How to create notecards:

Step 1:

Navigate to either the Sources screen or the Notecards Tabletop View screen.

• Adding multiple notecards for a particular source? Use Sources.

• Already organizing notecards into groups and piles? Use Notecard Tabletop View.

Step 2:

Click the green New Notecard button if you are on the Notecard Tabletop View.

Step 3:

Limit each notecard to a single topic or idea, to make outlining easier.

Enter information:

Title (required): A few words describing the notecard's main idea.

URL: The URL in your citation might not be a direct link to the content. You can add a different URL here if it helps you get directly back to the source.

Source (required): If you created your notecard from the Sources screen, this field is auto-filled. If you created your notecard from the Notecards screen, be sure to select the source citation here.

Page: If there are page numbers associated with the material, enter them here (you'll need them for in-text citations).

Tags (optional): Add short (1-2 word) tags to help you identify and label concepts within each notecard. Type a comma between tags (for example, typing frogs, climate change will add tags "frogs" and "climate change").

Direct quotation: Use for direct quoting in your project OR as an "inbetween stage" for paraphrasing

Paraphrase or summary: Restating the source info in YOUR OWN WORDS. A summary concisely restates important ideas and crucial details in language you understand.

My ideas (optional): "My ideas" is a thinking space. You've understood the author's words, now interact with them. Push back, question, reflect and predict. Here's where you build “voice” and motivation. Personalize the information and work towards creative synthesis.

Step 4:

Click the Save and Close button when you are done.

Important note: Notecards are auto-saved as you type. Clicking Save and Close at the end saves a final time, but you can use the Manage Versions option to retrieve past saves, if your work is interrupted or your computer crashes.