1. What Do I Do with all this Stuff? How to Use your Research Information Effectively Carteret Community College Library Elizabeth Baker

2. How Do I Get Started? Read the magazine, journal, or newspaper article. Use the book’s table of contents or index to locate information quickly. Read the page or chapter.

3. While reading, ask yourself: What is the purpose of the article, page, or chapter? What is the author’s main point? What are the most important issues or questions that he/she raises? Do you agree or disagree with the author’s conclusion or point of view?

4. Begin taking notes. Organize your information from specific to general or from abstract to concrete. Create an outline. Begin writing your research paper.

5. How Do I Take Notes? Record the title, author, publisher, publication date, and page number(s). Skim the material again. Look at any charts, graphs, or illustrations. Locate the main ideas and list them. Begin to record the supporting facts.

6. Some key points to remember: Do not copy information straight from the article or book. Put quotation marks around any direct quotes to avoid plagiarism. Remember to summarize or paraphrase the information. Use the dictionary to define any words that you do not recognize.

8. To eliminate any information or ideas that do not support your topic.

9. To guide the flow of your paper.

11. How Do I Synthesize Information? Summarize Paraphrase Quote

12. How Do I Summarize? Read the entire passage. Determine the author’s main points. Use this information in your paper or project. Provide the proper citation.

13. How Do I Paraphrase? Read the entire passage. Convert the author’s words into your own words. Use all the information in your paper or project. Provide the proper citation.

14. How Do I Quote? Read the entire passage. Record the author’s words exactly as written in your paper or project. Enclose the sentence or passage in quotation marks. Provide the proper citation.

16. You intend to analyze the information contained in the passage.

18. If you need any additional help, please see a member of the library staff! Good Luck!