Argumentative WritingBrad Hutchinson

To make a source card from a book, you will need the following information: Author’s name (last name, first name) or the editor’s

name (last name, first name)—if there is an editor, put

ed. after the name.Title of the workCity of publicationPublisherCopyright date—use the most recent

All Works Cited entries for Web sources contain the following basic information:

Online document    Author's name (last name first). Document

title. Date of Internet publication. Date of access <URL>.

The web site citationmachine.net helps generate source information. You are free to use it to create your source cards as well as your in-text citation.

Remember to give each source card a different number. You will use this to organize your cards by putting the number for the source from which you get information on each card on which you take notes.

The purpose of taking notes for a research paper is to write down information that you think you will use in the writing of the paper. Once you have ascertained that a piece of information will be useful, take notes on it. There are three main types of notes that you can take.

This type of notes is when you write down the exact words of the source. Only take this type of note if the wording of the passage is absolutely perfect for your purpose.

Paraphrase is the type of note that you will take most often. In it you write the information down in your own words. In a paraphrase, you write down all relevant information.

Summary is when you write down the information in your own words. It differs from paraphrase because in a summary, you write down only the most important information. It is a way to produce a note that is shorter and contains only the main idea of a passage rather the details one uses in a paraphrase.

Type of note taken (direct quote, paraphrase, summary)

Source number

Page number

(if book)

Take notes in the center of the card. Only write down one piece of information per card