A practical and efficient method of taking notes when researching is to write down information on note cards.  Note cards are helpful because:

• All the information you will need when writing the paper is present on the cards, preventing you from wasting time by returning to a source a second or third time.
• They are mobile and can later be easily organized according to the outline for your paper.

Each note card MUST contain the following:

• Heading/Title: a short, distinctive, and descriptive label that captures what the note card is about.  This will help you when sorting your cards later on.
   
• Text/Notes: the actual notes you take.  This could be a summary, a direct quote, a collection of specific details, or a combination of the above.  When you quote, be careful to always copy exact words, use quotation marks, and identify the speaker – you don’t want to accidentally plagiarize, not remembering that what you wrote is someone else’s words.
  
  
• Source: For each card, you need to indicate what source the information came from.  You don’t have to write out the entire citation, just an abbreviated reference (i.e. author’s last name, key word from the title, a symbol that represents the source).  Whatever you decide, make sure you are consistent.  Each note card must also refer to the exact page or pages that were used from the source.
  
  
• Page Numbers: Where in your source did you find the information?  This will be helpful when writing in-text citations and in case you need to refer back to the source for additional information.
  

Also:

• Information should only be used on one side of the note card (as a way to avoid forgetting or losing information).
• Note cards should all be the same size to avoid misplacing cards.
• Keep all of your note cards after completing your paper, as you may be asked to produce them in order to verify your research.

Sample Template:                                                                                  Specific Example: