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Term Paper TechTopic selection, research tips, sample papers, writing help |
SUCCEED IN SCHOOLStep 3: Researching and Note TakingWidespread access to the internet has made researching a topic much simpler than in the past. A lot of your research can be done from home, eliminating the need to spend hours or days in the library. This is not to say that all of your resources should be internet websites or other electronic media.Instead, the internet should be used to locate all types of resources. Many magazines and journals are available online. In addition, many library card catalogs are available online. This allows you to locate and print journal and magazine articles, as well as locate and put holds on library books. For example, doing a search of your local library's card catalog would likely reveal the following books about Grace Murray Hopper: Grace Hopper: Admiral of the Cyber Sea, written by Kathleen Broome Williams and published by Naval Institute Press in 2004 Grace Hopper: The First Woman to Program the First Computer written by Christy Marx and published by Rosen Publishing in 2002. In addition, a Google search for Grace Murray Hopper provides links to several websites. Scroll down through the search results and read the descriptions under each title. Click on any link that appears to contain relevant information. Read the article for useful content. One web site that provides good information is the following site by Rebecca Norman, Class of 2000 at Agnes Scott College, that provides biographical information about Grace Murray Hopper, as well as a list of references used by Ms. Norman when writing her paper on Admiral Hopper. Ms. Norman's website is located at: Agnes Scott College If, after you have read the material on the Agnes Scott College website, you decide that the information will be of help to you in your report, you should print it. If the website address does not appear at the bottom of your printed pages, you should write the web address on each page, as well as the date that you viewed the site. Keep in mind that websites may change or disappear, therefore it is important to document the information as you locate it. If a visit to your local library does not produce a copy of the book by Kathleen Broome Williams, you should speak to your librarian about interlibrary loan. This book, published in 2004, is an important resource for your paper, since most instructors prefer that you not rely on internet sources alone for your research. Once you have obtained a copy of the book, you should scan the chapter titles, read any available introduction or preface to the book, and then begin reading and note taking in chapter one. Keep in mind that you must copy any information you intend to quote word-for-word, just as it appears in the book. If you would prefer to purchase a copy of the book your library does not have available, or find more current resources, use the following search box provided by Amazon Books: Other sites that may assist you with your research are:
Note Taking Once you have located your resources, you need to read through each source and take notes. Notes may be in three different forms: quote notes, summary notes, or paraphrase notes.Quote notes use direct quotes from your resource. This is word-for-word copying of the text. Click here to see an example of quote notes from Kathleen Broome Williams' biography of Grace Hopper. Summary notes summarize paragraphs or pages of the text in fewer words than the original Remember, summaries convey the main idea of the material. Summary notes do not interpret or restate the information. Paraphrase notes are interpreting and restating the information in the text. Paraphrasing demonstrates your understanding of the topic. But remember, any paraphrase must reflect the content and intent of the original in approximately the same number of words as in the original. Photocopy your sources, and then you can write on your copies, underline quotes, jot down your own ideas. Just make sure that the source of each page of notes is well documented so that you are certain where the information came from. When you discover new sources, add them to your working bibliography. This will be easier to accomplish if you are keeping your notes and resources on index cards. Be sure to document the author's name, the title of the work, and the page number where you found the information.
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