Examples for preparing research note cards.

1. Taking Notes
Guidelines for Notecards
World History Research Project

2. Keep in mind:
• Each note card • Each note card must
should deal with one include the source
core idea, with number (from the
information coming relevant bibliographic
from one source.
citation) and page
• Each note card numbers or web-page
should have a
unique“tag,” a brief addresses as
heading that defines appropriate.
for you the topic of
the card.

3. Types of Note Cards:
• The content of your note • Bullet points
cards can vary
considerably. Cards may • Summaries
be brief or extensive; you • Paraphrasing
may use bullet points,
incomplete or complete • Direct quotation
sentences, tables or
graphs—whatever seems
• “Mixes”
appropriate. Please
avoid “continuation
cards”!

4. Bullet Point Model:
1846 Treaty between Cape Colony 3—pp. 26-27
and the Griquas
• Cape affirmed “absolute dominion” (26) of Adam Kok over
the territory!
• Territory would be divided into two sections, one where
British could lease land, the other where Europeans would
be excluded
• A British officer would be appointed with responsibility for the
behavior of British subjects in the territory

5. Summary Model:
Mongolian Nomads respond to the end 6—pp. 128-138
of Communism
Under Communism, Mongolian nomads had a stable income
and stable work habits; they also had remarkable access to
Western goods (jam from Germany, sugar from Russia). The
nomads had to adapt to new realities when Communism ended
in 1991. They could decide how many sheep or cattle to raise,
but they also had to market their goods themselves. Although
they no longer had as much access to a wide range of goods,
they seemed to adapt fairly well. With their skill as herders,
raising their own livestock, they did much better than
Mongolians living in cities.

6. Paraphrasing model: the
original
“After becoming supreme ruler in the late 16th century,
Tokugawa Ieyasu moved Japan's capitol to Edo, (now known
as Tokyo) transforming the sleepy fishing village into the
country's premier political and economic center. Ieyasu and his
heirs forced the country's daimyo lords to finance the expansion
of Edo, and to live in the city during part of every other year.
The new construction of the city and the vast number of
samurai in need of goods and pleasurable pursuits lured
merchants, craftsmen and entertainers from all over Japan, and
by the 17th century, the population had surpassed a million,
making Edo one of the largest cities in the world.”

7. Paraphrasing model:
paraphrased
Tokugawa Ieyasu and the growth 7—“Welcome to Edo”
of Edo (Tokyo) http://www.pbs.org/empires/japan/enteredo.html
The Japanese emperor Tokugawa Ieyasu established Edo (now
Tokyo) as Japan’s capital in the late 1500s. Japan’s noble
warriors, the samurai, were required to pay taxes to finance the
building of the city. Ieyasu and his successors required the
samurai to live in Edo for significant amounts of time, as well. The
presence of so many powerful men drew artisans, shopkeepers,
musicians, and entertainers from all over the country to the new
capital. Within one hundred years, Edo had become one of the
world’s most populous cities.

8. Direct Quote Model:
Bono’s strategies for debt relief 4
“‘I know how absurd it is to have a rock star talk about the World Health
Organization or debt relief or HIV/AIDS in Africa,’ Bono says. But he also
knows that no one else with his kind of access to media and money has
taken on the job. In an effort to keep the discussion serious and avoid the
appearance of being just another rocker against bad things, he refrains
from treating Africa as an emotional issue. ‘We don't argue compassion,’
he says. His argument is pragmatic, not preachy. ‘We put it in the most
crass terms possible; we argue it as a financial and security issue for
America…. There are potentially another 10 Afghanistans in Africa, and
it is cheaper by a factor of 100 to prevent the fires from happening than to
put them out.’”

9. Mixed Model (Bono again):
Bono’s strategies for debt relief 4
Bono acknowledged “‘how absurd it is to have a rock star talk
about the World Health Organization or debt relief or HIV/AIDS in
Africa,’” but he thinks he has the access, the passion, and the
approach to get the job done. He has talked to conservatives who
are wary about the plan, and he has learned to avoid making his
plea “an emotional issue.” As he told a reporter from Time, “‘We
don't argue compassion…. We put it in the most crass terms
possible; we argue it as a financial and security issue for
America…. There are potentially another 10 Afghanistans in
Africa, and it is cheaper by a factor of 100 to prevent the fires from
happening than to put them out.’”

10. Mixed Model (Bono again):
Bono’s strategies for debt relief 4
Bono acknowledged “‘how absurd it is to have a rock star talk
about the World Health Organization or debt relief or HIV/AIDS in
Africa,’” but he thinks he has the access, the passion, and the
approach to get the job done. He has talked to conservatives who
are wary about the plan, and he has learned to avoid making his
plea “an emotional issue.” As he told a reporter from Time, “‘We
don't argue compassion…. We put it in the most crass terms
possible; we argue it as a financial and security issue for
America…. There are potentially another 10 Afghanistans in
Africa, and it is cheaper by a factor of 100 to prevent the fires from
happening than to put them out.’”