Using Sources: Notetaking

You have found a credible source that's perfect for your research. You know you're supposed to now "take notes" on it. What exactly does that mean? What should you write down?

• Read the entire text, noting the key points and main ideas.
• Summarize in your own words what the single main idea of the text is.
• Paraphrase important supporting points that come up in the text.
• Consider any words, phrases, or brief passages that you believe should be quoted directly.

Driscoll, Dana Lynn, and Allen Brizee. “Quoting, Paraphrasing and Summarizing.”Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University, 15 Feb. 2013, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/.