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Organizing a Paper: From Taking Notes to Creating an Outline

WRITING WITHIN CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Organizing a Paper

From Taking Notes to Creating an Outline

Objectives

How to effectively take notes from journal articles and research reports
How to use your notes to create an outline for your paper

Taking Notes

Purpose is to organize the material
Use notes to write an outline
Use outline to write your paper
Must paraphrase the information!
Policy paper has two sections, which each have different note-taking rules
Informative section
Educate your reader
Persuasive section
Discuss studies that have evaluated your program or policy

One of the most difficult parts in writing a paper is organizing the material. However, if you organize the material as you read through each article, you will get a head start on organizing your paper.

One way to start organizing your paper is to take notes, then use those notes to write an outline. You will then write your paper using your outline as your guide.

As a criminal justice student, you may be asked to write a policy paper. Therefore, we will discuss how to take notes and write an outline for such a paper. A policy paper has two sections. The first section is the informative section, in which you will educate your reader about your program or policy. The second section is the persuasive section, in which you will discuss studies that have evaluated your program or policy. The note-taking techniques are different for each section.

Taking Notes:
Informative Section

List the topics you must discuss
Read your first source, highlighting important information
Do not stop to take notes
At the top of a blank Word document, type:
Last name(s) of author(s)
Year of publication
Article’s title
A number you assign to that source

Reread article, taking notes on each topic you must discuss

Paraphrase the information!

Before each entry, type the topic you are addressing (e.g., history)

After each entry, type the number you assigned and page number where information was located (e.g., 1, p. 14)

Repeat the previous steps for each source
Open a final Word document
COPY and paste the information for the first topic (e.g., history) from each source into the final document
Repeat this process for each topic
All of the information for each topic will be grouped together in the final document

Before you take notes, you should review the directions for your writing assignment to see what topics you must address in your paper. When you write a policy paper, you will have both an informative section and a persuasive section. For the informative section, you should provide a description of the program, the scope of the problem it is trying to address, its history, its purpose(s) or goal(s), the population it targets, and the specific elements of the program (how it works). For the persuasive section, you must provide a summary of empirical studies that support your thesis statement. For each study, you must summarize the research question examined, describe the sample population and how the data were obtained, and then summarize the key findings of the study that relate to your thesis statement. Finally, you must summarize any limitations the researcher(s) noted at the end of the study.

The key to note-taking is organization; the more attention you pay to organizing your notes as you create them, the easier it will be to create an outline from those notes. Moreover, the more attention you pay to correctly recording where you read each piece of information, the easier it will be to find it again if you need to double-check what you have written or if you need to obtain additional information.

To begin your note-taking on the informative section, write all of the topics you are required to discuss on a separate piece of paper. You will use this list during the note-taking process to help you remember what information to look for as you read each source.

Read your first source. Highlight any information that relates to any of the topics you are required to write about in your paper. Do not stop and write any notes at this point. The first read-through is to just get a feel for what the source about.

Next, open a blank Word document. At the top, type the last name(s) of the author(s), the year of publication, and the article’s title. Give your source a number and type it at the top of the page.

Sample Notes Page for
Informative Section

Wilson & Carlie (2015) “Mental Health Courts” – source #1
History – First program created in FL in 1985 (1, p. 122)
History – Currently 250 similar programs nationwide (1, p.124)
Purpose – To offer mentally ill offenders treatment rather than punishment and to reduce recidivism (1, p. 133)

Read through the slide with the students. Note that the top line has the authors’ names, year of publication, title of the article, and assigned source number. Also note that each entry begins with the relevant topic, a short phrase of information, and the location of the information.

Taking Notes:
Persuasive Section

List the topics you must discuss
Read your first source, highlighting the relevant information
Do not stop to take notes
At the top of a blank Word document, type:
Last name(s) of author(s)
Year of publication
Article’s title
You do not have to give the source a number
Reread the source, taking notes on each topic you must discuss

Paraphrase the information!

Before each entry, type the topic you are addressing (e.g., data obtained, findings)

After each entry, type the page number where information was located (e.g., p. 28)

After you have finished taking notes for the informative section, you will take notes for the persuasive section.

As with taking notes for the informative section, when you take notes for this section, list the topics you must address on a separate piece of paper. As we discussed for this section earlier, you should provide a summary of empirical studies that support your thesis statement. For each study, you should summarize the research question examined, describe the sample population and how the data were obtained, and then summarize the key findings of the study that relate directly to your thesis statement. Finally, you should summarize any limitations the researcher(s) noted at the end of the study.

To take notes:

Read the first study and highlight the relevant information. Do not stop to take any notes.

Next, open a blank Word document and, at the top, type the last name(s) of the author(s), the year of publication, and the article’s title. You do not have to give it a number.

Taking Notes: Persuasive Section
(continued)

Open a new blank Word document
At the top, type:
Title of study
Last name(s) of author(s)
Year of publication
COPY and paste the information so all information about each topic is grouped together
Repeat this process for each study

Sample Notes Page for
Persuasive Section

Wilson & Carlie (2015) “Mental Health Courts”
Research Question – Gender differences in recidivism rates among mental health court participants (p. 121)
Data obtained – 60 male and 40 female program participants (p. 122)
Data obtained – Interviews and arrest records (p. 122)
Findings – Men more likely to recidivate than women (p. 130)
Findings – Men ages 18-21 most likely to recidivate within the first year (p. 131)
Findings – Women ages 18-21 least likely to recidivate (p. 131)

When you take notes on the findings of a study, remember that you are only interested in that part of the study that addresses your thesis statement. Do not take notes on information that is irrelevant to it.

