How to Make Note Cards for Your Research Paper

What is a note card?

A note card contains a selected piece of information that you intend to use in your research paper.

You take notes from your sources and write these notes on index cards.

How do you select information for your note cards?

You need to read the information in your sources with a purpose in mind. You should search for information to help support or prove your thesis statement and to develop your subtopics.

Thesis Statement and Subtopics

Periods 2, 7, and 9 Thesis:______ (write the name of your animal) is an endangered species and should be protected.

Subtopics• Description of the animal. • Description of the habitat. • Endangered status. • Solutions.

Thesis Statement

Periods 4 -5Although ________ and ________ are both acceptable career choices for me based on my interests, _________ is the best choice for me overall. (1st person allowed in intro and conclusion paragraphs)

Per. 4 -5 Subtopics

• Basic description of each job and the expected salary and benefits

• Duties• Working conditions• Education needed for the career, time, years, cost• Growth projection – How many jobs are expected in

the future (at the time you will graduate from college).

• Suitability for your interests and abilities

Thesis and Subtopics

Period 8Thesis

____________ is a serious problem for teenagers, but the problem does have some viable solutions.

Period 8 Subtopics

First you will need to narrow and focus your topic, then…

• Describe the problem: general description• What are the causes of the problem?• What are the effects of the problem?• What are the possible solutions? Describe 1 -2

solutions in detail or several in less detail.• Evaluate the solutions. How effective do you

suppose they would be and why

What do you do after you find information for your note cards?

The first thing you will need to decide is whether you are going to…

Summarize (put information in your own words, but make it shorter)

Paraphrase (put information in your own words but keep it about the same length) or

Quote (copy directly from the source and use quotation marks)

What do you do after you find information for your note cards?

After you summarize, paraphrase or quote the information, you must make sure you document it and show which source it came from.

What should my note cards look like?

Subtopic

Note – One piece of information per card. All info on the card must be from the same source and about the subtopic you wrote on the top of the card.

Name of source and page number from the source

Your initials

Sample Note Card

Farm Animals Mistreated

“Animals on factory farms live in grossly overcrowded, filthy pens.”

Vegetarian Pages, 2CT

Sample Note Card

Vegetarians – Lower Cost of Eating

Going vegetarian can cost less than eating meat. Compare ten dollars worth of meat to ten dollars worth of vegetables, beans, or grains to see the difference.

“Vegetarian Cooking” 3CT

Practice Note Card

http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?vid=3&hid=106&sid=852ec5f9-f227-4154-8806-c0ac87d1a45f%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU%3d#db=mih&AN=24977518

Source Citation

Chliboyko, Jim. Canadian Geographic: May2007 Special Issue, Vol. 127, p17-17.

Note Card

Solutions for Endangered OwlsA dozen or so rescued Burrowing Owls have

a sanctuary on an abandoned racetrack near Wal-Mart in Moose Jaw, Sask., Many visitors, including famous people, watch the owls. Baby owls bred on the site are released into the wild.

Canadian Geographic p. 1CT