MAKING NOTES FOR RESEARCH Note Making starts with READING BUT You do not need to read a text from beginning to end to find relevant information,

Before we start… We need to understand the structure of text

a non-fiction book table of contents chapter headings & subheadings sections in bold diagrams & charts glossary an index at the back

an article abstract (will provide an outline of the article) headings / sub-headings sections charts & diagrams.

a paragraph Each paragraph is made up of 3 parts. The first sentence of the paragraph is called the topic sentence and contains the main idea, point or argument. [note this] What follows is evidence – details, examples and facts that support the main idea. [make note of only the important facts] The final sentence is a summary and explains the connection of this paragraph to the main theme of the article. [record the main conclusions the author makes]

There is no one best or effective way of taking or making notes, essentially, note taking styles fall into three main types: Linear Notes Visual or Pattern Notes Voice Notes

Linear Notes The SQ3R reading strategy is an efficient way to get the most out of reading and allows you to make effective notes without PLAGIARIZING

What is SQ3R? Survey Question Read Recall Review

SURVEY Skim through the text quickly to get a general idea of its structure, content and purpose. Pay particular attention to the contents, chapter headings, section headings, diagrams and illustrations. At this stage, do not read everything word for word. Maybe, read the topic sentence of each paragraph. The idea of this survey stage is to get the big picture, or an overview, of the article, chapter or section of text that you need to study. You should only take a minute or two to complete this step.

QUESTION In order to make the most of this learning experience you need to start asking yourself questions about the passage. Start with the headings and subheadings. They should help to organize the paragraphs into a structure that you can base your questions around. Try to reword the headings into questions. Continue in this way until you have created a question (or two) for each heading. There are many templates around to help this process or you can create your own At this stage, have a think about whether or not he text is relevant or if it’s current and if it suits the purpose of your study.

READ read the passage or chapter. keep your questions in mind as you read, search for the answers, important facts or the author’s opinions and ideas.

RECITE Look away from the text write your answers beside the questions you formulated on your template Use only words/keywords/phrases Devise abbreviations, use bullet points, dashes or numerals for different ideas Make notes in your own words – shorten main sentences, leave out unnecessary words, re-arrange the sentence Use quotation marks for direct quotes

REVIEW Return to the text and review your answers against the text. Make any corrections or amendments.

REPEAT THIS PROCESS FOR AT LEAST 3 SOURCES But wait… THERE IS MORE

Think about the following Who is the author what are their credentials? Look at the date of publication Who is the intended audience? Is the information presented fact, opinion or propaganda? How well does the work cover your topic? Is the text easy to read? Is it set out logically?

RECORD BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS Manually using template in the library Online using the Online Reference Generator

VISUAL NOTES You could also create a mind map of flow chart from your notes, adding pictures and symbols to make it even easier to spark your memory of the facts when you need them.

mind mapping…

flow chart…

For Good Research Use more than one source Use different kinds of sources e.g. book, internet, etc Use topics and sub-topics Make short, ordered notes Make separate notes from each source using the same headings Write your final piece from the notes Record bibliographic details of all sources used