example of research note cards

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How to Write a Research Paper: Note Cards

Back from the library and ready to go

Read your sources and take notes.

After you've gathered your sources, begin reading and taking notes.

Use 3 x 5 index cards, one fact or idea per card. This way related ideas from different sources can be easily grouped together or rearranged.
On each index card, be sure to note the source, including the volume number (if there is one) and the page number. If you wind up using that idea in your paper, you will have the information about the source ready to put in your footnote or endnote.
If you copy something directly from a book without putting it in your own words, put quotation marks around it so that you know it is an exact quotation. This will help you to avoid plagiarism . (For more, see What is Plagiarism? ).
Before you sit down to write your rough draft, organize your note cards by subtopic (you can write headings on the cards) and make an outline.

Check out the differences between these two note cards for a research paper on baseball:

Good note card:

Bad note card:

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How to Write a Research Paper: Footnotes and Endnotes

How To Make Notecards For Research Paper In Most Effective Way

Many supervisors, mentors, and teachers recommend their students and apprentices use research note cards while writing research papers. Notecards could be a great tool to organize your word and elements of research.

Note cards might seem like an old and outdated research method, but they still work. They do more than be a tool for you. Notecards help you organize your thoughts that are beneficial in your research and beyond. Let’s talk about some tips and tricks on how to make notecards for research papers.

Table of Contents

Why And How To Make Notecards For Research Paper?

With research note cards, it is easier to track your citations. When citing a source in your dissertation, you can write the source’s name on the note card and add the page number where you found the information. This way, you can quickly find the needed information.

Before writing notecards, look at all the information to write your research document. Once you know basic ideas, gather the main points of your research. Preferably, a 3″ x5″ note card would do your bidding.

Also, notecards look fantastic, and even if they’re scattered around the room, they would add an aesthetic touch to your room rather than making it look messy. Writing notecards will help you stay organized and write a research paper fast .

Steps Towards Writing Notecards For Research

Here are steps to write perfect notecards for your research paper.

Get Yourself a Pack Of Fresh, Nice Smelling Notecards

When you think of how to make notecards for a research paper, the first thing that will pop up in your mind is: Where are the research note cards? For a dissertation, we will need a lot of them. Try to get some extra. That way, even if you grow short, you will have a new bundle to open and save time during your research process.

Gather More Ideas Than You Need

The more is always safe. It will be great to gather as many ideas and sources as possible when you have the best research topic . It is the quality of a great writer to always cite sources . It’s easier than ever to collect sources from the Internet as many as possible. The Internet is like an infinite library. When you have more data, sources, and ideas, you will have more choices to filter out the best. For example, you are writing an outline for your dissertation and adding critical points that you are about to discuss. You have twenty key points written on your notecards. When you reconsider and filter out the best, you will probably have half of them left, which is close to ten.

Shortlist The Sources

You have a lot of ideas and a lot of sources written on your notecards. Could you have a look at them again? Now you see that not all ideas sound impeccable anymore. You can take those notecards out, leaving you with the best of them. How easier was it with notecards? Imagine if you were doing this filtration process without notecards. You would have to write a whole new draft for this.

Use A Full Notecard For Each Idea

Remember we talked about getting extra notecards? Now you understand why. Every notecard must be devoted to a single idea. Using a separate note card for each citation, source, or quote would be best. Using one card for more than one idea will cause leaving out essential details. It will also confuse you and make you double-minded. Whatever the page number is, making index cards would always help. Whether you’re researching a 10-page research document or writing a thesis for a research paper , every notecard must consist of a single idea, be it your own words or some text from a resource.

Write Down The Quotes

In the history of research, quoting and paraphrasing can be great tools to make your paper authentic and reliable. Please use separate notecards to include quotes. A direct statement in quotation marks or creating a bunch of them can make your research look more authentic. Note cards will help you remember where or when you will use them.

Label and Number The Note cards

Labeling and numbering note cards help you avoid trouble and confusion. Imagine the mess if your notecards suddenly fall out of your table and get scattered. It would be like having all your work wasted. You will need hours to reorganize them. Labeling and giving numbers will help you sort them and use them at the exact moment you are going to need them. If your note cards are all labeled and aligned, they can tell you a lot about how to organize your research paper as well.

Include Every Attribute / Aspect

A notecard must include every aspect of the source or citation you will use. Let’s create an outline of those factors. A notecard will typically include these necessary points:

Name of The Author
The Topic / Title of The Citation
The Book / Paper that is cited
Exact Number Of The Page
Other contributors
Editions / Versions / Volume
Date of Publication

Let us discuss one trick that will help you beyond writing research papers . It will help you in real life too. Whenever you do or say anything, ask yourself first:

Is it necessary?

The same goes for note cards. Only include what’s necessary.

Don’t Use Abbreviations Or Acronyms

When we are talking about how to make notecards for a research paper, our writers will disapprove of using abbreviations or acronyms. One abbreviation might have more than one meaning. The same goes for acronyms. This can lead to confusion. Staying accurate is the ultimate goal.

Now you can see that creating note cards for your dissertation is not rocket science if you have the right guide and Academic writing service . We also learned that note cards are not as old as some might say, and they can help you get the best out of your research. However, if you still need clarification about how to make notecards for a research paper, wait to lose your heart. You can contact us , and we can provide valuable insights we have learned while writing research over the years.

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SCC Research Guides

Organizing Your Research

Research Note Cards

You may have used Research Note Cards in the past to help your organize information for a research paper. Research Note Cards have you write out quotes or paraphrased information on a note card and include information such as the topic of the source and where you found the source.

There are five parts to Research Note Cards:

This is going to be the main idea from your research assignment that your quote will connect to. Creating and organizing your information will make it easier to focus your research and complete your assignment.
This will be the name of the source that your information is from.
This will be either the quote or your paraphrased sentence(s) from the source. What evidence in this source did you find that will support your thesis statement?
This is the page number that you found the quote on. If your source does not have page numbers (like an internet source)you can either leave this blank of include the section of the online source that you found this information in.
Include the complete citation for your source on the back of the note card.

*Note: It is important to only put one quote or paraphrase per note card.

In the top left corner of the note card is the topic that the quote relates to in the research paper.

Underneath the topic in the top left corner of the note card is an abbreviated name of the source this quote came from.

In the center of the note card is the quote/paraphrased information from the source.

In the bottom right corner of the note card is the page number the information came from.

On the back of the note card is the full citation for the source.

*Note: Keep in mind, your note card might not be organized the exact same way as the example. That is okay, as long as you make sure you have all the information needed listed on the note card.

Because the quotes and paraphrases are on their own note card, you can group and reorder them in the way you want them to appear in your research paper.

Use the topic at the top of each note card to group cards by subject.
Put the groups in the order they should appear in your paper to support your thesis.
Within each group of note cards, order the note cards in the way they'll appear in each paragraph of your paper.
Think about the order information needs to be presented in order to build a case for your thesis.

Once everything is organized by topic and in order, you will have created a map or guide to follow when writing your paper. It may also allow you to spot holes in your reasoning or evidence -- you can then return to your sources (or find additional sources) to fill in the needed information.

Work Cited

"The Note Card System." Gallaudet University , 2021, www.gallaudet.edu/tutorial-and-instructional-programs/english-center/the-process-and-type-of-writing/pre-writing-writing-and-revising/the-note-card-system/.

