In the upper right-hand corner of the card: Write the library call
number (Dewey decimal number or Library of Congress number), if
there is one, or the complete URL. Add any other detail that will help
you locate the material on the library shelves (e.g., Science Reading
Room, Reference Room, Microfiche Periodicals Room). And make
sure to write down the complete website address.
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On the main part of the card: Write the author’s name, if given—
last name first, followed by first name, then middle name or initial.
Then the title of the article, if applicable, in quotation marks. Then
the name of the book, magazine, newspaper, website, or other
publication— underlined. (If you’ve already written the complete URL
in the right-hand corner of the card, you do not need to duplicate it.)
Add any details you will need if you have to find the book or article
again, such as:
■
Date of publication.
■
Edition—e.g., “third (1990) edition” for a book; “morning
edition” for a newspaper.
■
Volume and/or issue number.
■
Page numbers on which the article or information appears.
Again, it is essential to write down the exact and complete URL, not
just that of the main website. Navigating a complex site to find
that short quote you wrote down can waste a lot of time.
In the upper left-hand corner of the card: Number it. The
first card you write will be #1, the second, #2, and so on. If you
happen to mess up and skip a number somewhere along the line,
don’t worry. It’s only important that you assign a different number to
each card.
Do this for each potential source of information you find, and put only
one resource on each card. And leave some room on the card—you’ll
be adding more information later.
Chapter 7
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How to Write Terrific Papers
145
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