Make provenance visible inside your notes
Months may pass between first reading and submission. A phrase that looks familiar today can enter a later draft without its source. Notes are particularly hazardous when copied wording sits beside personal thoughts without quotation marks. A source log therefore captures not just content but the kind and origin of every text fragment.
The log works at a finer level than a literature matrix. One publication may have several rows, each linked to a distinct claim or passage. It is not yet a manuscript. The “intended use” field states whether an item offers a definition, result, counterargument, method rationale or merely a lead for further searching. Material is collected with a purpose rather than becoming an undifferentiated archive.
Keep quotation, paraphrase and response distinct
Source wording always appears inside quotation marks or a clearly labelled quotation field, with its locator recorded immediately. Mark omissions and additions according to the applicable style. A paraphrase is reconstructed in your own sentence structure after understanding the passage, but remains source-dependent and still requires attribution. A personal response receives an explicit prefix such as “My note.”
Paraphrasing is not a synonym swap. Read the passage, state its function without looking at it, then compare meaning, scope and distinctive phrasing against the original. Technical terms may remain when no sensible substitute exists, while a source’s distinctive classification or metaphor may still require prominent attribution.
Never save a number alone. Record unit, population, period, analysis and material limitation. Flag a secondary citation when you have not inspected the original. If you translate a passage, retain the source wording, label your translation and preserve a locator so another reader can assess the decision.
Create a complete entry while the source is open
- Open the verified record in your reference manager and assign a stable ID.
- Read enough surrounding text to understand the passage’s role and limitation.
- Copy only wording you genuinely need and mark it unmistakably as quotation.
- Capture page, section, table, paragraph marker or other usable locator.
- Close or hide the source briefly and write your paraphrase from understanding.
- Compare meaning, strength and distinctive terms with the original.
- State intended use, remaining uncertainty and the next check.
If you have seen only an abstract or search result, record that fact. A DOI establishes publication identity, not the content of a particular claim. For a webpage, preserve its title, responsible organisation, URL, publication or update date and—where the required style asks for it—an access date.
Move from a log entry into an argument
Start a paragraph with its argumentative purpose rather than pasting a note. Select relevant entries and reopen their sources. Use direct quotation sparingly where exact wording is itself analysed or a precise definition matters. A paraphrase integrates the relevant idea into your paragraph’s logic.
When an entry is used, add the manuscript claim ID or section to the log. That connection supports a later source check. If the sentence changes materially, review whether the evidence still carries it. A reference can be perfectly formatted yet substantively mismatched.
Do not stack several references as an apparent consensus before checking comparability. Give each source a stated role and note disagreements. Signpost your inference: “For this project, this suggests…” rather than making the source appear to have decided your method for you.
Keep the log compact, safe and auditable
Use controlled statuses such as “locator open,” “checked against original,” “used in draft” and “discarded.” Regularly filter for absent locators, unmarked copied text and incomplete references. Duplicates can be merged only if all manuscript links and relevant context survive.
In collaborative projects, record the person responsible and checking date. Personal data, sensitive research observations and full PDFs do not belong in the log. Maintain versioned backups and export a readable archival copy before submission, checking wrapped cells and special characters.
The literature matrix compares whole studies using consistent fields. The claim–source matrix later tests each draft statement against evidence. Find further templates in the research methods hub, and use the evidence-review foundation for source and locator principles.