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MMUF Workshop: Building a Bibliography, Managing Sources, and Notetaking

Effective Notetaking


"Engaging Sources," Chapter 4 of The Craft of Research, offers invaluable advice on working secondary sources, including best practices for taking notes. Relevant sections include:

  • "Recording Complete Bibliographic Information" (4.1);
  • "Taking Notes Systematically" (4.6);
  • "Annotating Your Sources." (4.6)

Even if you are an experienced researcher, it's good not to take these principles for granted and to be mindful of your note-taking practices. Careful and systematic notes will save you a great deal of frustration as your project moves toward completion, and you will be more confident in the quality of your research.

Questions for Discussion:

Read the section entitled "Taking Notes Systematically" (pp.82-84). Which note-taking practices do you use already? Are there areas where you feel you could devote more attention?