Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific

Research
University of Babylon
College of Education for Human SCIENCES
Department of English

A Presentation in Methodology

Taking notes from sources , footnotes and endnotes

Supervised by

Assist Prof .Dr Wafaa M

Set by

Wurood Ali

2018
 Taking notes
No one can remember all the material they read , or keep
Expert's A's opinion straight from B's opinion . That is why you
need to take notes .For very brief research papers , you can
usually gather information without taking notes , but with
longer , more complex research papers ,you will have to make
note cards to handle the flow of information efficiently .

(Anthony C .Winkler and Jo Ray Metherell)

1-It is preferable to use index cards 4*6 because it is
easy to handle and easy to arrange. This size is
considered ideal because you do not want cards so
small that you cannot fit anything on them or cards so
large that you will end up wasting most of the space
The benefit of the index cards is to see the key words
on your topic.
2) Write in ink rather than pencil so that the cards can
be shuffled without blurring the notes.
3- Write down only one idea or one quotation on each
card . Cards with one single note can be put in any
sequence simply by shuffling . If a note is so long that
two cards have to be used , staple them together
4- Identify the source of the note in the upper left-
handed corner of the card . Because the bibliography
card already lists complete information on the source ,
use only the author's last name or keywords from the
title followed by a page number . For example '' Fulop-
Miller , 10'' or '' Holy Devil 10, '' to identify a note
taken from page 10 of Rasputin , the Holy Devil by
Rene Fulop – Miler.
5- Jot down in the upper right – hand corner of the card
a general heading for the information the card contains
. These headings make it easy to organize the notes by
shuffling the cards. (write the headings in pencil so that
you can change the notes
For note- taking , some prefer to use their laptops
instead of cards. If that is okay with your instructor,
then by all means go ahead , you can use two
approaches :
1) You can download material and print it out ,
highlighted the passages you found particularly useful
2) You can keep electronic sources in your computer ,
organizing them by folders and files , and later use the
copy – and paste function to transfer quotations into
your rough – draft. Some researchers like this system
because it spares them from having cards scattered all
over their desks , with the attendant risk of losing
some.
 Using your computer to take notes is especially
handy for filing your ideas by the major entries of
your outline. For instance if Roman numeral I of a
research paper of a civil disobedience covers
famous writers who favored that tactic, you might
create a folder titled '' pro civil disobedience''
within that general folder you could nest
individual files about writers like Plato .for this
system to work you had better be prepared to
organize carefully.
 If you use computer for note – taking , we
recommend that you device some sort of labeling
system to keep track of your notes where you
found them . One simple thing you can do is
 number each note sequentially. Another is to
insert beside the note more or less the same
information that you would have scribbled on a
note card.
 After the note or before it , type in parenthesis
either the complete name of the source or enough
key words from its title to identify it , After the
title of the source , put the relevant page number
– where in the book or article or other source the
material appears, because you would have a
bibliography card on each source you do use. You
do not need the complete reference listed here If
you do that , you save yourself having to retype
the citation earlier . All you have to do is to copy
and paste the note into the bibliography

Many researchers nowadays don't use note cards at all,

preferring to simplify photocopy pages from books and
magazines .
The popularity of this note- taking system is easily seen
in the long lines at the library copy machines . Copying
no doubt is easier than scribbling down information
about book or a quotation from on, but in some ways it
is also more confusing and harder than using notes
cards .
Most researchers who prefer copying to using note
cards do not use bibliography cards unless an
instructor requires them , many instructors in fact , do ,
but few instructors do not .They prefer copying to
note- taking since copying is easier, you simply place
the page on the copy machine plate , insert a coin ,
press a button – and you have your source ,
photocopying seems a painless than scribbling down
on a note card.
A couple of suggestions if you are in the mood to use a
copy machine rather to copy by hand
a) Always write down details about the source on the
top of the page immediately after copying it .Get in the
habit of photocopying the source's pages that include
the necessary bibliographic pages.
b) Be neat about the pages you copy . pages are bigger
and messier than notes- cards and many researchers
who copy end up with a tangled snarl of unmanageable
pages .
If you do not carefully note from where you copied a
source , you are likely to end up with an orphaned
page

1-Writing Summary Notes

The summary note describes and rewrites the source material without
great concern for style or expression. Your purpose at the moment will
be quick, concise writing without careful wording. If the information is
needed, you can rewrite it later in a clear, appropriate prose style and, if
necessary, return to the source for revision. Use summary notes for these
reasons:
• To record material that has marginal value
• To preserve statistics that have questionable value for your study
• To note an interesting position of a source speaking on a closely
related subject but not on your specific topic
• To reference several works that address the same issue, as shown
in this example:
The logistics and cost of implementing a recycling program have
been examined in books by West and Loveless and in articles by
Jones
et al., Coffee and Street, and Abernathy.
Success with the summary requires the following:
1. Keep it short. It has marginal value, so don’t waste time fine-tuning it.
2. Mark with quotation marks any key phrasing you cannot paraphrase

2-Parphrasing

(Laurie ,Rozakis .2007 )paraphrasing is the restatement

of the original's words . It often includes examples and
explanations from the original quotations. A
paraphrase may be longer than the original , shorter
than the original , or the same length. Paraphrase is
the most difficult of form of note taking . As a result , it
is where beginning writers and most likely to commit
plagiarism- using someone's else words as their own .
You can avoid this by quoting words you copy directly
and being very sure that you do indeed restate the
material in your own words.
You should paraphrase
1) material that readers might otherwise
misunderstand.
2)Information that is important but too include in the
original form.

3-Taking direct quotation

direct quotation is word for word , you copy the
material as exactly it appears in the source . If there is
an error in the source , you even copy that , writing
(sic) next to the mistake . showing that a note is a
direct quotation by surrounding it by quotation
marks('' ''). In general quote briefly when you take
notes . Long quotation is difficult to integrate into your
paper , because readers often find long quotations
hard to follow and boring to read.
What should you quote?
1) quote key points . these are passages that sum up
the main idea in a pithy way.
2) Quote subtle ideas : look for passages whose
meaning would be watered down or lost if you
summarized or paraphrased them .
3) quote expert opinions : they carry weight in your
paper and make it persuasive.
4) Quote powerful writing : if the passage is
memorable of the famous , it will give your research
paper authority

4-Mixed quotation and paraphrase or summary note

card

According to (Edward Bailey ,1978)You need to be very

careful when you are paraphrasing or summarizing that
you don't accidentally quote key words of phrases
without using quotation marks ,presenting the exact
words of an author even as little as a key word or
phrase without giving credit is plagiarism. Whether it is
intentional or unintentional , plagiarism must be
avoided.

Plagiarism and how to avoid it

(Anthony C. Winkler and Jo Ray Methrell)plagiarism is

the act of passing another's words and ideas as your
own in a cosmic sense, the process of learning is made
up of countless tiny crimes of plagiarism because we all
borrow freely from one another . No generation speaks
language of its own invention; few people actually
create the proverbs and sayings they utter daily . The
mother who tells her
child '' a thing of beauty is a joy forever ,'' is
plagiarizing from the poet John Keats , the father who
warns his son . Blatant plagiarism, involves the
deliberate stealing of someone's words and ideas ,
generally with the motive of earing undeserved
rewards. A student who copies friend's paper is guilty
of blatant plagiarism. A STUDENT WHO STEALS AN
IDEA FROM A BOOK , REWORDS IT , AND THEN, PASSES
it off an original thought has committed it an act of
plagiarism.
Under the conventions of writing a research paper ,
you must acknowledge the source of any idea or
statement not truly of your own. This acknowledgment
is made in a note specifying the source and author of
the borrowed material. All summaries , paraphrases ,
quotations must be documented; only personal
comments can remain undocumented

To avoid plagiarism you must do the following

 Provide a note for any idea borrowed from

another.
 place quoted material in quotation marks.
 Provide a bibliography entry at the end of the
paper for every source used in the text or in note.
 Any idea derived from a known source.
 Any fact or data derived from the work of
another.

 Any especially or apt expression , whether or not

it says something new, that is taken from
someone else.
 Any material lifted verbatim from the work of
another.
 Any information that is paraphrased or
summarized and then used in a research paper.

Why to take notes

There are some purposes behind taking notes

1) The purpose of note- taking process extends beyond
merely having all your raw material hand as you
prepare to write.
2) The other goal for the note-taking process is to end
up with note cards that contain the essence of the
material you have revised.
3)Being able to have copies of key sources at hand
when you write is fine, but it does not eliminate your
need to know your support material thoroughly.
4) No one can remember all the material they need , or
keep expert's A opinion straight from expert's B
opinion.
5) You need to take note cards to handle the flow of
information efficiently , figure on making note cards ,
with any research paper more than a page or two long.

