Capturing Information in Your Notes
For more examples of capturing information from sources, see Learning by Writing in Ch. 12; Capturing Evidence without Plagiarizing in Ch. 34; and section D in the Quick Research Guide.
Your goal in capturing source information is to record enough notes and citations that, once they’re written, you are independent of the source. Start by reading each source critically and actively; then decide what—and how much—to record so you dig out the useful nuggets without distorting the meaning.
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Reading Actively
Read the entire article or section of a book before beginning to take notes. On your second reading, take notes by annotating, highlighting, quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Such methods help you absorb, evaluate, and select information from a source. They also help you identify potentially useful materials and, later, integrate them smoothly into your paper.
For more on critical reading and annotating texts, see Ch. 2. For more on evaluating research sources, see Ch. 32.
Decide What You Need. Weighing each source carefully and guessing how you might use it—even as you are reading—is part of the dynamic process of research. Distinguish what material is significant for answering your research question and what’s only slightly related. If you wish, add your own ratings (*, +, !!, or–, ??) at the top or in the margin.
Identify What’s from Where. Clearly identify the author of the source, a brief title if needed, and the page number (or other location) where a reader could find the information. These details connect each source note to your corresponding bibliography entry. Adding a keyword at the top of each note will help you cluster related material in your paper.
Consider the Best Method of Recording Information. When it comes time to draft your paper, you’ll incorporate your source material in three basic ways: quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Notes you take as you read should also use these three forms.
Quoting is transcribing the author’s exact words directly from the source. As you read, you can identify a lively or concrete quotation with a highlighter or by highlighting text in a digital document.
Paraphrasing is fully rewording the author’s ideas in your own words. You can paraphrase an important passage in the margin of a printout or on a note card, or in a computer file.
Summarizing is reducing the author’s main point down to the essentials. To help keep track of your sources, you can attach a summary of a source to the first page of a printout or insert it at the top of a computer file.
The following sections discuss quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing in greater depth.
Quoting
If you intend to use a direct quotation, capture it carefully, copying by hand or pasting electronically. Reproduce the words, spelling, order, and punctuation exactly, even if they’re unusual. Put quotation marks around the material in your notes so you’ll remember that it’s a direct quotation.
RECORDING A GOOD QUOTATION
Quote sparingly, selecting only strong passages that might add support and authority to your assertions.
Mark the beginning and the ending with quotation marks.
Carefully write out or copy and paste each quotation. Check your copy—word by word—for accuracy. Check capitalization and punctuation.
Record the page number where the quotation appears in the source. If it falls on two pages, note both; mark where the page turns.
If you take out one or more irrelevant words, indicate the omission with an ellipsis mark ( . . .). If you need to add wording, especially so that a selection makes sense, enclose your addition in brackets [like this].
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Sample Quotations, Paraphrase, and Summary (MLA Style)
Passage from Original Source
Obesity is a major issue because (1) vast numbers of people are affected; (2) the prevalence is growing; (3) rates are increasing in children; (4) the medical, psychological, and social effects are severe; (5) the behaviors that cause it (poor diet and inactivity) are themselves major contributors to ill health; and (6) treatment is expensive, rarely effective, and impractical to use on a large scale.
Biology and environment conspire to promote obesity. Biology is an enabling factor, but the obesity epidemic, and the consequent human tragedy, is a function of the worsening food and physical activity environment. Governments and societies have come to this conclusion very late. There is much catching up to do.
—Kelly D. Brownell and Katherine Battle Horgen, Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America’s Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do about It, page 51
Sample Quotations from Second Paragraph
Although human biology has contributed to the pudgy American society, everyone now faces the powerful challenge of a “worsening food and physical activity environment” (Brownell and Horgen 51). As Brownell and Horgen conclude, “There is much catching up to do” (51).
Sample Paraphrase of First Paragraph
The current concern with increasing American weight has developed for half a dozen reasons, according to Brownell and Horgen. They attribute the shift in awareness to the number of obese people and the increase in this number, especially among youngsters. In addition, excess weight carries harsh consequences for individual physical and mental health and for society’s welfare. Lack of exercise and unhealthy food choices worsen the health consequences, especially because there’s no cheap and easy cure for the effects of eating too much and exercising too little (51).
