HOW TO RECORD INFORMATION*

Once you have identified the best books for your research, you can start taking notes so that you will remember the various facts you have found. Although you can use ordinary sheets of paper, it is sometimes easier to use catalogue cards (like recipe cards) or to cut paper into squares about 3 inches by 2 inches. These are sometimes called reference cards. Record each idea, fact or quotation you find that you think might be useful on a separate card along with the page on which you found it. At the top of each card, write the title, author, call number and publishing information of the book in which you found it.. If you need to find that particular source again, you won’t have to go through the whole search process again.

Here is a sample reference card prepared by a student working on an essay on perception and its role in creating effective advertisements.

You can also use catalogue cards to jot down your own ideas and questions about the topic. Perhaps there are questions you want answered or ideas you want to explore. As well, you may suddenly create a sentence in your head that really works. Write it on a separate card too so that when you start to write you will be able to remember it.

Here are two examples of resource cards that contain ideas the writer wants to include in an essay. In the case of an essay on advertising, this card might then be clipped to a stack of photocopies of old ads that could be part of the final report.