you find that will support your thesis statement?
• This is the page number that you found the quote on. If your source does not have page numbers (like an internet source)you can either leave this blank of include the section of the online source that you found this information in.
• Include the complete citation for your source (whether it be MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) on the back of the note card.

*Note: It is important to only put one quote or paraphrase per note card.

Example Note Card

In the top left corner of the note card is the topic that the quote relates to in the research paper.

Underneath the topic in the top left corner of the note card is an abbreviated name of the source this quote came from.

In the center of the note card is the quote/paraphrased information from the source.

In the bottom right corner of the note card is the page number the information came from.

On the back of the note card is the full citation for the source.

*Note: Keep in mind, your note card might not be organized the exact same way as the example. That is okay, as long as you make sure you have all the information needed listed on the note card.

Because the quotes and paraphrases are on their own note card, you can group and reorder them in the way you want them to appear in your research paper.

• Use the topic at the top of each note card to group cards by subject.
• Put the groups in the order they should appear in your paper to support your thesis.
• Within each group of note cards, order the note cards in the way they'll appear in each paragraph of your paper.
• Think about the order information needs to be presented in order to build a case for your thesis.

Once everything is organized by topic and in order, you will have created a map or guide to follow when writing your paper. It may also allow you to spot holes in your reasoning or evidence -- you can then return to your sources (or find additional sources) to fill in the needed information.

Work Cited

"The Note Card System."  Gallaudet University , 2021, www.gallaudet.edu/tutorial-and-instructional-programs/english-center/the-process-and-type-of-writing/pre-writing-writing-and-revising/the-note-card-system/.

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• Last Updated: Jun 21, 2023 10:48 AM
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Study Skills

Research skills.

• Searching the literature
• Note making for dissertations
• Research Data Management
• Copyright and licenses
• Publishing in journals
• Publishing academic books
• Depositing your thesis
• Research metrics
• Build your online profile
• Finding support

Note making for dissertations: First steps into writing

Note making (as opposed to note taking) is an active practice of recording relevant parts of reading for your research as well as your reflections and critiques of those studies. Note making, therefore, is a pre-writing exercise that helps you to organise your thoughts prior to writing. In this module, we will cover:

• The difference between note taking and note making
• Seven tips for good note making
• Strategies for structuring your notes and asking critical questions
• Different styles of note making

To complete this section, you will need:

• Approximately 20-30 minutes.
• Access to the internet. All the resources used here are available freely.
• Some equipment for jotting down your thoughts, a pen and paper will do, or your phone or another electronic device.

Note taking v note making

When you think about note taking, what comes to mind? Perhaps trying to record everything said in a lecture? Perhaps trying to write down everything included in readings required for a course?

• Note taking is a passive process. When you take notes, you are often trying to record everything that you are reading or listening to. However, you may have noticed that this takes a lot of effort and often results in too many notes to be useful.  
• Note making , on the other hand, is an active practice, based on the needs and priorities of your project. Note making is an opportunity for you to ask critical questions of your readings and to synthesise ideas as they pertain to your research questions. Making notes is a pre-writing exercise that develops your academic voice and makes writing significantly easier.

Seven tips for effective note making

Note making is an active process based on the needs of your research. This video contains seven tips to help you make brilliant notes from articles and books to make the most of the time you spend reading and writing.

• Transcript of Seven Tips for Effective Notemaking

Question prompts for strategic note making

You might consider structuring your notes to answer the following questions. Remember that note making is based on your needs, so not all of these questions will apply in all cases. You might try answering these questions using the note making styles discussed in the next section.

• Question prompts for strategic note making
• Background question prompts
• Critical question prompts
• Synthesis question prompts

Answer these six questions to frame your reading and provide context.

• What is the context in which the text was written? What came before it? Are there competing ideas?
• Who is the intended audience?
• What is the author’s purpose?
• How is the writing organised?
• What are the author’s methods?
• What is the author’s key argument and conclusions?

Answer these six questions to determine your critical perspectivess and develop your academic voice.

• What are the most interesting/compelling ideas (to you) in this study?
• Why do you find them interesting? How do they relate to your study?
• What questions do you have about the study?
• What could it cover better? How could it have defended its research better?
• What are the implications of the study? (Look not just to the conclusions but also to definitions and models)
• Are there any gaps in the study? (Look not just at conclusions but definitions, literature review, methodology)

Answer these five questions to compare aspects of various studies (such as for a literature review. 

• What are the similarities and differences in the literature?
• Critically analyse the strengths, limitations, debates and themes that emerg from the literature.
• What would you suggest for future research or practice?
• Where are the gaps in the literature? What is missing? Why?
• What new questions should be asked in this area of study?

Styles of note making

• Linear notes . Great for recording thoughts about your readings. [video]
• Mind mapping : Great for thinking through complex topics. [video]

Further sites that discuss techniques for note making:

• Note-taking techniques
• Common note-taking methods
• Strategies for effective note making  

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How to write source cards for a research paper

If you wish to download it, please recommend it to your friends in any social system. Below are examples of source cards how do you write a background research paper how to write source cards for a research paper different kinds of sources. Next: Organize your ideas. Tip Sheet 8: Focusing a Topic www. Related Articles. Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy. Baseball becomes popular Ty Cobb Detroit Tigers outfielder one of the great all-time players. Organize your ideas. Place a colon after the year and include the abbreviations n. Non-Clinical M. You will also have less work to do when you are actually writing the paper. You will be less likely to write down unnecessary information facts that are not related to your topic if you are careful to write down the topic for every card. There are many, many different types of sources: books, websites, videos, tv shows, people, to name a few. New and Emerging Signers Student Support. When you finish, you should have your cards in piles, one topic per pile. Look for sources of information. A world-class institute of changemakers in the deaf and signing community. You could write out the title on each card, or simply list your sources on a separate sheet of paper, like the example here.

Sample note card for research paper

Sample note card for research paper last way that you can use notecards for your paper is to use them if you have to present your work. You should always acknowledge. What batting challenges of writing an essay were set? It ranges from failure to properly cite your sources all the way through cheating. Philosophy and Sample note card for research paper. Write only one main point on a note card 3. You can keep track of all the information that you are gathering and write the sources on the cards to use later on your reference page. Return to WAC index. As you finish with each card, immediately file it in the order that your dividers are in. Copyright c Geneca Research Reports. Write only essential words, abbreviate when possible. All rights reserved. Physical Education and Recreation. Save your precious time only for those BEST sources; those are the ones you want for quotes and paraphrases in your eventual draft. You find their web site on the main page of the Library web page. Outline double spaced 3. But they ultimately save you time and also allow you to keep track of all of your work. As you find interesting facts about your topic, you will write them down.

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