VII. Using and Formating Notecards

When taking notes in a traditional classroom setting, we often use composition paper. When taking notes while engaging in research, many teachers and professors advocate the use of taking notes on note cards. You should use lined index cards. Just make sure all of the the cards are the same size.

Why take notes on note cards? There are four important reasons:

It allows you to keep your quotes and research information clearly labeled for eventual use in your outline or paper.
Since you follow a certain format for each note card and that format mirrors the parenthetical documentation you will use in your paper, you will have a head start when it comes time to incorporate the information into your paper.
It makes your notes far easier to keep track of if you have a great deal of information.
It may also help you organize and keep track of the information you will need in formatting your works cited page.

There are three basic types of note cards that you will create:

Note cards on which you place information directly from your research onto the note card (direct quotes).
Note cards on which you place information which you paraphrase (summarize information from another source in your own words).
Your own ideas.

For each type as illustrated on the sample note card you will need to put important information.

You will place the information which you take from another source starting two or three spaces into the note card. Indent about an inch (more or less) and only incorporate one quote or paraphrase per card. If the note is a direct quote, put quotation marks around the information and then close the quotes. Follow this with parenthetical information and place the punctuation after the parenthesis (just like you would parenthetically document something - just follow the same guidelines). If the note card is a paraphrase, simply leave out the quotation marks and use your own words. Don't forget to parenthetically document the source you are paraphrasing. If it's your own idea, write it out and don't quote it or use parenthetical documentation. "Own notes" type of cards are optional and not always used by teachers. It's up to them and you!

On the upper right-hand side (as you face the card), you will write the title of the article, book, essay, etc. and either underline or quote it depending on the source's genre. You may abbreviate if the title is too long (on the note card only). If it's your own idea, you may simply put "Own idea."

On the upper left-hand side (as you face the card), you will then write a key word or phrase which basically hints at what the basic idea or information the note card is.

Simple enough? After you finish your cards, you have a nice little library of information which is more easily accessed than if notes were taken scrawled over several pages sandwiched in between other pieces of research not related or you may not even use. In fact, after you're finished, you can deal those cards put into a pretty nifty little outline (even referring to cards by number).

Here is an example that illustrates the connection between note cards and bibliography cards.

What follows are some different samples of cards which still use the format outlined above.



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