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Homework Center – Writing Skills Research Papers Establish your topic. Look for sources of information. Read your sources and take notes. Organize your ideas. Write a first draft. Use footnotes or endnotes to document sources. Write a bibliography. Revise the first draft. Proofread the final draft. Back from the library and ready to go Read Your Sources and Take Notes After you’ve gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes. Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or idea per card. This way related ideas from different sources can be easily grouped together or rearranged. On each index card, be sure to note the source, including the volume number (if there is one) and the page number. If you wind up using that idea in your paper, you will have the information about the source ready to put in your footnote or endnote. If you copy something directly from a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so that you know it is an exact quotation. This will help you to avoid plagiarism. (For more, see What is Plagiarism?). Before you sit down to write your rough draft, organize your note cards by subtopic (you can write headings on the cards) and make an outline. Check out the differences between these two note cards for a research paper on baseball: Good note card: WB, 2, p.133 Star players become national heroes Many Americans could name every major league player, his batting average, and other accomplishments. (What batting records were set?) Lists source (World Book, Volume 2, page 133) Includes heading or subtopic Is limited to one fact Has personal note/question Bad note card: Baseball becomes popular Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers) outfielder one of the great all-time players. Another star was Honus Wagner, a bowlegged shortstop. “Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.” Source not indicated in top right corner Heading too vague Too many facts No name after quotation Back: Look for sources of information Next: Organize your ideas Homework Center Home »Subjects: Geography | History | Language Arts | Mathematics | Science | Social Studies
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Homework Center – Writing Skills
Back from the library and ready to go
Read Your Sources and Take Notes
After you’ve gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes.
Research Papers
Establish your topic. Look for sources of information. Read your sources and take notes. Organize your ideas. Write a first draft. Use footnotes or endnotes to document sources. Write a bibliography. Revise the first draft. Proofread the final draft.
Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or idea per card. This way related ideas from different sources can be easily grouped together or rearranged. On each index card, be sure to note the source, including the volume number (if there is one) and the page number. If you wind up using that idea in your paper, you will have the information about the source ready to put in your footnote or endnote. If you copy something directly from a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so that you know it is an exact quotation. This will help you to avoid plagiarism. (For more, see What is Plagiarism?). Before you sit down to write your rough draft, organize your note cards by subtopic (you can write headings on the cards) and make an outline.
Check out the differences between these two note cards for a research paper on baseball:
Good note card:
Bad note card:
WB, 2, p.133
Star players become national heroes
Many Americans could name every major league player, his batting average, and other accomplishments.
Lists source (World Book, Volume 2, page 133) Includes heading or subtopic Is limited to one fact Has personal note/question
Back: Look for sources of information
Next: Organize your ideas
Baseball becomes popular
Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers) outfielder one of the great all-time players. Another star was Honus Wagner, a bowlegged shortstop.
“Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball.”
Source not indicated in top right corner Heading too vague Too many facts No name after quotation
Subjects: Geography | History | Language Arts | Mathematics | Science | Social Studies
.com/homework/t4takingnotes.html
Sources +
Our Common Sources
Our Common Sources
How to Write a Research Paper: Use Footnotes or Endnotes or Parentheses to Document Sources
- How to Write a Research Paper: Use Footnotes or Endnotes or Parentheses to Document Sources
TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.
Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Current Events This Week: January 2023
African Americans by the Numbers
Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales
TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.
Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Current Events This Week: January 2023
African Americans by the Numbers
Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales
- Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
- The Twelve Dancing Princesses
- Current Events This Week: January 2023
- African Americans by the Numbers
- Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
- The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales
