Research Paper Notes

When tasked with writing a research paper, it is crucial to keep detailed, comprehensive research paper notes. Research can take awhile to complete depending on the complexity of the research paper. If a student does not take research paper notes and does not have a research paper notes system in place, they can lose a lot of the information that was gained throughout the research process. All research paper notes need to be clear, precise, and extremely well documented. This will allow the student writing the research paper to return to their research paper notes even if they have not looked at them for a long time, and still understand what is written and how it can help prove a point in the research paper.

Class notes and research paper notes are not the same. When it comes to class notes, students are more focused on writing down all the main concepts and tend to write down the same language as the teacher or professor. However, research paper notes need to include much more than the main idea; it must record all the necessary data and all points. Furthermore, unless directly quoted, the research paper notes must not be written in the exact same language as the researched source – it should be paraphrased instead. When taking the information, all research paper notes must all have all the information on where the source and information can be located. This includes all bibliographic information including the page number of the information. This allows the student to go back to the actual source if they require more information and it allows them to properly site the source when writing the research paper itself.

Some students prefer writing research paper notes in a notebook or on note cards. However, in today’s electronic age, it is also best to have an electronic copy that includes all research paper notes. There are two main reasons to keep electronic copies of the research paper notes – in case the hard file with all the handwritten research paper notes gets lost, and because electronic research paper notes are a lot easier to move around when it comes to organization. Electronic research paper notes can be very beneficial when it comes to writing the research paper outline because information can be copied and pasted right into the outline.

However, there is no right technique or wrong technique to take research paper notes and every student has their own manner of doing it. Students, however, should determine the best way to take research paper notes that use up the least amount of time. For example, if a student is interested in a passage that is a few paragraphs long, rather than writing all the information discussed in the passage, mark the page and make a note to go back to it later for the main ideas.

Sometimes students are unsure of where to start researching. If you are having trouble, do not get stressed out. Contact our custom writing service online at PrimeWritings.org. Our professional writers are available to help you do the research for your research paper. At PrimeWritings.org, you can buy a model essay of your topic, with all the research paper notes at a small, cheap fee.