Home > Subjects > English > English level 1 > 1.9 Research information literacy > Subject content > Recording information
- Subject: English
- AS: 90853
- Level: 1
- Credits: 4
- Internal
1.9 Research, Use information literacy skills to form conclusion(s)
Recording information
Find and record only relevant evidence. You will know if it is relevant if it helps to answer one of your questions and it is new information for you. Useful information will contain facts and figures, quotations, and opinions from experts. When you use a range of sources you may be confused when you read different things about the same topic. If there are conflicting views you must evaluate which source is the most reliable and why. Use this to your advantage and make some conclusions and judgments about these conflicting views.
Your teacher will tell you how to set out your notes so you have a clear and easy-to-follow approach to recording your notes. You can head up a new page for each different source with the following bibliographical information:
- source – where did it come from? Is it oral/written/visual?
- author/creator – who wrote/said/designed it?
- publisher/owner – who made it?
- date of publication – when was it made?
Referencing sources has several pages outlining how to set out a bibliography clearly.
Whatever notetaking techniques you use remember to put the information into your own words – don't copy. Plagiarism is when you copy notes instead of using your own words. This site shows the difference between copying and paraphrasing sources. The basic skill of note taking is to summarise information by only selecting the main points for your purpose. See the summarising activity for guidance. Making Dot-jot notes (PDF, 120KB) uses a template, which helps you to place one idea or fact per line without writing in full sentences.
If you write down a quotation, make sure you select the quote by reading the material thoroughly first and selecting the most relevant 1–2 sentences to express your main idea. Write who, when, and where it was said as a heading before copying down the correct words and punctuation in your notes.