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Research Note Cards

Writing Research Papers
Writing Essays
English Grammar
M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Many teachers require students to use note cards to collect information for their first big term paper assignment. While this practice may seem old fashioned and out of date, it is actually still the best method for collecting research.

You will use research note cards to collect all the information necessary to write your term paper--which includes the details you need for your bibliography notes.

You should take extreme care as you create these note cards, because any time you leave out a single detail, you are creating more work for yourself. You will have to visit each source again if you leave out essential information the first time around.

Remember that citing every source completely and correctly is critical for success. If you don't cite a source, you are guilty of plagiarism! These tips will help you collect research and write a successful paper.

Start with a fresh pack of research note cards. Large, lined cards are probably best, especially if you want to make your own detailed personal notes. Also, consider color coding your cards by topic to keep your paper organized from the start.
Devote an entire note card to each idea or note. Don't try to fit two sources (quotes and notes) on one card. No sharing space!
Gather more than you need. Use the library and the Internet to find potential sources for your research paper . You should continue to research until you have quite a few potential sources—about three times as many as your teacher recommends.
Narrow down your sources. As you read your potential sources, you will find that some are helpful, others are not, and some will repeat the same information you already have. This is how you narrow your list down to include the most solid sources.
Record as you go. From each source, write down any notes or quotes that could be useful in your paper. As you take notes, try to paraphrase all the information. This reduces the chances of committing accidental plagiarism .
Include everything. For each note you will need to record author's name, the title of reference (book, article, interview, etc.), reference publication information, to include publisher, date, place, year, issue, volume, page number, and your own personal comments.
Create your own system and stick to it. For instance, you may want to pre-mark each card with spaces for each category, just to make sure you don't leave anything out.
Be exact. If at any time you write down information word for word (to be used as a quote), be sure to include all punctuation marks , capitalizations, and breaks exactly as they appear in the source. Before you leave any source, double-check your notes for accuracy.
If you think it might be useful, write it down. Don't ever, ever pass over information because you're just not sure whether it will be useful! This is a very common and costly mistake in research. More often than not, you find that the passed-over tidbit is critical to your paper, and then there's a good chance you won't find it again.
Avoid using abbreviations and code words as you record notes —especially if you plan to quote. Your own writing can look completely foreign to you later. It's true! You may not be able to understand your own clever codes after a day or two, either.
How to Organize Research Notes
What Is Plagiarism?
8 Tips for Taking Notes from Your Reading
10 Tips for Art History Students
How to Write a Research Paper That Earns an A
Finding Trustworthy Sources
How to Take Better Notes During Lectures, Discussions, and Interviews
How To Take Good Biology Notes
How to Develop a Research Paper Timeline
Turabian Style Guide With Examples
MLA Bibliography or Works Cited
How to Write an Interesting Biography
Tips for Typing an Academic Paper on a Computer
What Is a Literature Review?
5 Study Secrets to Ace Your Exams
What Is a Citation?

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The Note Card System

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When you are faced with starting a research paper, the most important part of researching and beginning to write is organizing the information and your thoughts. If you are not organized, it will take considerably more time to write the paper.

To make it easy on yourself, you can use an index card system as you gather information. With this method, you categorize the information you find by topic. For each topic, you could have any number of cards from several different sources. Later, as you write your paper, each card topic becomes a body paragraph (supporting idea) in your paper.

Researching

As you find interesting facts about your topic during your research, you should write them down. Each sentence or idea that you find should be paraphrased (summarized in your own words), and written on a card. In order to keep your ideas in order, and to remember where you found the ideas, there are four items that you should include on the index card, as you will see below.

Although it may seem tedious to give each note card a topic name, it serves two purposes:

The source title is the name of the book, magazine, website, etc., in which you found the information. In the previous example, the source was given a number , instead of writing out the entire title. You could write out the title on each card, or simply list your sources on a separate sheet of paper, like the example here. Number your sources on this list, and then use the numbers on the note cards to specify which source provided which fact.

Sample Source List

Remember, this is not a complete works cited, bibliography, or reference page. You will need to add the publication information and use the correct citation format (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, etc.) for the formal works cited page.

Item number three is the paraphrased information that you found. It is helpful to paraphrase , or summarize , your research on the index cards while you are taking notes. If you are consistent in paraphrasing at this stage, then you will be certain not to accidentally plagiarize someone else’s work. You will also have less work to do when you are actually writing the paper. the image of a notecard with a mark on page.

It is important to be accurate with the page numbers on your note cards, as you will need them for citations throughout your research paper. Be sure you know which form of citation your teacher requires. (For information on citing your sources, look at English Works! handouts on MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian Style citations).

Once you have written the information down on the note cards, you only need to go back and organize your cards by topic. Group together all the cards that have the same topic (i.e. all the cards titled: “ Hughes’ Poetry ” should be together). When you finish, you should have your cards in piles, one topic per pile. You can have any number of piles and any number of cards in each pile. The length and detail of your paper will determine how many piles and cards you have.

Your piles may look like:

Make an Outline and Start Writing

Once you have separated your cards into piles, each topic pile should become a body paragraph in your paper. That is the key to this system. If every topic directly supports your thesis statement, then each topic pile should become a supporting idea, body paragraph, or part of a paragraph in your paper.

But before you actually begin writing, you should make an outline of the order you want to present these topics in your paper. (For help making an outline, see the English Works web page on Pre-writing and Outlines ). Once the outline is complete, use your note cards as guides and begin writing.

For further help on writing a research paper, refer to the English Works! web page Process of Doing a Research Paper , Guide to Developing Thesis Statements , and/or Guide to Writing Introductions and Conclusions .

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9 Organizing Research: Taking and Keeping Effective Notes

Once you’ve located the right primary and secondary sources, it’s time to glean all the information you can from them. In this chapter, you’ll first get some tips on taking and organizing notes. The second part addresses how to approach the sort of intermediary assignments (such as book reviews) that are often part of a history course.

Honing your own strategy for organizing your primary and secondary research is a pathway to less stress and better paper success. Moreover, if you can find the method that helps you best organize your notes, these methods can be applied to research you do for any of your classes.

Before the personal computing revolution, most historians labored through archives and primary documents and wrote down their notes on index cards, and then found innovative ways to organize them for their purposes. When doing secondary research, historians often utilized (and many still do) pen and paper for taking notes on secondary sources. With the advent of digital photography and useful note-taking tools like OneNote, some of these older methods have been phased out – though some persist. And, most importantly, once you start using some of the newer techniques below, you may find that you are a little “old school,” and might opt to integrate some of the older techniques with newer technology.

Whether you choose to use a low-tech method of taking and organizing your notes or an app that will help you organize your research, here are a few pointers for good note-taking.

Principles of note-taking

If you are going low-tech, choose a method that prevents a loss of any notes. Perhaps use one spiral notebook, or an accordion folder, that will keep everything for your project in one space. If you end up taking notes away from your notebook or folder, replace them—or tape them onto blank pages if you are using a notebook—as soon as possible.
If you are going high-tech, pick one application and stick with it. Using a cloud-based app, including one that you can download to your smart phone, will allow you to keep adding to your notes even if you find yourself with time to take notes unexpectedly.
When taking notes, whether you’re using 3X5 note cards or using an app described below, write down the author and a shortened title for the publication, along with the page number on EVERY card. We can’t emphasize this point enough; writing down the bibliographic information the first time and repeatedly will save you loads of time later when you are writing your paper and must cite all key information.
Include keywords or “tags” that capture why you thought to take down this information in a consistent place on each note card (and when using the apps described below). If you are writing a paper about why Martin Luther King, Jr., became a successful Civil Rights movement leader, for example, you may have a few theories as you read his speeches or how those around him described his leadership. Those theories—religious beliefs, choice of lieutenants, understanding of Gandhi—might become the tags you put on each note card.
Note-taking applications can help organize tags for you, but if you are going low tech, a good idea is to put tags on the left side of a note card, and bibliographic info on the right side.

