Organizing Note Cards... for the Research Paper.

April 6

Fifty note cards should be completed by Friday, April 8.

You should have about 20 note cards for each source you have.
Step 1: Organize cards into separate piles by category.
Ask yourself: Which cards ( or what informatin) could go together in a paragraph?

Step 2: Give each pile a category name. This will eventually become a Roman numeral in your outline and what you create your topic sentence around when you begin drafting.
Ask yourself: What one or two words describes what this pile of information is about?

Step 3: Order the cards within each pile, then order the piles themselves. The entire stack of cards should be in the exact order you would write about them in your paper. Ask yourself: How should I order my facts within each paragraph? How should I order the paragraphs themselves?
Step 4: Decide what you should do with the cards that don't fit into any of your piles or with each other. NEVER create a pile of cards for " other" or " interesting facts." Don't use the cards or use one or two in your introductin if they are attention grabbing.
Ask yourself: Would these cards that don't fit into any of my piles fit into my introduction because they are attention grabbing?
Step 5: You are ready to begin your outline.

( See the blog entry on Webspiration.)