Note-taking Guidelines
Once your bibliography card is finished, set it aside. Get out some
blank index cards and start taking notes from your reference source.
Follow these guidelines:
■ Write one thought, idea, quote, or fact on each
card...and onlyone. If you encounter a very long quote or
string of data, you can write on both the front and back of a
card, if necessary. But never carry over a note to a second card.
What if you can’tfit the piece of information on one card?
Break it into two or more smaller pieces, then put each on a
separate card.
■ Write in your own words. Summarize key points about
a paragraph or section or restate the material in your own
words. Avoid copying things word for word.
■ Put quotation marks around any material copied
verbatim. It’s okay to include in your paper a sentence or
paragraph written by someone else to emphasize a particular
point (providing you do so on a limited basis). But you must
copy such statements exactly as writtenin the original—every
word, every comma, every period. You also must always
put such direct quotes within quotation marks in your paper
and credit the author.Add Detail to Your Note Cards
As you finish each note card, do the following:
■ In the upper left-hand corner of the card, write down the
resource number of the corresponding bibliography card (from
its left-hand corner). This will remind you where you got the
information.Chapter 7 ■How to Write Terrific Papers 149