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Writing the Literature Review: Step 4: Take Notes
So, you have to write a Literature Review? What is a Literature Review? How is it different from an annotated bibliography? Find out all that and more--Here.
Use index cards to keep notes and track sources of information used in your paper
Create numbered Work Cited cards for each source of information
Include all of the citation information (i.e., author, title, publisher, date, page numbers, etc.) you will need to write your Works Cited page
Record the citation information in the format your instructor requires (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc). When it comes time to write your Works Cited page, it will be easier to organize your sources alphabetically
On each card:
Use only one side to record notes
Record only one idea, fact or quote from one source on a notecard. It will be easier to rearrange them later when it comes time to organize your paper.
Include a heading for the topic of the card
Include the original source of the information. If you have created numbered Work Cited cards for each source, you will only need to include the source number
Include the page number where you found the information
Taking notes:
Use abbreviations, acronyms, or incomplete sentences to record information (as long you will understand them later). This will speed up the notetaking process
Do not write down everything
Extract only the information that answers your research questions.
Use one of the following notetaking forms:
Summarize the main idea of the article, then outline its main points
If you plan to use an exact quote, make sure you copy the quotation exactly as it appears in the original source. Enclose the quote in quotation marks and note the name of the person you are quoting
Use symbols, diagrams, charts or drawings to simply and visualize ideas
