Decide whether or not the article is worth taking notes on:Do a quick reading (no more than 10 minutes) of the article by focusing on: Title Introductory paragraph Topic sentences Skim paragraphs
If it seems useful after the initial review, take notes by completing the following steps:
(Step 1: Direct Quotes) Underline or highlight any important quotesGood notes will focus on specific pieces of information that can be used enhance your work or opinion. Be sure to underline any quotes that you feel are important to your topic.
(Step 2: Important Ideas) * or Star any important ideas to paraphrase/summarize laterPerhaps the author of your article has made a good argument or has laid out a sequence of events that you are think are important, but to quote it directly would be too long. If that’s the case make a note of the section with an * and come back to paraphrase/summarize (put it in your own words) it later.
(Step 3: Come up with your own ideas by answering these questions:) Who is the author? What is his/her expertise in writing about this topic? When was the source written? How does this text link or connect with your topic? What new information or insights does it provide about the topic? What is the relationship of the article to your project? How might you use the article or parts of it when answering a question about your topic?
Remember to Always Ask...WHY?
1. Define the Topic *What is your topic? *What do you want to know about it?
2. Strategies for Locating Information
Closed Research Questions: *Fact-based questions: what, what, where, when *Require a short answer *Easy to answer *Example: What are the major pollutants of water?
Open Research Questions: *Idea-based questions: why, how, how come *Require a longer answer *Research from multiple sources is required to answer *Example: How does water pollution affect ocean life?
Evaluating Internet Web Sites The information found in the books, magazine, newspaper, and journal articles in the Windham High School Library and Databases have been evaluated by editors, publishers, and academic reviewers. The quality of information available on the World Wide Web varies greatly, since few Internet websites have gone through a similar process of editing, peer review, and library selection. Both the strength and the weakness of information on the Internet is that anyone can publish. As a result, it is important to critically evaluate Internet websites.