Taking Research Notes

Taking notes from a book:

There are two separate ways to take notes from a printed source, and they are both very important.

The first way is to paraphrase, which means you take the information down in your own words.

EXAMPLE:
Myths are very appealing to the people who tell and hear them, and that’s why they last so long. Myths usually explain nature or the universe. Many myths describe that humans are not perfect creatures, and some have a god destroying humans to create a better version. Most cultures have myths that explain how humans discovered food or agricultural tools. Hero myths often teach people positive attitudes or how to act in society (23-34).

The second way is to copy direct quotes from the source that are strong statements about your topic.

EXAMPLE:
“Most of the major cultures start with the beginning of the universe – a chaotic, formless mass that a god or a pair of god separates. The gods multiply so that each can have his or her particular role in the universal scheme, and the creator-god brings life to earth in the form of plants, animals, and human beings” (23).

After you have finished collecting the notes you need, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to collect the bibiographical information you will need later. You will need to consult this MLA guide for help.

EXAMPLE:

Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology, An Anthology of Great Myths and Epics. Lincolnwood, Illinois. NTC Publishing Group. 1996.

Taking notes from an Internet source:

The first thing I need to decide is the reliability of the website I wish to use. Anyone can create a website, and some do not have quality information. Let’s say I am researching Negro League Baseball, and I am looking at the following websites:

Example One
Example Two
Example Three

Example two is the one I wouldn't use for my research since it is full of people's opinions. The other two are from reputable sources like the Official Negro League Museum like number three or may contain news articles like number one. Which of the three would you consider the best source? I hope you said number three. Number one may be helpful, but I would be careful.

I am going to take some notes from example number three. I still need to do the same things as I would do if I was collecting information from a printed source.

Paraphased Evidence:
African-Americans begain playing baseball about the same time as anyone else -- in the late 1880s. Most African-Americans played on school, military, or club teams, but since the United States was a segrigated society, they were not permitted to play in the professional leagues starting around 1900.

Direct Evidence:
"In 1920, an organized league structure was formed under the guidance of Andrew “Rube” Foster—a former player, manager, and owner for the Chicago American Giants. In a meeting held at the Paseo YMCA in Kansas City, Mo., Foster and a few other Midwestern team owners joined to form the Negro National League."

Before I leave the site, I need to collect that crucial bibliographic information that will be EXTREMELY IMPORTANT later. I am going to use the MLA guide for help. You will notice that there are several different ways to collect this information depanding on the type of source.

Example:

Negro League Basball Museum. Negro League History. 2004. Negro League Basball Museum. 24 August 2006. [http://www.nlbm.com/s/history.htm].

You probably noticed that not every piece of information you need isn't present on this website, so sometimes you need to leave a few things out. Notice that I used "Negro League Baseball Museum" as both the author and the organization. Sometimes this is necessary.