Patterson’s English 1102 Notecard Overview

Notecards maybe either handwritten on index cards, or typed/word processed. I strongly recommend the latter as it better facilitates composing the rough draft you will soon complete. Include quotes, paraphrases, and your own ideas based upon your research in notecards as, in theory, once they are complete, you would not need to go back to your source material for additional information. Also, include parenthetical citations in correct forms on your cards to facilitate the use of the information in your rough draft.

In handwritten or typed formats, notecards should contain the following elements:

Author’s Name – Title of Source

Jones, Jane – A Complete Guide to Cockroaches (underline if handwritten)

- “This is an example of a direct quote from the source” (Jones 113).

- This is an example of a paraphrase, where you restate the source’s information in your own words. More information on adequate paraphrasing is found at

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072381329/student_view0/summary_and_paraphrasing.html#.

Remember, inadequate paraphrasing is a form of plagiarism, intentional or not ( Jones 156).

- My thoughts: Indicate where you include your own observation, assumptions, hypothesis based upon this source material so you will be able to more easily include such in your rough draft. Remember that your research paper should have focus on your own ideas, using research to support them, as opposed to simply compiling research and stating only others’ ideas as the text of your paper.