6) A research paper should contain a variety of

material taken from different sources , it is not enough
to write your ideas or speculation ignoring other's
point of view on the subjects. Your ideas should
derived from information uncovered on the subject
through research and a reader should be made aware
not only of your countless conclusions but also of your
evidence and reasoning, ideally the paper should
contain information from sources blended with your
own commentary and interpretations.
Certainly you should say what you think and why do
you think it , what evidences exist to support your
opinion , which authorities on the subject agree with
you , and why of different opinions are wrong . In sum,
the paper demand not only your opinionated
 conclusions, but also evidence and other opinions
supporting them

Footnotes and endnotes

According to Turabian Footnotes : notes appear at the

.
bottom of the page The footnotes take the form of a superscripted
number , just after a paraphrased piece of information . Subsequently,
a cross-reference to this number is inserted at the bottom of the same
page . In fact, for dissertations and thesis , many writers use footnotes
to keep track of their citations, adding a short note of what exactly
each one adds to the paper . Footnotes must be placed , or at least
must begin , on the page where they are referred to [indicated by a
superscript numeral in the text]. The text and footnotes are separated
by a short rule. Each footnote must begin on a new line , indented the
same amount as paragraphs in the text . Footnotes are usually single –
spaced , with a blank line between notes .1
Either of two styles may be followed in numbering footnotes .The
simpler one is to use numerals on the line followed by a period, as in
the first example . The older style is to use superscript numerals like
footnote numbers in the text , without punctuation .2 The Turabian
Manual no longer uses this format

Endnotes : Endnotes should be listed together after the end of the text
and any appendixes but before the bibliography. Endnotes are citations
that appear at the end of the chapter, book, or research report .
endnotes are popular with many writers because they make an
easier transition from the text to citation than do footnotes and
 arranged sequentially in relation to where the reference appears in
the paper. Like footnotes, endnotes Serve two main purposes in
a research paper:1) acknowledge the source of quotation,
paraphrase, or summary.
2)they provide explanatory comments that would interrupt the
flow of the main text . Choose endnotes when your footnotes
are so long or numerous that they take up too much space on
the page, making your report unattractive and difficult to read

What is the difference between footnotes and endnotes in

Chicago writing style ?

The Chicago writing style was created for reference citations for your
research papers . The Chicago Manual of Style, divides citations into
notes and bibliography entries . Notes are either footnotes or endnotes;
the only difference between the two is their placement in your research
work . Footnotes are found at the bottom of a page (i.e. in the footer)
and endnotes are located at the end of a complete document, or
sometimes at the end of a chapter or section .

A footnote is often a more abbreviated extension of an in-text

citation while endnotes often provide thorough details about
the reference.
 Advantages of using footnotes
The advantages of using footnotes include the following :

1 – Footnotes are easier to read .

2-Readers are interested in identifying the source or note can quickly
glance down the page to find what they are looking for .

3-It allows the reader to immediately link the footnote to the subject
of the text
4-Footnotes are automatically included when printing off specific
pages.

Disadvantages of using footnotes

 many readers ignore substantive footnotes

on the principle that information not important enough for you
to include in the text is not important enough for them to read in a
footnote.

 Footnotes can clutter up the page and , make it difficult to

read.
 Adding a lot of information in one footnote may dominate
the page and distract readers from the main subject .
 If there are multiple columns , charts or tables short
footnote will be lost and need to be moved to another
place
 Advantages of using endnotes
1-Endnotes are not distracting as footnotes because
endnotes are usually located in a separate part of the
paper.
2-Readers can check all detailed and supplementary
information in one located section of the paper .
3-Readers can read all notes at once .
4-Endnotes do not clutter up the page .

Disadvantages of using endnotes

1-Readrs must go to another part or section to get
details information this could be distracting .
2- Using endnotes can be confusing sometimes if there
are different chapters .Readers might need to be able to
find the correct endnote.
3-. Endnotes force readers to flip to the back of the paper
or of each chapter to check every citation. If
you include substantive comments in endnotes readers
may
ignore them because they cannot tell without turning back
which notes
are substantive and which only cite sources

http://libguides .use .edu/writingguide notes

 Endnotes should be prepared as follows

(Anthony C .Winkler and Jo Ray Metherell)

■Begin the endnotes on a new page with the heading “Notes”

(centered).

■ Indent the first line of each note five spaces or one-half

inch. Subsequent
lines should be flush with the left margin.
■ Number each note consecutively, with a space after the
number. Use a fullsized
number followed by a period.
■ Double-space throughout the list, and number all pages.