What do outlines and GPS have in common?

They get you where you need to go in the most efficient manner

The purpose of writing an outline is to further evaluate and better organize the information you have collected from your notes.

In general, an outline serves as the “roadmap” for writing your paper! The more specific and detailed you make it (e.g., provide turn-by-turn directions), the easier it will be to write your paper and to stay on point (e.g., avoid getting “side tracked”).

Writing an Outline:
General Rules

Purpose: To further evaluate and organize the information in your notes
An outline serves as a roadmap
It should be specific and detailed
The more detailed, the easier it will be to stay on track

Writing an Outline: Format

Major headings
Denoted by Roman numerals
Main elements of your paper
Minor headings
Denoted by capital letters
Supporting points for major headings
Subheadings for minor headings
Denoted with numbers

An outline has major headings, minor headings, and subheadings.

Major headings: When you write an outline, begin with your major points (Roman numerals). These constitute the main ideas (or sections) for your paper. For this lecture, the major points are the scope of the problem, definition, history of the program or policy, and goal(s) of the program or policy. On the outline, list the elements in the same order that they are listed in the writing assignment.

Minor headings – These are the supporting details that provide the reader with specific information about each of the key points you will address in your paper. For example, if you have a section in your paper on the history of a program (a major heading), as minor headings beneath it, you would list where the program began and when it began.

Creating an Outline From the Notes: General Rules

Follow these rules:
Include the source number and page number where you found the information
For studies, only include page number
Write entries as short phrases, no complete sentences
Each entry should be one line
Exception: Study entries may be longer
Always include an introduction and a conclusion in your outline
Always follow the “rule of two”

Next to each entry, include the source number and page number where you found the information. This will enable you to easily refer back to the original source if you need to.

In general, each entry on your outline should not be longer than one line. However, the entries for your empirical studies may contain more specific information so they may be a bit longer. (But no longer than two lines).

The first major heading on your outline (Roman numeral I) should always be the “Introduction.” Similarly, the last major heading (last Roman numeral) on your outline should always be the “Conclusion.”

Rule of two: You must always include a minimum of TWO headings or subheadings. Therefore, if you include an “A” on your outline as a minor heading, you must also include at least a “B.” Similarly for subheadings, if you include a “1” as a subheading, you must also include at least a “2.”

Creating an Outline: The First Draft

Step One: List your major points
Designated by Roman numerals
Main ideas for your paper
Include all elements required by your assignment
Step Two: Write your minor points for each major point
Designated by capital letters
Copy and paste information from notes that relates to the first major point
Include source number and page number for informative section
Include page number for persuasive section
Remember the “rule of two”
Step Three: Repeat the process for each remaining major point

NOTE: For the persuasive section of your paper, you must present a summary of empirical studies that support your thesis statement. Thus, your final major points (before the conclusion) will each be a study. Under each major point, your minor points will be the topics that you must discuss for each study (e.g., how data obtained, findings). To create the minor points for this section of your outline, follow the same steps you used to create the minor points for the informative section of your paper. For example, copy and paste all of the information (include the page numbers) from your notes for the first study that discuss the first topic (e.g., history). Repeat the step for each topic you are required to discuss.

Sample Outline Page for the Informative Section

III. History of mental health courts

A. Began in 1985 (source #, p. #)

B. Started in FL (source #, p. #)

C. Presently over 250 programs in the U. S. (source #, p. #)

Sample Outline Page for a Study

VII. Study #1 – Wilson & Carlie (2015)

A. Research question – Gender differences in recidivism rates among mental health court participants (p. #)

B. Data – Interviews and arrest records of 60 male and 40 female program participants (p. #)

C. Findings

1. Men more likely to recidivate than women (p. #)

2. Men ages 18–21 most likely to recidivate within the first year (p. #)

3. Women ages 18–21 least likely to recidivate within the first year (p. #)

Editing Your Outline

Focus on three things:
The content of your major points
The content of your minor points
The overall organization of the information
Step 1: Evaluate the content of your major points
Do you have too many supporting points?
If yes: Rewrite them as two or more major points
Do any of your major points lack substance?
If yes: Include them as supporting points for another topic
Did you include all of the topics required by the assignment?

After you have written your first draft of your outline, you must revise it. To do this, look at each entry separately.

First focus on the major points. Evaluate the content of each one to determine if it should be rewritten as two or more major points, or included as supporting points instead. Also, review the major points to make sure you have included all of the topics required by the assignment.

Editing Your Outline (continued)

Step 2: Evaluate the content of your minor points
Would your paper be stronger if you made a minor point a major point?
Did you provide enough detail?
Step 3: Review the overall organization
Did you present the information in a logical order?
Order of major points: Does paper “flow” well?
Is your outline “detailed” enough?
Use many heading and subheadings
Do not write lengthy entries
See Handout #1: “Sample Outline

When you review the content of your minor points, look at each one to determine whether your paper would be stronger if you included the information as a major point instead. In addition, check to make sure you have provided enough information in your minor point. For example, if you are writing a paper about drunk drivers and you have listed gender and age as minor points, but the source also discusses legal limits, you should add that to your outline.

The best way to ensure that your paper is well organized is to discuss the elements in the same order in which they are listed in the assignment.

Finally, remember that a “detailed” outline does not mean one that has lengthy entries. It means that you should use many headings and subheadings.