Notecards for Dummies
1. Find a source. Does it have an index and table of contents to help you find your topic? Don't forget to look up words that are similar to or mean the same thing as what you're looking for.
Does it have information you can use?
2. Make your 1" documentation card by following the steps on the Documentation for Dummies sheet. Label this source card "A".
3. Take a new index card. Label this card "A" in the middle of the top line to show that notes on this card come from the source you just documented as "A".
4. Read a paragraph or small section of information from your source. Use a dictionary to look up words that are unfamiliar to you.
Think about the point of the entire paragraph. What is it really telling you?
5. Write the page number of your information on the right hand side of the notecard on the line under the "A". Skip a line. Jot down IN YOUR OWN WORDS the overall idea of what you've just read. Write only the key words that will help you recall the information.
Write clearly. Do not take notes on the back of the index card. The idea is to easily see what you've written on the front of each card.
Do not write complete sentences on your notecard. Feel free to invent your own shorthand.
6. Stick to information about one main idea on each card. How would you sum up this main idea in one or two words? Is there a heading on the page of your source that would help you determine this main idea?
Write this main idea, called a slug, on the left-hand side of the card opposite the page number under the label "A".
Example
|
A
climate p 52 like U.S. but longer, hotter summers, milder winters
spring & summer -> nicest late summer & early fall->most humid, uncomfortable |