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1. Take Careful Note

   1. Clearly identify the source of the information you put in your notes.

Two suggested methods:

1. Use source cards—cards containing the bibliographic information for a source--and label each source card with a number (1, 2, 3, etc.).  When you write information on note cards, simply put the source card number at the top of each card.

2. If you write notes on notebook paper, print notes from a website, or copy pages from a book, put all the bibliographic source information at the top of each page.

2. Paraphrase (put in your own words) as much information as possible.  If you write down information word-for-word, put quotation marks around that section in your notes.  Then, when you write your paper, you can choose to (1) paraphrase the information or (2) leave it as a direct quotation.

2. Use Parenthetical References in Your Paper

   1. Using parenthetical references simply means you credit the source of your information by putting the author’s name and page number in parentheses when you use the information in your paper.

   2. Examples:

 “A myth is often something that only begins where our own five senses end” (Bierlein, p. 5).

Greek mythology freed humans from the paralyzing fear of an omnipotent (all powerful) unknown.  Their anthropomorphic gods “made heaven a pleasantly familiar place.  The Greeks felt at home in it” (Hamilton, p. 17).

3. Include a Bibliography (Works Cited) List at the End of Your Paper

   1. Put the sources in alphabetical order by author’s last name.

   2. Examples:

For books:

Hamilton, Edith.  Mythology. New York: New American Library, 1969.

For websites:

http\\www.mythology.com.  Sept. 25, 1999.

For encyclopedias:

“Whales.” World Book. 1995.

“Middle Ages.” Encyclopedia Brittanica Online. Sept. 30, 2001.

For magazine articles:

Case. John. “Divorce in American Families.” Time. Oct. 17, 1990: 15-28.