The Research Process
Select a Topic
Preliminary Research
1. Do some background reading
2. Broaden or narrow your topic
3. Develop your thesis statement
Reflection
Is my topic /thesis a good one?
Yes
No
Develop a Search Strategy
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7.
Open Noodle Tools and create a new project.
Use the MLA Starter Format
Your description should reflect what your project is about
Fill in your thesis statement
Develop your research questions
Determine the keywords to use in your search
Identify resources to be used (database, book, website)
Reflection
Are the resources adequate?
Yes
No
Gather Information
1.
2.
3.
4.
Yes
Locate sources
Read and evaluate the information in the sources
Add the source to your bibliography in Noodle Tools
Take notes using the note cards in Noodle Tools
Reflection
Do I have enough information?
Develop an Outline
Write your paper using the information in your outline
No
Organizing Research with Note Cards
Note cards are used to organize your research and can either be created using Noodle Tools or, if you do
not have access to Noodle Tools, using 3 X 5 cards.
There are two types of cards that you will use to do research:
1. Bibliography card – each card contains the information needed to cite one source
2. Note Card – each card contains a single idea or piece of information from a source
Bibliography Cards
 Each source should be given a different number
 You should list the topic or category that applies to this source.
 List the citation information in MLA format.
Example of a citation entered on a 3 X 5 card
Source #
Major topic or Category
In this section enter your citation information
Example of a book citation:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. Publication Title. Publishing Location,
Publisher. Year Published
Entering a Citation in Noodle Tools:
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Click on the Bibliography link
Select your citation type and then click Create Citation
Answer all of Noodle Tools’ questions
Fill in the elements of the citation. If any information is not available, leave that box blank.
Example of the Elements of the Citation page (online database):
Note Cards
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The purpose of note cards is to organize your information
Each note card should focus on one single idea – it should have only one or two sentences
There are four types of notes:
1. Direct quotation – repeats the words of a source exactly. You must use quotation marks
around the quoted material and make sure you copy every letter and punctuation mark
exactly as presented in the source
 Use when the idea is well stated in a source (powerful, funny, clear)
2. Paraphrase – states the idea presented in the source but is not in the same words as the
source
 You should always paraphrase your source information unless you have a good
reason to quote or summarize your source
3. Summary – explains the idea in a source in fewer and different words than the source
 You should use a summary when the source passage is too long to either quote or
summarize
4. Quotation plus summary or paraphrase
 Use this when you want to quote the source, but also need to provide additional
explanation to make the quotation clear.
Tips for Note Taking:
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Keep your topic (thesis) in mind at all times; you do not want to record information that is unrelated
to your topic.
When you paraphrase or summarize, you must express the idea from the source.
When you quote a source, be accurate. If you don’t need the entire quote, use an ellipsis (…) to
indicate any words that have been left out.
Make sure any facts or statistics are correct.
Make sure your page references are accurate
Handwritten notes entered on a 4 X 6 card
Source #
Number of Card
Major topic or Category
(Descriptive word or words that tells you what the information on the note card is about)
“On the top, copy the passage word for word from the source – using quotation marks
to show it is copied. Use ellipsis (…) in place of words left out and [brackets] around words
added in to have the quote make sense. Put the page number after the end quote.”
(Author pg #).
On the bottom half of the card, paraphrase the quoted passage into your own words.
You may also make an observation, comment, or connection that will help you understand
and/or incorporate the quoted information.
Page # of the information
Online Note Cards in Noodle Tools:
Type a short phrase that tells you what this notecard is about.
“Copy the passage word for word from the
source – using quotation marks to show it is
copied. Use ellipsis (…) in place of words left
out and [brackets] around words added in to
have the quote make sense. Put the page
number after the end quote.”
Source is entered in Bibliography section. Select the source.
Paraphrase the quoted passage into your
own words. Be sure to retain the author’s
meaning. Do not add information.
You may make an observation, comment, or connection that
will help you understand and/or incorporate the quoted
information.
The Research Process
Outline Checklist
Before printing your outline from Noodle Tools, make sure you have done the following:
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Check that you have used all of the important information from your notes.
Check that you have included your thesis statement in your introduction.
Check that you have enough information to support your thesis.
Check that your information is typed under the correct heading.
Make sure the information in your outline is a paraphrase. If it is a direct quotation, you must
put quotation marks around it.
 Check the levels of your outline.
 You should have at least 5 headings: Introduction, the 3 major topics from your thesis,
conclusion.
 An A should have a B; a 1 should have a 2, etc.
 Check your conventions:
 Spelling
 Capitalize the first letter of each line
 Capitalize all proper names
 Punctuation
 Read all comments that have been made on your project and make corrections to the outline
and/or note cards.
Put the Outline into Microsoft Word / Format in MLA Style
When your outline is complete in Noodle Tools, you must print it. Make sure you do the following to put
it in MLA format.
 Open Microsoft Word
 Click the No Spacing button in the Styles section of the Home ribbon
 Change the font to Times New Roman, Size 12
 Change the paragraph spacing to 2.0.
 Type the Heading in MLA Format:
o Your Name
o Your Teacher’s Name
o Course Name and Period
o Date in the following format: Day Month Year (Example: 1 March 1, 2012)
 After the heading, you must type a title and center it. Press enter and then click the Align text
left button (or press Ctrl L)
 Minimize Word
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Go back to the Notecards section of Noodle Tools.
Click the print icon above your outline.
Select Print outline without Notecards
If you get a message that the popup has been blocked, click the yellow bar above the webpage
and select Always allow popups from this site. Then select the print icon again.
Your outline will appear in a new window
Highlight your entire outline (either press Ctrl A or click and drag through all of the words). Right
click and select Copy
Go back to Microsoft Word.
Right Click on the line below the title (make sure the paragraph is left aligned before you do
that). Click Paste.
You will see a smart tag that looks like a clipboard. Click on that and select Match Destination
Formatting
 Your outline is now in MLA format in Word.
 Perform a spell check and make sure your grammar and punctuation are correct
Printing your Works Cited Page from Noodle Tools
 In Noodle Tools, Click Bibliography
 Click the Print/Export button. Select Print/Export to Word
 You will see the following message at the top of your screen:
 Click on the yellow bar and click Download File. When the window pops up asking you if you
want to open or save the file, click Open. You should now see your Works Cited page. Save to
your H drive before printing.
 Staple your Works Cited page to the back of your outline.