Organizing research- applications that can help

Using images in research.

If you are in an archive: make your first picture one that includes the formal collection name, the box number, the folder name and call numbe r and anything else that would help you relocate this information if you or someone else needed to. Do this BEFORE you start taking photos of what is in the folder.
If you are photographing a book or something you may need to return to the library: take a picture of all the front matter (the title page, the page behind the title with all the publication information, maybe even the table of contents).

Once you have recorded where you find it, resist the urge to rename these photographs. By renaming them, they may be re-ordered and you might forget where you found them. Instead, use tags for your own purposes, and carefully name and date the folder into which the photographs were automatically sorted. There is one free, open-source program, Tropy , which is designed to help organize photos taken in archives, as well as tag, annotate, and organize them. It was developed and is supported by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. It is free to download, and you can find it here: https://tropy.org/ ; it is not, however, cloud-based, so you should back up your photos. In other cases, if an archive doesn’t allow photography (this is highly unlikely if you’ve made the trip to the archive), you might have a laptop on hand so that you can transcribe crucial documents.

Using note or project-organizing apps

When you have the time to sit down and begin taking notes on your primary sources, you can annotate your photos in Tropy. Alternatively, OneNote, which is cloud-based, can serve as a way to organize your research. OneNote allows you to create separate “Notebooks” for various projects, but this doesn’t preclude you from searching for terms or tags across projects if the need ever arises. Within each project you can start new tabs, say, for each different collection that you have documents from, or you can start new tabs for different themes that you are investigating. Just as in Tropy, as you go through taking notes on your documents you can create your own “tags” and place them wherever you want in the notes.

Another powerful, free tool to help organize research, especially secondary research though not exclusively, is Zotero found @ https://www.zotero.org/ . Once downloaded, you can begin to save sources (and their URL) that you find on the internet to Zotero. You can create main folders for each major project that you have and then subfolders for various themes if you would like. Just like the other software mentioned, you can create notes and tags about each source, and Zotero can also be used to create bibliographies in the precise format that you will be using. Obviously, this function is super useful when doing a long-term, expansive project like a thesis or dissertation.

How History is Made: A Student’s Guide to Reading, Writing, and Thinking in the Discipline Copyright © 2022 by Stephanie Cole; Kimberly Breuer; Scott W. Palmer; and Brandon Blakeslee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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I am no longer updating Resources for Researchers. Some materials are being transfered to stevenlberg.info .

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How to take Research Notes

How to take research notes.

Your research notebook is an important piece of information useful for future projects and presentations. Maintaining organized and legible notes allows your research notebook to be a valuable resource to you and your research group. It allows others and yourself to replicate experiments, and it also serves as a useful troubleshooting tool. Besides it being an important part of the research process, taking detailed notes of your research will help you stay organized and allow you to easily review your work.

Here are some common reasons to maintain organized notes:

Keeps a record of your goals and thoughts during your research experiments.
Keeps a record of what worked and what didn't in your research experiments.
Enables others to use your notes as a guide for similar procedures and techniques.
A helpful tool to reference when writing a paper, submitting a proposal, or giving a presentation.
Assists you in answering experimental questions.
Useful to efficiently share experimental approaches, data, and results with others.

Before taking notes:

Ask your research professor what note-taking method they recommend or prefer.
Consider what type of media you'll be using to take notes.
Once you have decided on how you'll be taking notes, be sure to keep all of your notes in one place to remain organized.
Plan on taking notes regularly (meetings, important dates, procedures, journal/manuscript revisions, etc.).
This is useful when applying to programs or internships that ask about your research experience.

Note Taking Tips:

Taking notes by hand:.

Research notebooks don’t belong to you so make sure your notes are legible for others.
Use post-it notes or tabs to flag important sections.
Start sorting your notes early so that you don't become backed up and disorganized.
Only write with a pen as pencils aren’t permanent & sharpies can bleed through.
Make it a habit to write in your notebook and not directly on sticky notes or paper towels. Rewriting notes can waste time and sometimes lead to inaccurate data or results.

Taking Notes Electronically

Make sure your device is charged and backed up to store data.
Invest in note-taking apps or E-Ink tablets
Create shortcuts to your folders so you have easier access
Create outlines.
Keep your notes short and legible.

Note Taking Tips Continued:

Things to avoid.

Avoid using pencils or markers that may bleed through.
Avoid erasing entries. Instead, draw a straight line through any mistakes and write the date next to the crossed-out information.
Avoid writing in cursive.
Avoid delaying your entries so you don’t fall behind and forget information.

Formatting Tips

Use bullet points to condense your notes to make them simpler to access or color-code them.
Tracking your failures and mistakes can improve your work in the future.
If possible, take notes as you’re experimenting or make time at the end of each workday to get it done.
Record the date at the start of every day, including all dates spent on research.

Types of media to use when taking notes:

Traditional paper notebook.

Pros: Able to take quick notes, convenient access to notes, cheaper option
Cons: Requires a table of contents or tabs as it is not easily searchable, can get damaged easily, needs to be scanned if making a digital copy

Electronic notebook

Apple Notes
Pros: Easily searchable, note-taking apps available, easy to edit & customize
Cons: Can be difficult to find notes if they are unorganized, not as easy to take quick notes, can be a more expensive option

Combination of both

Contact info.

618 Kerr Administration Building Corvallis, OR 97331

541-737-5105

Research Guides

Gould library, reading well and taking research notes.

How to read for college
How to take research notes
How to use sources in your writing
Tools for note taking and annotations
Mobile apps for notes and annotations
Assistive technology
How to cite your sources

Be Prepared: Keep track of which notes are direct quotes, which are summary, and which are your own thoughts. For example, enclose direct quotes in quotation marks, and enclose your own thoughts in brackets. That way you'll never be confused when you're writing.

Be Clear: Make sure you have noted the source and page number!

Be Organized: Keep your notes organized but in a single place so that you can refer back to notes about other readings at the same time.

Be Consistent: You'll want to find specific notes later, and one way to do that is to be consistent in the way you describe things. If you use consistent terms or tags or keywords, you'll be able to find your way back more easily.

Recording what you find

Take full notes

Whether you take notes on cards, in a notebook, or on the computer, it's vital to record information accurately and completely. Otherwise, you won't be able to trust your own notes. Most importantly, distinguish between (1) direct quotation; (2) paraphrases and summaries of the text; and (3) your own thoughts. On a computer, you have many options for making these distinctions, such as parentheses, brackets, italic or bold text, etc.

Know when to quote, paraphrase, and summarize

Summarize when you only need to remember the main point of the passage, chapter, etc.
Paraphrase when you are able to able to clearly state a source's point or meaning in your own words.
Quote exactly when you need the author's exact words or authority as evidience to back up your claim. You may also want to be sure and use the author's exact wording, either because they stated their point so well, or because you want to refute that point and need to demonstrate you aren't misrepresenting the author's words.

