Notes

Outline

FINDING, EVALUATING, AND RECORDING MATERIAL RESEARCH AND NOTE-TAKING Created by Casey Furlong

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING SOURCES Author Publisher Title Publication date Preface Table of contents Index Abstract Illustrations Documentation Reviews Glossary Expert opinion

KINDS OF SOURCES Primary Sources an autopsy report Emerson’s journal diary of a senator itinerary of a cruise ship election results tour of Bull Run battlefield baseball box scores Secondary Sources a newspaper obituary Waldo Emerson (bio) chapter in a history book a travel brochure candidates’ speeches account in a history book a sports column

SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES Government publications (GPO) -- see p. 80 in Coyle Corporate publications (use with caution because they are basically advertising) Organizations (encyclopedia of association) p. 81, Coyle Special collections Clippings (vertical file, see librarian)

SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES Microforms (microfiche, microcard, microfilm) Interlibrary loans Electronic sources (CD-ROM database or WWW) Interviews Lectures Correspondence

SUPPLEMENTARY SOURCES Telephone call Media (film, TV documentary, recording) Observation (visitation to a site) Poll Questionnaire Use ingenuity and imagination to find sources

KINDS OF MATERIAL Fact -- denotes something that actually exists It can be verified or proved. A thesis statement cannot be wholly factual, for it would not require development. A fact can be confirmed.

KINDS OF MATERIAL Opinion -- is abstract    It is an idea about a fact or about another opinion.  It is an interpretation, deduction, supposition, conjecture. An opinion can be explained or defended but not proved definitively. That the Edsel was a commercial disaster is a fact; reasons for its failure are opinions. That Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald is a fact for millions of people saw it on TV; why he did it is opinion.

KINDS OF MATERIAL Research papers contain both facts and opinions taken from outside sources. Beware of authors who present opinions as if they are facts. Take notes from your reading, but stay alert and infer conclusions from what you read. Qualify your inferences with words like perhaps, may, or probably.

USING SOURCES EFFICIENTLY You must track research using an efficient system. Use bookmarks when browsing on the internet to save the URL. If you use a print source, skim it first, and then return to passages that seem pertinent. Devise a system for recording passages that look useful; Take notes after you have examined the work as a whole.

USING SOURCES EFFICIENTLY If you have made copies of the source, only star or highlight a passage you may use if you are sure that it is relevant to your thesis. Insert cards, attach a gummed note to the edge of the page with a note on it. Then write your note cards. Always keep your thesis foremost in your mind.

NOTE-TAKING TECHNIQUES You are obligated to acknowledge the sources of all borrowed facts and opinions whether you quote an author’s exact words or summarize them. Facts that are common knowledge and are found in several sources need not be cited. Source card should include the author’s name, the title, and the publication facts.

NOTE-TAKING TECHNIQUES On source card, write only a code word (usually the author’s last name) and the page reference at the top of each note card. Record the source and the page at the bottom of the card. Label each note card in the upper right-hand corner with a word or brief phrase (slug).  Use labels, numbers from outline.

TECHNIQUES OF QUOTING Copy a quotation exactly as it appears in the source.  Double check it. Use ellipsis (. . .) three periods with a space before, between, and after, to omit words, or parts of the sentence that are not needed. Blend a short quotation with your own sentence and this sometimes can replace ellipses.

BLENDING QUOTATIONS WITH YOUR TEXT An initial capital letter can be reduced to lowercase if only a portion of a sentence is quoted.  Altered capitalization is sometimes indicated by brackets:  [w]oman’s. When words are deleted, the deletion is signaled by an ellipsis: “Three women . . . proceeded to cut their skirts down to knee length and to use the cut-off material to fashion pantalettes” (Kephart 106).

BLENDING QUOTATIONS WITH YOUR TEXT A short phrase can be quoted with no ellipsis before or after if included with your commentary. Noyes complained about “the impracticality of the standard female attire” (Kephart 106).

WAYS TO INTRODUCE QUOTATIONS Mark Twain once said, “golf is a good walk spoiled.” Mark Twain defined golf as “a good walk spoiled.” “Golf,” according to Mark Twain, is “a good walk spoiled.” Mark Twain was once quoted as describing golf as “a good walk spoiled.” According to Mark Twain, “golf is a good walk spoiled.”

BLOCK QUOTATIONS A quotation of four or more lines is usually written in block form. The entire quotation is indented ten spaces on the left but is not indented on the right. No quotation marks are included unless they appear in the original.

BLOCK QUOTATIONS Do not indent the first line unless you quote more than one paragraph (seldom advisable). At the close of the quotation, space twice and type the citation after the period Too many block quotations should be avoided

NOTE CARDS Source (author’s last name) and page number written in the upper left-hand corner Indication of the content written on the right corner Each card should contain material pertaining to a single point All material on a card will come from one source

NOTE CARDS 4” x 6” cards are the best size (5” x 8” are tempting to write too much on the card). Use back of card if note is long.  Do not use more than one card for same note. See example on page 92-94.

NOTE CARD EXAMPLE Kosenko 28-30              II. A. emphasis on work Mr. Summers, a coal merchant, wants to speed up the lottery so that people can get back to work.  He is wearing a clean white shirt, indicating that he will not be working himself. summary

NOTE SHEETS Do not take all the notes from a source on the same sheet. Take notes topically; Write notes pertaining to the same point on the same sheet.

NOTE SHEETS Identify the point in the upper right-hand corner and be sure to identify each source. Space your notes generously. When you begin to write your paper, you may cut the sheets into separate strips so you can arrange them in order (example on p. 89).

PHOTOCOPIES Duplicate source pages on copy machine. Print the text of an article on microfilm or on CD-ROM database.  Do not over-highlight.

TYPE OF NOTES 1. Quotation note If you are not sure whether you will use an author’s actual language, take down the quotation (but try to decide before notetaking). 2. Paraphrase/summary note

TYPES OF NOTES 3. Outline note Use only factual information, in outline form. 4. Combination note  Both quotation and summary. 5. Personal note Reminders to yourself on note cards.

QUOTATIONS Four reasons for using a direct quotation: Accuracy:  when the precise language of the original is essential (a legal document) Authority:  when the exact words of a writer or a speaker carry more weight than a summary of them Conciseness:  when a quotation states an idea in fewer words than a summary would require Vividness:  when the language of a quotation is more colorful or more descriptive than your paraphrase

THE PERILS OF PLAGIARISM See example on p. 96