Grade by Grade
D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose: Research, Essays, Media and Publishing

Research: Note-Taking, Paraphrasing and Synthesis

D1.3 D1.4About 70 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can take organized research notes that always record where each idea came from.
  • I can choose when to quote, paraphrase or summarize a source.
  • I can paraphrase accurately in my own words and structure, without patchwriting.
  • I can synthesize information from several sources into my own idea, showing where sources agree, add to each other or disagree.

Words to know

quotation
A source's exact words, inside quotation marks, with a citation.
paraphrase
One passage restated in your own words and sentence structure, about the same length, with a citation.
summary
A much shorter restatement of a source's main idea in your own words, with a citation.
patchwriting
Copying a source's sentence and swapping in a few synonyms. It is still plagiarism.
source card
A note (paper or digital) that records one idea, where it came from, and the page or link.
synthesis
Combining information from several sources to build a new understanding that is your own.
signal phrase
Words that introduce a source, such as According to... or As Dr. Chan explains...

Remember from Grade 8

In Grade 8 you synthesized sources by idea, not one by one, and wrote a works cited list. In Grade 7 you learned not to patchwrite.

In Grade 9 the sources are longer and harder, so the middle step, taking good notes, becomes the most important part of research. Good notes make honest citation easy, and they turn a pile of sources into an essay plan.

Notes that protect you

Every note should answer three questions:

  1. What is the idea? (in your own words, or in quotation marks if it's exact words)
  2. Where is it from? (source and page, or a link)
  3. Why does it matter for my question? (your thinking)

A simple way is a two-column note: the left column for the source's information, the right for your reactions and questions. Use a colour or symbol to mark exact words, for example Q: before any quotation, so you never mix them up with your paraphrases later.

Source info (left)My thinking (right)
Q: "Their shade can lower the temperature of nearby pavement" (Ng, par. 2)Shade cools pavement, so trees matter in heat waves. Is there a number?
P: Leaves and roots slow rainwater before it reaches drains (Ng, par. 2)Connects to flooding. Ask city about our street's drains?
A two-column note. "Q:" marks exact words; "P:" marks a paraphrase. Both record the source.

Quote, paraphrase or summarize?

  • Quote when the exact words matter: a powerful phrase, a definition, an expert's opinion, or words you'll analyze (like lines from a novel). Keep quotations short.
  • Paraphrase when the information matters more than the wording, and you need the detail.
  • Summarize when you need only the main idea of a long passage, article or chapter.

In most research essays, paraphrase and summary should outnumber quotations. Too many quotations make an essay sound like other people talking.

Three ways to use a sourceOriginal passageQuotationexact words, in "marks" + citationParaphraseabout the same length, all your own words + citationSummarymuch shorter, main idea only + citation
A quotation keeps a small part word for word; a paraphrase restates one passage in your own words and structure; a summary shrinks it to the main idea. All three need a citation.
Worked example

Let's paraphrase without patchwriting

Original (written for this lesson by an invented author, Dr. Lin Ng): "Trees on city streets do more than look pleasant. Their shade can lower the temperature of nearby pavement on hot summer afternoons, and their leaves and roots help slow the flow of rainwater into storm drains."

  1. Read it twice and make sure you understand it. What's the main point? Street trees have practical benefits: cooling and slowing rainwater.
  2. Patchwriting (don't): Trees on urban streets do more than appear nice. Their shade can reduce the heat of close pavement on warm summer afternoons... Only words are swapped; the sentence structure is the same. That's plagiarism even with a citation.
  3. Cover the original and write from memory, in your own structure: Besides making a street look better, trees help a city in two practical ways: they keep sidewalks and roads cooler during summer heat, and they reduce how fast rain pours into the sewer system.
  4. Compare with the original: is the meaning the same? (Yes.) Did you copy any distinctive phrase? (No. Ordinary words like trees and summer are fine.)
  5. Add a signal phrase and citation: Urban forestry researcher Lin Ng points out that besides making a street look better... (Ng).

Paraphrase = same meaning, new words, new structure, plus a citation. If you can't rewrite it without copying, quote the key phrase instead.

Synthesis: from notes to your own idea

When your notes are done, sort them by idea, not by source. A synthesis grid helps: put your sub-questions across the top and your sources down the side, and fill in what each source says about each sub-question. Read down a column to see how sources compare.