Get the context right

Don't just record the author's words or ideas; be sure and capture the context and meaning that surrounds those ideas as well. It can be easy to take a short quote from an author that completely misrepresents his or her actual intentions if you fail to take the context into account. You should also be sure to note when the author is paraphrasing or summarizing another author's point of view--don't accidentally represent those ideas as the ideas of the author.

Example of reading notes

Here is an example of reading notes taken in Evernote, with citation and page numbers noted as well as quotation marks for direct quotes and brackets around the reader's own thoughts.

<< Previous: How to read for college
Next: How to use sources in your writing >>
Last Updated: Feb 7, 2024 12:22 PM
URL: https://gouldguides.carleton.edu/activereading

Questions? Contact [email protected]

How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: 4a. Take Notes

Get Started
1a. Select a Topic
1b. Develop Research Questions
1c. Identify Keywords
1d. Find Background Information
1e. Refine a Topic
2a. Search Strategies
2d. Articles
2e. Videos & Images
2f. Databases
2g. Websites
2h. Grey Literature
2i. Open Access Materials
3a. Evaluate Sources
3b. Primary vs. Secondary
3c. Types of Periodicals
4a. Take Notes
4b. Outline the Paper
4c. Incorporate Source Material
5a. Avoid Plagiarism
5b. Zotero & MyBib
5c. MLA Formatting
5d. MLA Citation Examples
5e. APA Formatting
5f. APA Citation Examples
5g. Annotated Bibliographies

Note Taking in Bibliographic Management Tools

We encourage students to use bibliographic citation management tools (such as Zotero, EasyBib and RefWorks) to keep track of their research citations. Each service includes a note-taking function. Find more information about citation management tools here . Whether or not you're using one of these, the tips below will help you.

Tips for Taking Notes Electronically

Try using a bibliographic citation management tool to keep track of your sources and to take notes.
As you add sources, put them in the format you're using (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).
Group sources by publication type (i.e., book, article, website).
Number each source within the publication type group.
For websites, include the URL information and the date you accessed each site.
Next to each idea, include the source number from the Works Cited file and the page number from the source. See the examples below. Note that #A5 and #B2 refer to article source 5 and book source 2 from the Works Cited file.

#A5 p.35: 76.69% of the hyperlinks selected from homepage are for articles and the catalog #B2 p.76: online library guides evolved from the paper pathfinders of the 1960s

When done taking notes, assign keywords or sub-topic headings to each idea, quote or summary.
Use the copy and paste feature to group keywords or sub-topic ideas together.
Back up your master list and note files frequently!

Tips for Taking Notes by Hand

Use index cards to keep notes and track sources used in your paper.
Include the citation (i.e., author, title, publisher, date, page numbers, etc.) in the format you're using. It will be easier to organize the sources alphabetically when creating the Works Cited page.
Number the source cards.
Use only one side to record a single idea, fact or quote from one source. It will be easier to rearrange them later when it comes time to organize your paper.
Include a heading or key words at the top of the card.
Include the Work Cited source card number.
Include the page number where you found the information.
Use abbreviations, acronyms, or incomplete sentences to record information to speed up the notetaking process.
Write down only the information that answers your research questions.
Use symbols, diagrams, charts or drawings to simplify and visualize ideas.

Forms of Notetaking

Use one of these notetaking forms to capture information:

Summarize : Capture the main ideas of the source succinctly by restating them in your own words.
Paraphrase : Restate the author's ideas in your own words.
Quote : Copy the quotation exactly as it appears in the original source. Put quotation marks around the text and note the name of the person you are quoting.

Example of a Work Cited Card

Example notecard.

<< Previous: Step 4: Write
Next: 4b. Outline the Paper >>
Last Updated: May 29, 2024 1:53 PM
URL: https://libguides.elmira.edu/research

Making Note Cards

Ask these questions:

How do I do it?

1. Write the subtopic heading of the note at the top of each note card. (see Tip Sheet 11: Creating Subtopic Headings )

2. Write only one main point on a note card

3. Only write information directly related to your Statement of Purpose. (see Tip Sheet 9: Writing a Statement of Purpose )

4. Write only essential words, abbreviate when possible.

5. Be accurate: double check direct quotes and statistics.

6. Identify direct quotes with quotation marks and the person's name.

7. Bracket your own words [ ] when you add them into a quote.

8. Use ellipsis points (...) where you leave out non-essential words from a quote.

9. Distinguish between 'fact' and 'opinion'.

10. Include the source's number on the card (see Tip Sheet 4: Making Source Cards )

11. Write the page number of the source after the note.

12. Use the word 'over' to indicate information on the back of the card.

Sample note card:

13.5 Research Process: Making Notes, Synthesizing Information, and Keeping a Research Log

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Employ the methods and technologies commonly used for research and communication within various fields.
Practice and apply strategies such as interpretation, synthesis, response, and critique to compose texts that integrate the writer’s ideas with those from appropriate sources.
Analyze and make informed decisions about intellectual property based on the concepts that motivate them.
Apply citation conventions systematically.

As you conduct research, you will work with a range of “texts” in various forms, including sources and documents from online databases as well as images, audio, and video files from the Internet. You may also work with archival materials and with transcribed and analyzed primary data. Additionally, you will be taking notes and recording quotations from secondary sources as you find materials that shape your understanding of your topic and, at the same time, provide you with facts and perspectives. You also may download articles as PDFs that you then annotate. Like many other students, you may find it challenging to keep so much material organized, accessible, and easy to work with while you write a major research paper. As it does for many of those students, a research log for your ideas and sources will help you keep track of the scope, purpose, and possibilities of any research project.

A research log is essentially a journal in which you collect information, ask questions, and monitor the results. Even if you are completing the annotated bibliography for Writing Process: Informing and Analyzing , keeping a research log is an effective organizational tool. Like Lily Tran’s research log entry, most entries have three parts: a part for notes on secondary sources, a part for connections to the thesis or main points, and a part for your own notes or questions. Record source notes by date, and allow room to add cross-references to other entries.

Summary of Assignment: Research Log

Your assignment is to create a research log similar to the student model. You will use it for the argumentative research project assigned in Writing Process: Integrating Research to record all secondary source information: your notes, complete publication data, relation to thesis, and other information as indicated in the right-hand column of the sample entry.

Another Lens. A somewhat different approach to maintaining a research log is to customize it to your needs or preferences. You can apply shading or color coding to headers, rows, and/or columns in the three-column format (for colors and shading). Or you can add columns to accommodate more information, analysis, synthesis, or commentary, formatting them as you wish. Consider adding a column for questions only or one for connections to other sources. Finally, consider a different visual format , such as one without columns. Another possibility is to record some of your comments and questions so that you have an aural rather than a written record of these.

Writing Center

At this point, or at any other point during the research and writing process, you may find that your school’s writing center can provide extensive assistance. If you are unfamiliar with the writing center, now is a good time to pay your first visit. Writing centers provide free peer tutoring for all types and phases of writing. Discussing your research with a trained writing center tutor can help you clarify, analyze, and connect ideas as well as provide feedback on works in progress.

Quick Launch: Beginning Questions

You may begin your research log with some open pages in which you freewrite, exploring answers to the following questions. Although you generally would do this at the beginning, it is a process to which you likely will return as you find more information about your topic and as your focus changes, as it may during the course of your research.

What information have I found so far?
What do I still need to find?
Where am I most likely to find it?

