Save yourself time and frustration by keeping
a thorough record of your research, a Research Journal
should include the following:
where you looked (on the free web, in a research database, etc.)
your search terms (subject headings or keywords used)
what you found
where you found it (book, a free web site, a full-text
database, etc.)
what you learned
diligently recording quotations and paraphrases
complete citations for every source
Devise a way to visually highlight the words
of others in your notes to distinguish them from your words.
Use different colored pens or indent every time you
paraphrase or quote someone.
Diligently put all the words of someone else in quotations
("") and write a bibliographic citation for
the original source.
Do not wait until you are writing your final paper to
assemble bibliographic citations. IMMEDIATELY follow any
written notes with a complete bibliographiccitation
for the author and source or the original text while you are
taking notes (not at the end of writing your paper). For more
information see the VAIL guide titled Citation!
Citation! Citation!
Questions to ask yourself in the planning
phase:
Who is the author?
What is the author saying?
Why is the author saying this?
Do other authors disagree?
Use note cards or a word processor and
fill out a form like this for each resource you consult:
Source Read:
What it said:Check
Paraphrase or
Quote:
Insert paraphrase or direct quotation My thoughts or reactions:
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