■ Below the resource number, write the page number(s) on
which the information appeared.
■ Get out your preliminary outline. Under which outline
topic heading does the information on your card seem to fit?
Under your “I” heading? Under “III”? Jot the appropriate
Roman numeral in the upper right-hand corner of your note
card. (You can use capital letters or even regular numbers if
you prefer—just match whatever you used on your outline.)
If you’re not sure where the information fits into your
outline, put an asterisk (*) instead of a topic letter. Later,
when you do a more detailed outline, you can try to fit these
“miscellaneous” note cards into specific areas.
■ Next to the topic letter, jot down a one- or two-word
“headline” that describes the information on the card.
■ When you have finished taking notes from a particular
resource, put a check mark on the bibliography card. This
will let you know that you’re done with that resource, at least
for now.Be sure that you transfer information accurately to your note cards.
Double-check names, dates, and other statistics. As with your
bibliography cards, it’s not really important that you put each of these
elements in the exact places I’ve outlined here. You just need to
be consistent. Always put the page number in the same place, in
the same manner. Ditto with the resource number, the topic heading,
and the headline.
Add Your Personal Notes
Throughout your note-taking process, you may want to create some
“personal” note cards—your own thoughts, ideas, or impressions
about your subject or your thesis.
150 How to Study