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Gathering Information
Taking Notes
The most common student error is to skip stages one & two and start here. Although the early stages seem to be a waste of time, they are actually time savers; helping you to choose the best information and therefore to create a quality product.
Taking Notes
To avoid plagiarism, make sure to take notes properly:
- use a separate sheet for each source;
- list all source information - author, title, publisher, issue, date, URL, etc.;
- keep focus questions in mind as you read - look for information that answers your questions;
- rewrite ideas into your own words, summarize whenever possible, but be careful not to change the idea;
- jot down connections / ideas as you think of them;
- use different colours for quotes and ideas;
Check with your teacher to see if there's a required / prefered template for taking notes for your project.
Here's a sample note taking template that you can print and use. Click on the image below, then print the file. Use a separtate sheet for each source. Record all source information at the top, then take notes in your own words. Organize your notes by focus question. Jot down ideas in another colour.
Or, if you are taking notes from the Internet and prefer to cut & paste text, try this MSWord template - simply right click on this link; save the file to your g:/drive, usb key, or home computer; then open the file from MSWord and start taking notes. Just be sure to use a new copy of the file for each website or online article you are using.
Last updated: April 4, 2008