Footnotes should be prepared as follows :

- Begin every footnote on the page on which you reference it .
- Put a short rule between the last line of text and the first footnote on
each page .
– Including any notes that run over from previous pages .
– If a footnote runs over to the next page, break it in midsentence , so that
readers do not think the note is finished and overlook the part on the
next page .
– If you have more than one footnote on a page , begin each subsequent
note on its own line , with a blank line before it . see figure 1
 Shortened Notes
(According to Turabian)A shortened note should include enough information
for readers to find
the full citation in your bibliography or in an earlier note. The two main
choices are author-only notes and author-title notes. In many fields, writers
use the author-title form for all shortened notes; in others, writers use
the author-only form for most shortened notes, but the author-title form
when they cite more than one work by the same author. If a source does
not have an author (or editor), you can use a title-only note.
An author-only note includes the author’s last name and page numbers
(or other locator), separated by a comma and followed by a period

Harriet Murav , Music from speeding Train: Jewish Literature in post

Revolution Russia(Standard University Press , 2011) , 219 .

Murav ,Speeding Train, 220

Or Murav, 220

Ibid.
Ibid. is short for the Latin term: Ibidem ''in the same place.'' It can be
used in footnotes or endnotes in place of repeating all the
bibliographic information for a citation. It may only be used if it refers
to the data that appears in the immediately previous note.
Examples:
30. Buchan , Advice to Mothers, 71.
31. Ibid.,95.
32.Ibid.
In notes, ibid. should not be italicized; at the start of a
note, it should be capitalized. Since ibid. is an
abbreviation, it must end with a period; if the citation
includes a page number, put a comma after ibid. If the
page number of a reference is the same as in the previous
note, do not include a page number after ibid. Do not use
ibid. after a note that contains more than one citation, and
avoid using ibid. to refer to footnotes that do not appear on
the same page

Both footnotes and endnotes are used to note the following

information :

-Bibliographical information

-Copyright permission

-Explanatory information

-Sources to explore a topic further

-Expansion on a specific idea or thought

-Background information

Numbering the notes

In the text, use elevated (superscript) numbers for note

references. All notes should be numbered consecutively
throughout the paper (1, 2, 3, and so on). Most word
processors do the numbering automatically. Note numbers
are not followed by periods or enclosed in parentheses. .
They follow all punctuation marks except the dash, with no
space before the number Whenever possible, the note
should come at the end of a sentence. Numbers set
between the subject and verb in a sentence are
distracting. The primary rule: Place the note number as
near as possible to the end of cited material
Wrong William Faulkner12 used Yoknapatawpha County as a
microcosm of the South as a whole.

Right William Faulkner used Yoknapatawpha County as a

microcosm of the South as a whole.12

Sample footnote references to books

The accepted format for footnotes (or endnotes) consists
of the following: the author’s name in normal order, the
title of the work in italics or underlined, full publication
information within parentheses, and appropriate page
numbers. The first line of the note is indented five spaces
or one-half inch. All the examples are given in footnote format,
with single-spacing. They can easily be converted to endnotes by
double-spacing within each note and between and use of italics or
underlining. We prefer italics, but consistency is the important rule.
Don’t mix underlining with italics

a. Single author
1. Lester D. Langley, The Americas in the Age of Revolution: 1750-1850
(New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996), 87.
b. More than one author
2. John C. Bollens and Grant B. Geyer, Yorty: Politics of a Constant
Candidate
(Pacifi c Palisades: Palisades, 1973), 73.

For up to three authors, list each author exactly as the name

appears. The first
and second names are followed by a comma, the second and third
names by a
comma plus the word and. For more than three authors, give the
name of the first
.

c . Work in several volumes or parts

state the number of volumes after the title:

3. T. Walter Wallbank and Alastair M. Taylor, Civilization Past

and Present. 2 vols. (New York: Scott, 1949)author followed by et
al., with no comma in between

d . double reference – a quotation within a cited work

4. Lin Piao as quoted in Jean Daubier, A History of the Chinese

Cultural Revolution, trans. Richard Seaver (New York: Random
House, 1974), 83.

e . Edition

5 . Porter G. Perrin and Jim W. Corder, Handbook of Current

English, 4th ed. (Glenview, IL: Scott, 1957), 304-305.

f . Translation

6 . Benvenuto Cellini, Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, trans.

John Addington Symons (New York: Washington Square, 1963),
75-79
References
Turabian, Kate L. Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and
Dissertation. 7th ed. Chicago University Press, 2007.
Winkler, Anthony C. and Metherell, Jo Ray McCuen. Writing the
Research Paper. 7th ed. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Printed in
Canada, 2008.

. Bailey, Edward et al. 1978. Writing a Research Paper : a

Practical guide.

M c Cuen, Jory &Winker, Anthony C. 2001. Writing the

research paper : A Handbook.

Rozakis, Laurie .2007. Writing Great research paper.

http://libguides .use .edu/writingguide notes