Then ask: Where do they agree? What does one add? Where do they disagree or complicate things? What do I conclude? Useful sentence frames:

  • Both A and B show that...
  • While A focuses on..., B adds...
  • However, C complicates this by...
  • Taken together, these sources suggest that...
Synthesis: you lead a conversation between sourcesSource A says:trees cool streetsSource B says:trees cut storm runoffSource C says:fewer trees in someneighbourhoodsagreeaddscomplicatesYOU: Street trees protect neighbourhoodsfrom heat and flooding (A, B), but thosebenefits are not shared equally (C), soplanting should start where trees are fewest.
In synthesis, sources are evidence for your idea. Show where they agree, what one adds, and where one complicates the picture, then draw a conclusion none of them states alone.

Keep your source list as you go

Every time you take a note from a new source, record its citation details right away (author, title, website or publisher, date, page or link, and the date you accessed a web page). Trying to find a source again the night before a due date is miserable, and missing details lead to missing citations.

Hands-on activity

Paraphrase relay

Ask a family member to choose a short paragraph (3 to 4 sentences) from a newspaper, magazine or website.

  1. Read it twice. Write one sentence naming the main idea.
  2. Turn the page over and write a paraphrase from memory.
  3. Compare with the original. Underline any phrase of 3 or more distinctive words that matches; rewrite those parts.
  4. Now write a one-sentence summary and pick one short phrase worth quoting. Explain why it's worth quoting.
  5. Add a signal phrase and a citation to each.

What to look for: the paraphrase keeps the meaning, has a different structure, and includes the source.

Just for fun

Patchwriting is like putting a fake moustache on someone else's sentence. Everyone can still tell who it really is.

Your turn

1

What three things should every research note record?

2

Quote, paraphrase or summarize? (a) A whole 10-page article's main point. (b) A survivor's exact description of a flood. (c) The details of how a new bylaw works.

3

Is this patchwriting? Original: The bridge was closed for repairs after the spring flood. Student: The bridge was shut for fixes after the spring flooding.

4

Write a sentence that synthesizes: Source A says outdoor rinks are free to use; Source B says rink seasons are getting shorter.

5

Write a signal phrase to introduce an idea from a doctor named Amira Haddad.

6

Why should paraphrases and summaries usually outnumber quotations in a research essay?

More practice: warm-up

1

Does a paraphrase need a citation?

2

Which is shorter: a paraphrase or a summary?

3

What does "Q:" mean in this lesson's note system?

4

Name one sentence frame used for synthesis.

5

When should you record a source's citation details?

More practice: on your own

1

Paraphrase: Many newcomers to Canada say that finding a family doctor is one of the hardest parts of settling in.

2

Summarize in one sentence: Volunteers flood the rink each night in January. They stay out until midnight with hoses. Without them, the town would have no outdoor ice, because the budget only pays for the indoor arena.

3

A student's essay has one paragraph per source ("Source 1 says... Source 2 says..."). Explain the problem and the fix.

4

Your notes from two sources disagree about how many students use the late bus. What should you do?

5

Write a two-column note (left and right) for this fact from a pretend web page by Sam Ortiz: The library lends snowshoes free of charge.

Challenge

1

Write a 3-sentence synthesis paragraph from these invented notes: A) teens who sleep 8+ hours report better mood; B) many teens' body clocks shift later in adolescence; C) some families rely on early school schedules for childcare and work.

2

Explain how good note-taking prevents accidental plagiarism.

3

A paragraph you need is full of technical terms (e.g. permeable pavement). Can you keep those terms in a paraphrase? Explain.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a good reason to quote rather than paraphrase?

2.

What is patchwriting?

3.

A summary is:

4.

In synthesis, paragraphs are organized by:

5.

Which note is most useful?

6.

Which sentence shows synthesis?

For parents and teachers

Help your teen set up one notes system they'll actually use (a notebook with two columns, index cards or a digital document). The key habit: mark exact words clearly and record the source every time.

Common difficulties: patchwriting (swapping synonyms); writing summaries of sources one after another instead of synthesizing; losing track of where an idea came from. Try the "cover and write" paraphrase method together with a news paragraph: it's fast and shows clearly whether they understood.