Taking Notes When Reading

 

Keep in mind that well-written, organized notes make it easier for you to write your paper. You also need notes to acknowledge your sources.

Remember... Research requires reading! As you read,

• Think critically
• Evaluate information to see if it is a high-quality source
• See if the information meets your need and answers your research question

You need to take accurate notes in order to credit authors for their:

• Original ideas
• Facts
• Direct quotes

In order to avoid plagiarizing:

• Write down keywords and main ideas only, not whole phrases. 
• If you do include whole phrases, place quotation marks ( " " ) around them and jot down the page number where you found the phrase, so that you will remember to cite it when you write your paper.