After you have gathered all your information, you may make your final outline to guide your writing. These cards will enable you to organize your material and refer readily to your information on each topic as you write. This permits you to file your cards under the proper topic. Sometimes more than one card will be necessary for a topic. Take thorough notes on all of the points you hope to cover.
Many students find that three or four good notes are required for every page of the research paper.
Don't keep repeating information even if it is found in different books, and don't take notes on material you don't plan to use. List the topic the note refers to. Usually the topic is shown at the top left corner of the card. This enables you to refer to your notes quickly as you write and helps you to organize your material. Your notes must report facts, figures, options, and quotations accurately.