Q. What are some good strategies for keeping all the source information I collect organized?

There are a number of ways to stay organized as you collect sources to support your research paper:

• As soon as you decide to use a source for your research paper, create the citation for the bibliography in the format requested by your professor.
• If you are getting a source from a database, take advantage of the email feature and send the article (with the citation, if possible) to your inbox. You often can include a note, which helps remind you why you chose the article so you can incorporate it into your paper later.
• Take notes when you read a source. Make sure that you highlight quotes that will support your thesis and sections that can be summarized or paraphrased. This will help you remember why a source is important.
• The library subscribes to two tools that help keep your sources organized, RefWorks and Noodle Tools. You can access both by going to the MC Library's Citation Tools guide. Once you access RefWorks or Noodle Tools, you will need to set up a personal account. These tools allow you to import citations and take notes about why the source is important to your paper. They will also produce bibliographies in the format of your choice.