Research Tutorials

Why take notes while doing research?

1. It greatly reduces accidental plagiarism because instead of blindly copying and pasting information into your paper, you are making a note of where you got the information from (in-text citation) and are either quoting, paraphrasing or summarizing the information into your notes, instead of directly into your paper.
2. Note taking encourages writers to stick to the outline, thus creating a more organized and concise paper.  
3. It allows you to focus on what is important when you are reading information about your topic and thus will cut down on unintentional tangents and information that is unnecessary, redundant or ineffectual to your thesis.
4. It will save you time later.  If you take great notes while conducting research, actually writing the paper will take you less time because your notes will be organized, neat and you won't be trying to remember where you got a quote from as your writing your paper.
5. You will form a connection to the information, which will encourage better understanding of the topic.

There are several ways to take notes when researching and I encourage you to find the method that works best for you, as we all learn differently. Check out some of the following note-taking methods to assist you in the research process.

One of the most common areas of writing that students don't focus on is the final editing & proofreading stage. Poor grammar, spelling, flow, tone, and off-topic content are common complaints that instructors make about student papers. Here are some tips to help you with this final process:

• Print the paper out and read it directly off of paper, you will be amazed how quickly you notice errors that you didn't notice reading off the screen.
• Ask someone to read it for you.  They don't necessarily need to be experts on the subject, they simply need to be able to notice spelling problems, grammar issues, and tell you when the content or wording is confusing.
• Ask another student to read it for you.  You must trust them to be honest and not tell you it's great just because they don't want to hurt your feelings. Every problem they catch is one less your instructor will, so make sure they are honest!
• Leave yourself enough time to proofread, because many of the mistakes you make while proofreading occur when you are in a hurry.
• Where you proofread is important. If you are easily distracted, find a quiet place to go through the process instead of a table at noisy Starbucks.

Check out the following video for more tips.