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Whatever step in the process you are engaged in, it is essential that you take good notes. There are many different ways to do this. Some manuals suggest that you keep notes on index cards, so you can reorder them as your assignment evolves. Alternatively, you may wish to devote a section of your notebook to this assignment, or keep your notes electronically. Whatever you decide, there are some important things to keep in mind as you take notes, especially when you are dealing with secondary sources.
- Whenever you are taking notes on a source, whether it is the primary source or a secondary source, be sure you record all of the bibliographical information for that source. This means you need to note the author, the publisher (that may be a company or a scholarly journal), the relevant dates, issue and page numbers, and, importantly, your dates of access of any web-based source. (Click here for a thorough explanation of bibliographical formattng.)
- Be sure you indicate whether you are directly quoting the source in your notes, paraphrasing what the author has written, or merely recording ideas and information. Write down page numbers if applicable and use quotation marks when necessary. This is crucial as you compile and hone your paper, and taking care with these notes will help you avoid accidental plagiarism.
- When paraphrasing, be sure you are using your words, not merely reorganizing the words of the author. Read the original source, digest it and then articulate the relevant idea yourself. Do not merely replace words with synonyms and reorder the author’s syntax. If the author has said it in the best and clearest way, quote the author directly.
- In the humanities, you generally need not cite sources for “common knowledge,” that is, widely known facts such as historical dates, basic biographical information, and geographical facts. You do need to cite opinions and analysis, very specific facts that only eyewitnesses could report on, or any data or statistics, including, obviously, direct quotations or paraphrases. In the sciences, where proof leading to conclusions rests on previous experimentation, most facts will need to be cited.
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