These are beginning questions. Like Lily Tran, however, you will come across general questions or issues that a quick note or freewrite may help you resolve. The key to this section is to revisit it regularly. Written answers to these and other self-generated questions in your log clarify your tasks as you go along, helping you articulate ideas and examine supporting evidence critically. As you move further into the process, consider answering the following questions in your freewrite:

What evidence looks as though it best supports my thesis?
What evidence challenges my working thesis?
How is my thesis changing from where it started?

Creating the Research Log

As you gather source material for your argumentative research paper, keep in mind that the research is intended to support original thinking. That is, you are not writing an informational report in which you simply supply facts to readers. Instead, you are writing to support a thesis that shows original thinking, and you are collecting and incorporating research into your paper to support that thinking. Therefore, a research log, whether digital or handwritten, is a great way to keep track of your thinking as well as your notes and bibliographic information.

In the model below, Lily Tran records the correct MLA bibliographic citation for the source. Then, she records a note and includes the in-text citation here to avoid having to retrieve this information later. Perhaps most important, Tran records why she noted this information—how it supports her thesis: The human race must turn to sustainable food systems that provide healthy diets with minimal environmental impact, starting now . Finally, she makes a note to herself about an additional visual to include in the final paper to reinforce the point regarding the current pressure on food systems. And she connects the information to other information she finds, thus cross-referencing and establishing a possible synthesis. Use a format similar to that in Table 13.4 to begin your own research log.

Types of Research Notes

Taking good notes will make the research process easier by enabling you to locate and remember sources and use them effectively. While some research projects requiring only a few sources may seem easily tracked, research projects requiring more than a few sources are more effectively managed when you take good bibliographic and informational notes. As you gather evidence for your argumentative research paper, follow the descriptions and the electronic model to record your notes. You can combine these with your research log, or you can use the research log for secondary sources and your own note-taking system for primary sources if a division of this kind is helpful. Either way, be sure to include all necessary information.

Bibliographic Notes

These identify the source you are using. When you locate a useful source, record the information necessary to find that source again. It is important to do this as you find each source, even before taking notes from it. If you create bibliographic notes as you go along, then you can easily arrange them in alphabetical order later to prepare the reference list required at the end of formal academic papers. If your instructor requires you to use MLA formatting for your essay, be sure to record the following information:

Title of source
Title of container (larger work in which source is included)
Other contributors
Publication date

When using MLA style with online sources, also record the following information:

Date of original publication
Date of access
DOI (A DOI, or digital object identifier, is a series of digits and letters that leads to the location of an online source. Articles in journals are often assigned DOIs to ensure that the source can be located, even if the URL changes. If your source is listed with a DOI, use that instead of a URL.)

It is important to understand which documentation style your instructor will require you to use. Check the Handbook for MLA Documentation and Format and APA Documentation and Format styles . In addition, you can check the style guide information provided by the Purdue Online Writing Lab .

Informational Notes

These notes record the relevant information found in your sources. When writing your essay, you will work from these notes, so be sure they contain all the information you need from every source you intend to use. Also try to focus your notes on your research question so that their relevance is clear when you read them later. To avoid confusion, work with separate entries for each piece of information recorded. At the top of each entry, identify the source through brief bibliographic identification (author and title), and note the page numbers on which the information appears. Also helpful is to add personal notes, including ideas for possible use of the information or cross-references to other information. As noted in Writing Process: Integrating Research , you will be using a variety of formats when borrowing from sources. Below is a quick review of these formats in terms of note-taking processes. By clarifying whether you are quoting directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing during these stages, you can record information accurately and thus take steps to avoid plagiarism.

Direct Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries

A direct quotation is an exact duplication of the author’s words as they appear in the original source. In your notes, put quotation marks around direct quotations so that you remember these words are the author’s, not yours. One advantage of copying exact quotations is that it allows you to decide later whether to include a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. ln general, though, use direct quotations only when the author’s words are particularly lively or persuasive.

A paraphrase is a restatement of the author’s words in your own words. Paraphrase to simplify or clarify the original author’s point. In your notes, use paraphrases when you need to record details but not exact words.

A summary is a brief condensation or distillation of the main point and most important details of the original source. Write a summary in your own words, with facts and ideas accurately represented. A summary is useful when specific details in the source are unimportant or irrelevant to your research question. You may find you can summarize several paragraphs or even an entire article or chapter in just a few sentences without losing useful information. It is a good idea to note when your entry contains a summary to remind you later that it omits detailed information. See Writing Process Integrating Research for more detailed information and examples of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries and when to use them.

Other Systems for Organizing Research Logs and Digital Note-Taking

Students often become frustrated and at times overwhelmed by the quantity of materials to be managed in the research process. If this is your first time working with both primary and secondary sources, finding ways to keep all of the information in one place and well organized is essential.

Because gathering primary evidence may be a relatively new practice, this section is designed to help you navigate the process. As mentioned earlier, information gathered in fieldwork is not cataloged, organized, indexed, or shelved for your convenience. Obtaining it requires diligence, energy, and planning. Online resources can assist you with keeping a research log. Your college library may have subscriptions to tools such as Todoist or EndNote. Consult with a librarian to find out whether you have access to any of these. If not, use something like the template shown in Figure 13.8 , or another like it, as a template for creating your own research notes and organizational tool. You will need to have a record of all field research data as well as the research log for all secondary sources.

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Organizing Your Research: Research Note Cards

Research note cards.

Research Source Table
Research Outlines
Recommended Resources
Ask a Librarian

There are five parts to Research Note Cards:

This is going to be the main idea from your research assignment that your quote will connect to. Creating and organizing your information will make it easier to focus your research and complete your assignment.
This will be the name of the source that your information is from.
This will be either the quote or your paraphrased sentence(s) from the source. What evidence in this source did you find that will support your thesis statement?
This is the page number that you found the quote on. If your source does not have page numbers (like an internet source)you can either leave this blank of include the section of the online source that you found this information in.
Include the complete citation for your source (whether it be MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) on the back of the note card.

*Note: It is important to only put one quote or paraphrase per note card.

Example Note Card

In the top left corner of the note card is the topic that the quote relates to in the research paper.

Underneath the topic in the top left corner of the note card is an abbreviated name of the source this quote came from.

In the center of the note card is the quote/paraphrased information from the source.

In the bottom right corner of the note card is the page number the information came from.

On the back of the note card is the full citation for the source.

*Note: Keep in mind, your note card might not be organized the exact same way as the example. That is okay, as long as you make sure you have all the information needed listed on the note card.

Because the quotes and paraphrases are on their own note card, you can group and reorder them in the way you want them to appear in your research paper.

Use the topic at the top of each note card to group cards by subject.
Put the groups in the order they should appear in your paper to support your thesis.
Within each group of note cards, order the note cards in the way they'll appear in each paragraph of your paper.
Think about the order information needs to be presented in order to build a case for your thesis.

Work Cited

<< Previous: Home
Next: Research Source Table >>
Last Updated: Jun 21, 2023 10:48 AM
URL: https://uscupstate.libguides.com/researchorganization

Understanding and solving intractable resource governance problems.

