Using Your Sources
Note taking is extremely important when researching because it helps you:
- Stay organized with your ideas and sources
- Use the information you find effectively
- Avoid accidental plagiarism
When you come across useful information for your paper:
- Read it critically and think about how it relates to your argument and how you'll use it.
- Select only the relevant details that support your point.
- Either copy word-for-word quotes or summarize the key content in your own words, noting how you plan to incorporate it.
- Copy down the citation information and source details.
Maintaining good notes with properly documented sources as you research is essential. It allows you to capture only what you need while tracking where each piece of information came from. Careful note taking makes avoiding plagiarism much easier.
The tutorial below goes more in depth in the different ways you can cite work in your paper. Please keep in mind how you plan to cite a resource while you are taking your notes.
Outlines help organize information in a logical, hierarchical way. For research papers, creating an outline allows you to structure and track all your key points and supporting details.
To make an outline:
- Start with your thesis statement at the top.
- List the main points that support your thesis using roman numerals (I, II, III, etc.)
- Under each main point, list supporting ideas/arguments using capital letters (A, B, C, etc.)
- If needed, divide supporting ideas further into sub-points using numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) and lower-case letters (a, b, c, etc.)
An outline visually shows how all your research connects and flows in a clear, organized way under your main thesis.
Note: The citation managers on the side of this guide can assist in formatting a well-structured outline that incorporates your references.
The key is breaking down your paper into a order hierarchy - thesis, main points, supporting details, sub-details - so the outline maps out your entire argument visually before writing.
The video below has more information about creating an outline and will give you a more thorough overview of the process.
An annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation for each source. Annotations may serve one or more of the following purposes:
- Summarize the main arguments, topics covered, and core point of the source material. The length determines how detailed the summary is.
- Assess the source by evaluating its usefulness, reliability, objectivity/bias, and overall purpose compared to other sources.
- Reflect on how the source fits into and informs the research, including how it shapes arguments, can be used, and impacts perspectives on the topic.
The specific requirements for what to include in annotations depends on the particular project or instructor guidelines. The overarching goal is to briefly describe and critically analyze each source and its relevance to the research.
The resources below will provide more information on how to create an annotated bibliography.
Information synthesis is the process of:
- Analyzing and evaluating information from multiple sources
- Making connections between the different pieces of information
- Combining the new information with what you already know
- Creating something new out of this combined knowledge
Without strategies for synthesizing information, it is difficult to derive new knowledge from large amounts of data. Information synthesis is also crucial for developing effective writing and communication skills to share new knowledge created through the synthesis process.
In essence, information synthesis involves taking information from various sources, connecting it in meaningful ways to your existing knowledge, and using that integrated understanding to generate novel insights and ideas that can then be communicated to others.
The tutorial below will teach you some of the strategies needed to synthesize the information you need for your papers.