Sample Paraphrase Mixed with Quotation
Lack of exercise and unhealthy food choices worsen the health consequences, especially because they remain “major contributors to ill health” (Brownell and Horgen 51).
Sample Summary
After outlining six reasons why obesity is a critical issue, Brownell and Horgen urge Americans to eat less and become more active (51).
Sample Summary Mixed with Quotation
After outlining six reasons why obesity is a critical issue, Brownell and Horgen urge Americans to remedy “the worsening food and physical activity environment” (51).
Works Cited Entry (MLA Style)
Brownell, Kelly D., and Katherine Battle Horgen. Food Fight: The Inside Story of the Food Industry, America’s Obesity Crisis, and What We Can Do about It. McGraw/Contemporary, 2004.
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Paraphrasing
For more on quotations and ellipsis marks, see section C in the Quick Editing Guide or handbook sections 33 and 35.
When paraphrasing, express an author’s ideas, fairly and accurately, in your own words and sentences. Avoid judging, interpreting, or merely echoing the original. A good paraphrase may retain the organization, emphasis, and details of the original, so it may not be much shorter. Even so, paraphrasing is a useful way to walk your readers through the points made in the original.
| ORIGINAL | “In staging an ancient Greek tragedy today, most directors do not mask the actors.” |
| TOO CLOSE TO THE ORIGINAL | Most directors, in staging an ancient Greek play today, do not mask the actors. |
| A GOOD PARAPHRASE | Few contemporary directors of Greek tragedy insist that their actors wear masks. |
WRITING A GOOD PARAPHRASE
Read the entire passage through several times.
Divide the passage into its most important ideas or points, either in your mind or by highlighting or annotating the passage.
Look away from the original, and restate the first idea in your own words. Sum up the support for this idea. Review the section if necessary.
Go on to the next idea, and do the same. Continue in this way.
Go back and reread the original passage one more time, making sure you’ve conveyed its ideas faithfully without repeating its words or sentence structure. Revise your paraphrase if necessary.
Summarizing
Sometimes a paraphrase uses up too much space or disrupts the flow of your ideas. Instead, you simply want to capture the main ideas of a source “in a nutshell.” A summary can save space, distilling detailed text into one or two succinct sentences in your own words. Be careful as you reduce a long passage not to distort the original meaning or emphasis.
WRITING A GOOD SUMMARY
Read the original passage several times.
Without looking back, recall and state its central point.
Reread the original passage one more time, making sure you’ve conveyed its ideas faithfully. Revise your summary if necessary.
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RESEARCH CHECKLIST
Taking Notes with Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries
For each source note, have you identified the source (by the author’s last name or a keyword from the title) and the exact page? Have you added a keyword heading to each note to help you group ideas?
Have you added a companion entry to your bibliography for each new source?
Have you remained true to the meaning of the original source?
Have you quoted sparingly—selecting striking, short passages?
Have you quoted exactly? Do you use quotation marks around significant words, phrases, and passages from the original sources? Do you use ellipsis marks to show where any words have been omitted and brackets to show where words have been added?
Are most notes in your own words—created by paraphrasing or summarizing?
Have you avoided too closely paraphrasing the source?
Learning by Doing Capturing Information from Sources
Learning by Doing
Capturing Information from Sources
Identify a substantial paragraph or passage from a source you might use for your research paper or from a reading in this book (selected by you, your small group, or your instructor). Study the passage until you understand it thoroughly. Then use it as you respond to the following activities.
Quoting
Identify one notable quotation from the passage you selected. Write a brief paragraph justifying your selection, explaining why you find it notable and why you might use it in a paper. Share your paragraph with classmates. In what ways were your reasons for selection similar to or different from those of your classmates?
Paraphrasing
Write a paraphrase of your passage. Use your own language to capture what it says without parroting its words or sentence patterns. Share your paraphrase with classmates. What are its strengths and weaknesses? Where might you freshen the language?
Summarizing
In one or two sentences, summarize the passage you selected. Capture its essence in your own words. Share your summary with classmates. What are its strengths and weaknesses? Where might you simplify or clarify it?