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MLA Research Paper - Using Notecards

This document provides instructions for organizing research notes using a color-coded notecard system that corresponds to an outline. Students are directed to create source cards with full citations and notecards summarizing facts from sources in their own words. Each notecard should include the section title from the outline, source number, and one summarized fact or piece of information. Students are also told to use different colored notecards for different outline sections to organize their notes and make writing the paper easier.

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Sining Guillermo
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46 views11 pages

MLA Research Paper - Using Notecards

This document provides instructions for organizing research notes using a color-coded notecard system that corresponds to an outline. Students are directed to create source cards with full citations and notecards summarizing facts from sources in their own words. Each notecard should include the section title from the outline, source number, and one summarized fact or piece of information. Students are also told to use different colored notecards for different outline sections to organize their notes and make writing the paper easier.

Uploaded by

Sining Guillermo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Organize a Research

Paper using Notecards

Source: Bonita Springs Middle


Language Arts Department
MLA Research Outline

First, you’ll need


your MLA
Research Outline.

It should look like


this.
How do I organize my research?
Use notecards! (3x5
index cards)

Organize your notes


to match the sections
of your outline.

Color code your notes


by section.
Use different
colored notecards
for each section!
What are source cards?
First, you will need a source
*Your source card should be white.
card. This is how you will
keep track of where you got
Your source card should
each piece of information.
like something like this
*If any information is missing from your source, skip
that portion of the citation and move onto the next
available piece of information. See notes about
“Publisher’s Name” and “Publication Date”.

Any line after the


first line in your Refer to your
citation should be Purdue OWL
indented about a handout for
thumb space. information on
how to format
your citation.
If this information
isn’t available, use
the abbreviations
“n.p.” or “n.d.”
What should my notecards look like?
Your notecards should include the following
information: Section Title, Source Number,
and 1 Fact or Piece of Information from your
source. Use a different color
index card for each
This should
match the
section of your paper source card
number.

This should
match the
section Only 1 fact
title from per card.
your outline
Notecard: Part 1
Finally, you are ready to write
down a fact or piece of
information on your Notecard.

Remember: DO NOT write down


exactly what your source says.
Paraphrase the information, or
write it down in your own words.
This will help you avoid
plagiarism. If you MUST write
down an exact quote, make sure
you put quotation marks around
it and note the speaker
(“Quilting is my favorite hobby.”
– Susan Jones of the Florida
Quilting Committee).
How do I paraphrase?
When you paraphrase, you’re basically reading
the information and then summarizing the key
pieces.

http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/paraphrasing/
Notecard: Part 2
*Each Source Card should have a
different number, but several
Notecards may have the same
Source Card number. This is
because you might take many
different pieces of information
from the same source.

Make sure that you document the


Source where you got each piece
of information directly on your
Notecard. You must do this AS
SOON AS YOU FIND A FACT
THAT YOU PLAN TO USE!
Notecard: Part 3

You should choose a different color for each


section in your outline. Then, you should match
the color of the index card to the color from
your outline.

This will make writing your paper a lot easier!


What should my finished notecard look
like?

This is your

3
second step.
Make sure to
Finish here by
record the

2
deciding which
number of the
section of your
Source Card
outline this
that has the
fact best fits.
citation
information
for the place
where you got
this
information.

1 Start here by paraphrasing (or occasionally


directly quoting) one fact or piece of
information from your Source.
Works Cited
Landsberger, Joe. “Organizing Research: Creating Notecards.”
Study Guides and Strategies. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.

“Paraphrasing.” BrainPOP, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2013.

The Purdue OWL Family of Sites. The Writing Lab and OWL at
Purdue and Purdue U, 2008. Web. 23 Apr. 2008.

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