Not sure where to get started on your research? This guide is designed to help you make a research plan, choose a topic, and find your sources. An excellent starting point for any research paper writing assignment.
Evernote allows you to gather all your notes, thoughts and ideas in one place across as many devices as you like, making it possible to locate all your different university assignments, plans and inspirations in just one click.
Google Keep (Android), a sleek pin-board style app which allows its users to pin notes, make lists and add photos onto a well-designed and easily updateable homepage which works across any Android device or PC.
Google Docs offers the functionality of Microsoft Word in a web app that you can access from any device. Plus, with Google Chrome, you can run Docs offline in your browser. That means even when you're in a class without an internet connection, you can still take notes and have Google sync them with your account once you're connected again.
Read subject headings, the first and last paragraph. Get an idea on what the paper is about.
Look at illustrations or graphs. What are they trying to tell you?
Make notes of unfamiliar words but don’t look them up just yet.
Thesis – What is the paper going to tell you?
Active Reading
Active reading – Helps you understand and remember the content you are reading. As you read the text make notes around sections that you will want to include in your paper.
Use any method to take notes: highlight, underline, color coordinate, etc.
Use your own language. This includes checkmarks, arrows, brackets, emoticons, i.e. your own shorthand. No one else will see these but you and so long as it makes sense to you, you will be able to read the work faster and reference it easier later on.
Summarizing
Summarizing the text can help your comprehension. Summarize the entire text or by section for longer works.
Keep your summaries short and to the point. Focus on main points and ideas. Use quotes sparingly. You are trying to work the ideas down to the most basic points of the text.
Remember to consider:
Purpose—What is the author’s intent? Entertain? Persuade?
Audience—Who is the intended audience? Colleagues? Experts? Casual readers?
Genre—What is its genre? Argument? Analysis?
Stance—What is the author’s stance? Knowing stance can help you detect biases, if it should be taken seriously, and how you understand the text in general.
Design—What format is the work in? Is it a trustworthy source of information? Who published the information?
Below is a Rhetorical Analysis Worksheet that can be used to help you take notes or evaluate difficult to understand sources. This worksheet was created by Susan Cowart for her ENGL 1301 class.