In the Press
Conferences and Talks
Exploring models of electronic wastes governance in the United States and Mexico: Recycling, risk and environmental justice
The Collaborative Resource Governance Lab (CoReGovLab)
Water Conflicts in Mexico: A Multi-Method Approach
Past projects
Publications and scholarly output
Research Interests
Higher education and academia
Public administration, public policy and public management research
Research-oriented blog posts
Stuff about research methods
Research trajectory
Publications
Developing a Writing Practice
Outlining Papers
Publishing strategies
Writing a book manuscript
Writing a research paper, book chapter or dissertation/thesis chapter
Everything Notebook
Literature Reviews
Note-Taking Techniques
Organization and Time Management
Planning Methods and Approaches
Qualitative Methods, Qualitative Research, Qualitative Analysis
Reading Notes of Books
Reading Strategies
Teaching Public Policy, Public Administration and Public Management
My Reading Notes of Books on How to Write a Doctoral Dissertation/How to Conduct PhD Research
Writing a Thesis (Undergraduate or Masters) or a Dissertation (PhD)
Reading strategies for undergraduates
Social Media in Academia
Resources for Job Seekers in the Academic Market
Writing Groups and Retreats
Regional Development (Fall 2015)
State and Local Government (Fall 2015)
Public Policy Analysis (Fall 2016)
Regional Development (Fall 2016)
Public Policy Analysis (Fall 2018)
Public Policy Analysis (Fall 2019)
Public Policy Analysis (Spring 2016)
POLI 351 Environmental Policy and Politics (Summer Session 2011)
POLI 352 Comparative Politics of Public Policy (Term 2)
POLI 375A Global Environmental Politics (Term 2)
POLI 350A Public Policy (Term 2)
POLI 351 Environmental Policy and Politics (Term 1)
POLI 332 Latin American Environmental Politics (Term 2, Spring 2012)
POLI 350A Public Policy (Term 1, Sep-Dec 2011)
POLI 375A Global Environmental Politics (Term 1, Sep-Dec 2011)

Note-taking techniques I: The index card method

I graduated with my PhD years ago and I’ve been a professor for a pretty long time, so I thought that maybe I needed to settle down and clarify my ideas of the process I follow to take notes. In this series, I will share my processes to take notes using different methods. The very first method I use is the Index Cards Method. Other authors have referred to the process Niklas Luhman followed ( Zettelkasten ). Hawk Sugano has shared his Pile of Index Cards (PoIC) method as well. Mine isn’t all that sophisticated, and since I combine my very analog Everything Notebook and notes in index cards with digital synthetic notes , memorandums , Conceptual Synthesis Excel Dumps , and Evernote , I don’t know that my system would be extraordinarily systematic. But here goes more or less how it works.

People have asked me if you could digitize (or make analogous) all my processes. Of course. What I call synthetic notes (summaries of articles, books) can be done in traditional index cards. And the reverse, you can digitally store these in Evernote. Make sure to note page number pic.twitter.com/6MyK9MWtyU — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 26, 2018

I produce at least 5 different types of index cards, which are more or less the same categories other folks have all agreed upon. Here are some resources on taking notes in index cards that I found useful as I was trying to make sense of my own system.

1. The Direct Quotations Index Card I use index cards to write direct quotations (with page number and full bibliographic reference) from articles, books and book chapters I find useful. This card is the analog equivalent of my Synthetic Note method .

I am more used to writing index cards of books than of articles. I usually write important quotations but other times I summarize chapters or the entire book. pic.twitter.com/tMUdmyabR3 — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

2. The Bibliographic Reference Index Card It’s rare that I do this one anymore because I have been using Mendeley and EndNote as reference managers for more than 15 years, but this was my study method and strategy to conduct research before: I would write the full bibliographic reference in a 3″x5″ index card. Then I would write a small paragraph on the back summarizing the entire book, or at least, the main idea behind it.

This is an example of “bibliographic index card” – it’s basically the full citation plus keywords. It is VERY rare that I use an index card purely for bibliographic data as I use Mendeley, but it’s still worth discussing. pic.twitter.com/w5MZ6fTfMZ — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 29, 2018

3. The One Idea Index Card I find that these are useful for when you’re studying for an exam, testing your ability to recall, or when you’re giving a talk without reading a set of Power Point slides (e.g. when you’re leading a seminar, using each card as a theme for the seminar). I also use them to remind me of key authors who discuss particular themes and topics.

Some people use the 3"x5" index cards to write one major idea (theme) and a couple of sentences about it, like I do: pic.twitter.com/kDiDFgBjDZ — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 28, 2018

As I said on Twitter, this is very rare for me to do, and I usually combine my own types.

Some people recommend writing JUST ONE IDEA/quotation per index card. I don’t do this. I use 1 index card per article, and per book chapter. If a book has 9 chapters I write one for each chapter (more of chapter is very dense). Note this paper by @rioconpiedras on nonhuman agency pic.twitter.com/IFbCMpNB28 — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

4. The Summary Index Card This type of index card is a summary of a particular journal article, or book chapter, more than of an entire book.

I also write index cards of journal articles, particularly when I feel that they’re particularly powerful or relevant to my research. As you can see, this index card shows my notes of this article rather than direct quotations. pic.twitter.com/XTUHzmQdpJ — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

5. The Combined (or Content) Index Card

As its name indicates, the Content Index Card is a combination type of index card that includes direct quotations, draft notes and ideas, conceptual diagrams, etc. that are all associated with the main article, book chapter or book discussed in the index card. I use larger (5″ x 8″) index cards for those cases.

This is what some people call a “combined” or “content” index card. Note I included direct quotations (with page #s ) from Debbané and @rkeil ’s paper but I *also* write my own thoughts (e.g. “this paper converses with @andrewbiro and his social construction of scale paper” pic.twitter.com/dgkhh9lgpB — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

There are obvious questions that people ask me, so I’ll try to answer them here.

1. Can you do digital index cards? For sure. You can either do combinations as I do (physical index cards, then row entry in a Conceptual Synthesis Excel Dump row), or all digital (either in Evernote or simply in Excel, or synthetic notes or memorandums in Word or Scrivener as you may choose).

You can do digital or analog, or a combination, whatever suits you best. I combine, because I find that as I write on an index card, by hand, new ideas come to me. When I read full books, I write copious synthetic notes and then write a row entry in my Excel Dump. pic.twitter.com/IRCZSzgBls — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 26, 2018

When I designed my Conceptual Synthesis Excel Dump, I made sure to include a column with the Quotation and another with the Page Number. This is important because as we know, plagiarism is bad, terrible citation practice, and can lead to degree termination/career ending! pic.twitter.com/VDGgjAjZ2z — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 26, 2018

2. How do you store and classify index cards? I usually have boxes that fit my index cards, and add a plastic tab with the reference in Author (Date) format. Other people use different classification systems (by keyword, by topic, by author). I just recommend that the process be consistent across.

If you like the index card by hand method you may want to use plastic tabs and label each index card and store them in a box pic.twitter.com/QxNy1HW7Gr — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

3. When should I use memorandums and synthetic notes and Excel Dumps, when should I write in my Everything Notebook, when should I craft index cards?

This question has such a personal preference type of answer.

