Taking Notes during Your Research Taking notes is a very important and exciting part of the research process. With a well-formed thesis statement and a preliminary outline, note taking can be fun and rewarding. After all, this is when you will find exciting information about your topic. In addition, taking notes will save you time when you begin writing and will help you start to become an expert on your topic. To make notetaking easier and more convenient, we are trialing an online, web-based program called Noodletools. Noodletools is a bibliographic, notetaking tool to help students record, organize and cite their research. How do I take notes? Taking notes is as unique and individual as a person’s handwriting style. Some people like to write complete sentences when taking notes, some prefer short partial sentences and others prefer bullet points or writing lists. There is no one method that is better than the others because it is strictly a personal choice. However, there are some generally accepted tips that seasoned researchers have discovered.
One approach you can use an aid in How to take notes, is the mnemonic:
S – Survey the material to be read Survey the Section headings and Paragraph subheadings to get an idea of what will be covered in the chapter or the article. Read any introductions, summaries and side boxes included in the article or chapter to get additional information. C – Connect the ideas How do the various headings and subheadings relate to each other? Write down keywords that illustrate how the sections are connected. R – Read the material Read the information under each heading. Focus on words or phrases that are italicized or in bold print, because these words usually express important information about the article or heading. O – Outline Write down the main ideas and any supporting details in outline form. Use Section headings and subheadings as the main ideas in your outline whenever possible. Identify the topic sentence, usually the first sentence in each paragraph, because these sentences introduce the main idea for that section. Try to include at least two details under each main idea. L – Look Look back at each Section heading and paragraph heading to make sure they coordinate with the main headings in your outline. Make sure your outline contains each of the main ideas and supporting information from the chapter or article. Look for connections between notes from previous readings or articles. Source: The Learning Toolbox Home at James Madison University. http://coe.jmu.edu/LearningToolbox/notetaking.html Where do I record my notes? It is important for you to keep all your project notes in one place. Some researchers use note cards, some make note taking templates on the computer, others simply word process their notes into an electronic folder. Below are some pros and cons to each method:
What kind of notes should I take?
How do I organize my notes?
Note Card Example:
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