1. Using NoodleTools
Organizing Your Research
By Emily Mross

2. Getting Started
You can access NoodleTools through the Destiny
Library Site. To start, click the Destiny logo on the
desktop of your computer.

3. Select Stroudsburg Junior High

4. Find NoodleTools
Scroll down on the main page until you see all of the
link options. Find and select NoodleTools under
Subscription Databases – School Access.

5. Log in
Select the log in button. If you need to create a new
account, ask your teacher, Mrs. Davis, or Mrs. Byrns
for help.

6. Projects Page
This page lists all of the projects you have created, as
well as any group projects that may be shared with
you. To work on a current project, select it from the
list. To start a new one, select create.

7. Creating a new project
First, you need to select the citation style for your paper. Ask
your teacher which they would prefer. Often for English
projects you will use MLA, and APA for science projects, but
this is not always true. Keep the advanced setting for citation
level unless instructed otherwise.

8. Add a description
Add a description of your project so you can easily identify it
later. Click “Create Project” when you are done.

9. Project Dashboard
Each project has a dashboard where you can manage many
aspects of your work. You can share it with your teacher or
classmates, view your work history, and even create a to-do
list for your project.

10. Navigation toolbar
No matter what you are working on, there will be a
navigation bar at the top of the page. You can click on the
links in the bar to jump to your projects page, your
dashboard, your bibliography, your notecards, or your paper
(if you are creating it in GoogleDocs).

11. Research question and thesis
Start your project by adding your research question (What
are you trying to answer) and your thesis statement (A
concise answer you will expand on in your paper). To add
them, click within the field, type, and save when you are
done.

12. Components
Under components you will find the major aspects of your
project, including your works cited page, your notecards and
outline, and a link to a GoogleDocs version of your paper.
Select any component to open it and work on it. Select “Add
a to-do item” to get started.

13. To Do List
This tool can help you keep track of important dates
regarding your project. You can enter tasks, set a due date,
and check each task off as it is completed.

14. Using the To Do List
A new box will appear where you can describe the task and
select a due date from the calendar.

15. Using the To Do List
After you add the task and the due date and click submit, it
will appear on your dashboard. Click to check the box when
the task is finished.

16. Creating your works cited
If you select works cited from your components menu on the
dashboard, you will see this screen. Here you can select the
type of material you are citing, and begin to build your citation.
Click on the drop down menu next to “Cite A:” to get started.

17. Citing a book
A book is one of the most common things you will cite. It is all
the way at the top of the drop down list. Select it, and
NoodeTools will create a citation page with everything you
need to enter to cite a book properly.

18. Citing a book
If you’ve never cited a book before, the first screen can help
you out. Here are links that will lead you to tutorials about
citing books properly. If you have a general idea of how to cite
a book, select continue to keep going.

19. Book citation
Follow the fields on the page and enter the information from
your book. NoodleTools will guide you along with helpful hints
about filling out your information. When you are finished, click
submit at the bottom of the page.

20. Book citation
Your finished citation will show up on your bibliography page
for your paper. You can export and print the citations from this
page. You can also start a new citation from this page.

21. Citing a journal
Journals are also commonly cited. Follow the fields to enter the
information. NoodleTools knows the requirements for the citation
type you are using. If you start to enter something incorrectly, it will
let you know with a red squiggly arrow and a warning sign. Click on
the sign to determine the error and fix it. Click submit when you are
done, just like with the book citation.

22. Notecards
Using the navigation bar, you can move from your
bibliography to your notecards page. Select “New Notecard”
to get started.

23. Creating a notecard
Your new, blank notecard will look like this. You can fill out
the fields similarly to how you completed your citations.
Check with your teacher to find out which fields are required
for your project. Each field may not be required every time.

24. Creating a notecard
You can select the source to associate the notecard with, and
then fill in the rest of the fields. You can even add tags to
your notecard so that you can search for notecards about the
same topic later. Add important direct quotes and paraphrase
the information from your source.

25. Using notecards
On the notecard page you can manage your notecards and
add them to “Stacks” of similar topics and resources. On the
right-hand side of the page, you can see the outline tool. You
can use your notecards to help you start your outline.

26. Creating an outline
When you complete all of your note cards, start your outline.
At the I., double click and add your main idea. An A. for your
first topic will appear below. Use the tools in the toolbar
above to continue adding topics and subtopics until you are
done outlining your whole paper. This will help you organize
your thoughts when you go to write it all out.

27. Creating your paper
 Now you are ready to use NoodleTools to
start creating your paper.
 If your teacher allows, you may use the
GoogleDocs component of NoodleTools to
write your paper, but you must have a
GoogleDocs account to use this feature
 If you are not using GoogleDocs, you can
use the resources you created to guide
your writing in Microsoft Word or another
word processing program.