If I'm on a plane to Santiago, 8 hours by plane, my laptop battery lasts 3 hours, no chargers on plane – if I want to be awake and work on the plane, I need to write by hand, either in my Everything Notebook or on index cards. Also, if I feel mentally blocked, I write index cards — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

I'm always stressed and under pressure to write, submit, revise and publish papers, but I have slowly come to the realization that it's better to let my thinking simmer and evolve, and mull ideas over, and writing by hand helps me do exactly that. So, yes, I do write index cards. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

Can all this process be digital? Sure thing. Even a combination can work. You could scan your index cards into an optical character recognition thingie and store the digital content into Evernote, tag it and easily search through your bank of notes. Or you could simply type them. — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

4. What size of index card should I use? This is again, a personal preference as I note in my tweet below.

I have index cards in 3 sizes: 3”x5” (for quick ideas, but could be used as bibliographic reference cards), 4”x6” (for quotations from journal articles and summaries), and 5”x8” (for full books or very dense articles and book chapters) pic.twitter.com/L9qZYStZa2 — Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) November 27, 2018

I do teach my students the Index Card Method of Note-Taking because I believe it is important to learn the old-school techniques, but also because I find that it helps me, and I strongly believe that if it helps ME, then it may also help THEM. In subsequent blog posts I’ll share some of my note-taking techniques when using my Everything Notebook, and other types of media.

You may be interested in my other posts on taking notes, which you can access by clicking on this link .

You can share this blog post on the following social networks by clicking on their icon.

Posted in academia , writing .

Tagged with index cards , note-taking , taking notes .

By Raul Pacheco-Vega – November 28, 2018

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I’m going to try this method. How do you store different sized cards? How do you find what you are looking for? Do you put tabs on them all?

Dear Dr @RaulPacheco-Vega. I would like to appreciate you for the frequent advice and for sharing useful material. To be honest, I bought index cards while I was working on my PhD but I never used them. I think it was because I was unfamiliar. After going through this blog post, I am thinking of getting them and I am hoping to share my experience soon

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The note card system

The note card system organizes research notes on 3×5 inch or 5×7 inch index cards. The system has been a staple for researchers for decades and is still recommended by researchers and instructors as a great way to organize your research notes. However, even if you do not use actual index cards, the method of organizing and sorting notes still proves useful.

“Good notes and critical reading lead you to more sources, inspire new ideas, and pave the way toward sound conclusions. Knowing how to take good notes saves you headaches down the road, as you’ll know when and whom to cite and have clear ideas about the relationships that exist between your documents.” — William Cronon

The Research Note Card

So how do you turn an index card into a research note card? Well, it so happens that there are simple rules to follow:

One Source Per Card

Clearly identify the source or document from which you take the note. Relating each note to a single source helps you later when it comes time to cite your sources.

One Item Per Card

Try to limit your note to a specific idea or quotation. Concise notes make it easier to rely on the note cards to create outlines and organize your writing.

Label Each Card

Keywords make it easy to track the content of your note cards. When it is time to write, the key words give you ideas on how to group and organize your cards.

Write a Complete Note

Make it clear whether a note is paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting directly, or recording your own thoughts and analysis. Taking this action greatly reduces the chances of unintentional plagiarism. Additionally, full notes helps you gather your thoughts as you write.

Use Quotation Marks When Quoting

Just in case it wasn’t already clear: use quotation marks to protect against plagiarism. This is by far the easiest what to know when the text you see came from you or from someone else.

The Source Card

Source cards are all about looking ahead. In this case, looking ahead to when it is time to write and cite sources. Recording bibliographical data before you start taking notes helps avoid plagiarism and saves time when it is time to compile a bibliography.

Making Note Cards Better

Ilaro is a database for note cards. Ilaro works to combine the best parts of the note card system with the intuitiveness and power of iOS. In addition to providing note cards and source cards, Ilaro improves the note card system with additions such as cards for both authors and subjects.

The Author Card

Author cards let you see, at a glance, the sources that person has authored or edited. Ilaro’s author card also allows you to see which subjects you have related to that author.

The card displays the relationships across all your notes in all of your projects. If you select a project, then the card displays the relationships just within the selected project. If you select more than one project, then the Ilaro author card will generate and display the combined data for every selected project!

The Subject Card

Future Ilaro development will enhance research workflows by adding key features for organizing note cards and moving your research to the writing process.

More About the Note Card System and Research Note-Taking

The Craft of Research by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th Edition by Kate L. Turabian.

The Study Guides and Strategies Website . The Learning Historical Research website by historian William Cronon. Purdue Online Writing Lab .

The Notecard System: The Key For Remembering, Organizing And Using Everything You Read

Now to be clear, this is not “my” notecard system. If anything, I use a perverted version of a system taught to me by the genius Robert Greene , when I was his research assistant. What he taught me was neat, clean and orderly. Mine is more of a mess. But it’s still be hugely helpful to me and I think I’m in a unique position to explain this method to people.

I hope it inspires your own method.

-It’s difficult to describe this in any linear way so I am just going to do this in kind a brain dump way. By the end of it, I promise the system will make sense.

-If I have a thought, I write it down on a 4×6 notecard and identify it with a theme–or if I am working on a specific project, where it would fit in the project. For instance, as I was preparing for my next book, The Obstacle is The Way , I filled out thousands of these cards for ideas and concepts that I wanted included in the book. Some examples:

“Don’t be the slave of circumstance.” (intro)

“We know objectively that we learn from failure, yet we spend all our time trying to avoid it. Why?” (intro)

“Gaman–the Japanese word for endurance” (Persistence)

“Our actions our constrained, our will is not. We always decide whether we continue or not.” (Will)

“Ulysses S. Grant–incident at Mathew Brady’s studio where glass fell on him and he didn’t move. Also, where he ran toward the explosion at City Point. See: Simpson’s bio” (Nerve)

So those are the kinds of notes I write to myself. Either sentences in my own writing, words I like, questions I have, or examples I think might fit somewhere and want to learn more about.

-Most of the time, what I write down are quotes (I used to put them on a blog instead but it was too unwieldy). They’re either famous quotes or quotes from the writer that I think are smart. It’s very important that you mark quotes properly so you never risk forgetting to attribute. To make this extra clear, I always put a circle around the first quotation mark. If I am quoting someone quoting someone else, I’ll usually write “qtd in.”

-If it’s a really long story or example, I will just jot down a few notes on the key points and then put something like: “For a story about _________ see: pg 14 in [insert book].”

Here are some quotes from my Strategy cards:

“It is better to see once than hear a hundred times.” – Gorbachev

Retort: “You may not be afraid to have your hand cut off, but your body will suffer.” – John D. Rockefeller

“Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax.” – Schopenhauer pg 77

“Pursuit should be to the last breath of man and beast.” – (Prussian Maxim qtd in Knights Cross)

“All men work more zealously against their enemies than they cooperate with their friends.” – Caesar qtd in Schiff’s Cleopatra pg 19

“Find them! Fix them! Fight them! Finish them!” – Gen. Ridgway/military slogan in Korean War. qtd in Savior Generals.

So those are the kinds of quotes I grab for one particular topic. Most of the quotes are longer than that, but space is constrained here in this post so I won’t rewrite the longer ones for you. For longer quotes, I will type them out and print them. Then I cut them out and tape them to a notecard.

-I’ve talked about this before, but the key to this system is the ritual : Read a book or an article and diligently mark the passages and portions that stand out at you. If you have a thought, write it down on the page (this is called marginalia). Fold the bottom corner of the page where you’ve made a note or marked something (alternatively, use post-it flags).

-A few weeks after finishing the book , return to it and transfer those notes/thoughts on to the appropriate note cards. Why wait? Waiting helps you separate the wheat from the chaff. I promise that many of the pages you marked will not seem to important or noteworthy when you return to them. This is a good thing–it’s a form of editing.

