Research

When you research you should take notes from your sources of relevant information and keep track of your sources. Here are some Dos and Don'ts of note taking and the recording of sources:

 * Dos**

1. Do take notes **in your own words** of the relevant information. If you are not sure how to do this, have a look at the information on note taking elsewhere in the wiki.

2. Do use some systematic way of keeping track of your notes. 3. Do keep track of **all the necessary information** for your in-text **references** (or footnotes) and your **bibliography**. If you are not sure what you need, check the library handouts.
 * You could use a **Word document** if you are researching on the Internet or on one of the ACS online data bases;
 * If you are working from the print version of a book, textbook, or periodical, you could also use a notebook, note pad, or note cards but make sure that you don't misplace them!


 * Don'ts**

1. Don't copy and paste from the Internet and present this as your own work. All text and ideas must be properly referenced.

2. Don't lose track of your bibliographic information.

**Documentation of Sources**

It is important to document sources of information correctly, following an accepted style. ACS has adopted:

• MLA style for humanities • APA for the social sciences and psychology (after grade 10).

There are a number of web sites where you can input the information from your sources to create a bibliography:

• http://www.easybib.com • http://www.bibme.com

**When must I site the original source?**
1. When you directly quote from a source.

2. When you summarize a source.

3. When you paraphrase a source.

**Quotations**
Quotations should be correctly incorporated into your text in one of the following ways: 1. Worked into the syntax of the sentence. 2. Introduced with a sentence and a colon. 3. Set off with an introductory sentence and a colon as well as an indent, if the quote is lengthy.

Having done this, you should reference this in one of two ways: 1. Immediately afterwards with the author’s name, if it was not cited in the introductory sentence, and the page number; or with just the page number if the author’s name has been cited. 2. In Footnotes. (See Library handout)


 * Summarizing and Paraphrasing**

Summarizing designates a condensed version of the contents of a lengthy passage.

Paraphrasing restates the contents of a short passage.

In both cases, you must make sure to give credit to the original source of information.