-In the top right hand corner of each card, put a theme or category that this card belongs to. If a card can fit in multiple categories, just make a duplicate card. Robert uses color coded cards for an extra layer of organization.

Some categories I currently use:

*Life (General advice about life)

* The Narrative Fallacy (Something I’d like to write a book about one day)

*Strategy (Examples of strategic genius or wisdom)

*Post Ideas (Many cards here have been turned into articles you’ve read)

*Animals (Weird stories about animals. For instance, according to the book One Summer by Bill Bryson , the hotel that Babe Ruth lived in for most of his career had a live seal living in the lobby fountain)

* Trust Me, I’m Lying (Media manipulation)

* Writing (Wisdom about the craft)

* Education (Wisdom and ideas about learning)

*Misc (Naturally)

-As you compile cards and study different things, it’s not uncommon to organically begin coming across unexpected themes. This is how new categories are born.

-If you are working on a book project where there are a limited amount of themes or you know exactly what they are, it makes sense to introduce a shorthand. For instance, with my last book Growth Hacker Marketing , I had 6 themes that roughly corresponded with the chapters and structure of the book:

2) Growth Hacking

3) Product Market Fit

4) Growth Hacks

5) Virality

6) Optimization and Retention

-If anyone hassles me about my sloppy handwriting in the photos, I swear to god…

-Originally I would do one set of note cards for a whole book (numbering the cards 1,2,3,4,5 etc–but I found that limited my ability to move the pieces around because unrelated but important ideas were wrongly joined together.

-I think it’s important that the notes are not just about work. In mine, my two most important categories are “Life” (which is mostly advice for myself) and another called “Me”, where I put things that I think are important criticisms or places for improvement in my own life. (By that I mean stuff about dealing with parents, relationships, etc. Just little reminders that help.)

Here are some cards from those sections:

“He’s detached about your pain, but God knows he takes his own pain more seriously than cancer… It finally dawned on me that my father, for all his protestations and lectures and writing about detachment, is a very, very needy man.” Margaret Salinger, qtd in Salinger pg 570 (Me)

These people don’t work hard enough for their opinions to matter to you. (Life)

“Just because you’re winning a game doesn’t mean it’s a good game.” Seth Godin, Icarus Deception (Life)

“Q: Ok, but what should I be most worried about here? A: Nothing should worry you” conversation with a friend (Me)

“Character is fate.” Heraclitus (Life)

“If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud.” – Taleb

Don’t pick fights with members of your own team. (Life)

“You know workmen by the chips they leave.” – Old saying (Life)

-Don’t stress about filling up whole cards. I have hundreds that just have a ONE or TWO words on them. These might be cool new words that I’ve never heard before, words I think have a lot of meaning in them, reminders about topics I want to mention.

-Helpful tip: If you end up using the back of the card (I do it fairly often), put an arrow on the front side. Sometimes when you’re flipping through them, you miss the fact that there is text on the back.

-Get in the habit. If you have an idea, put it on a damn card. If you don’t, you’ll regret it. I can’t tell you how many times I saved my ass writing down a title idea or a thought, I otherwise would have forgotten. It’s a good thing when your own cards surprise you.

-When I go back through the cards, I’ll often remember other things from more recent reading or thinking and add to them. This is why, if you went through all mine, you’d see different colors of ink on the same card.

Other People Who Use This

-I want to be clear that I’m not the one who invented this. I didn’t even perfect it. I’m just explaining it because people asked.

-Here’s Robert explaining his system in an interview with Andrew Warner at Mixergy (he shows one of his boxes on camera if you feel like looking):

I read a book and I take, as I’m reading it, I underline it and put notes on the side and then I go back and put them on notecards. And I can gauge a good book will generate 20 to 31 notecards. A bad book will generate two or three notecards and I will find themes in this book and I will take a book that’s maybe not organized very well and I will do the organizing. On page 30 you talk about this and you talk about it on page 180, you should have put those two together but I’m going to put those two together. And I find the themes in there and I break the book down into the gist of it, the heart of it.

And, I categorize it later as I move into the process, I see these themes and patterns that you were talking about that an apprenticeship, creativity, working with a mentor, social intelligence. Slowly the chapters come to life and I’m now able to organize it in various chapters. Each part has the title of the book on it and is color coded, having different colors of cards, depending on the kind of subject that I’m dealing with. If it’s the arts, science, , politics, etc. It’s elaborate. You don’t want to know everything about it, but with this there now, if I’ve done all that work and I sit down to write, I have at my fingertips, all of this. If I want to do Leonardo da Vinci, I have 50 notecards that break him down from every possible angle. I can now, with that, write in a much fuller, deeper, dimensional way because I’ve taken all this information and I’ve organized it.

-Someone also asked him about it in his Reddit AMA. Here is that exchange with some info about the color coding:

user: Robert, I’m a big fan of yours. In one interview you mentioned your research method for your books (with index cards and shoe boxes). Could you provide some more detail on the process of your method? [–]robertgreene I read a book, very carefully, writing on the margins with all kinds of notes. A few weeks later I return to the book, and transfer my scribbles on to note cards each card representing an important theme in the book. For instance, in Mastery, the theme of mirror neurons. After going through several dozen books, I might have three hundred cards, and from those cards I see patterns and themes that coalesce into hardcore chapters. I can then thumb through the cards and move them around at will. For many reasons I find this an incredible way to shape a book. user: Ah–found it! Still curious about the colors, but I guess the obvious answer is that they would represent categories, topics, and the like. 🙂 [–]robertgreene The colors represent categories, you are correct. So, for instance, with the War book, blue cards would be about politics, yellow strictly war, green the arts and entertainment, pink cards on strategy, etc. I could use this in several ways. I could glance at the cards for one chapter and see no blue or green cards and realize a problem. I could also take out all the cards of one color to see which story I liked best, etc. It also made the shoebox look pretty cool. user: That’s ingenious–so you’ve effectively created a relational database in a shoebox, because you can have many to many relationships between card colors and chapters. Your passion for organization is one of the (many) things that makes your work so incredibly fun to read and reference. Thank you for sharing some of that with us.

-It looks like the system is also very similar to Luhmann’s Zettelkasten . Though again, his discipline seems to exceed mine because I am a lot less ordered.

– Ronald Reagan also kept a similar system that apparently very few people knew about until he died. In his system, he used 3×5 notecards and kept them in a photo binder by theme. These note cards–which were mostly filled with quotes–have actually been turned into a book edited by the historian Douglas Brinkley . These were not only responsible for many of his speeches as president, but before office Reagan delivered hundreds of talks as part of his role at General Electric. There are about 50 years of practical wisdom in these cards. Far more than anything I’ve assembled–whatever you think of the guy. I highly recommend at least looking at it.

-It’s not totally dissimilar to the Dewey Decimal system and old library card catalogs.

-I’m sure there are other awesome people who use a similar system. If anyone has examples, send away!

What do you use these note cards for? Whatever I want! Recently I started tweeting quotes that I had taken note of. But that’s just a little thing. I use these notecards for my life. When I have a problem, I flip through them. When I am looking for material in my writing, I use them. For instance, I wrote this post exclusively off my notecards (if you couldn’t tell).

How do you know what to write down? You just write down whatever you want. Don’t stress about it. This is your system. We all have our own preferences. Personally, I look for actionable, small sized chunks.

Where do you put the cards? I have one big box that I used that’s actually meant for photos. It’s called a Cropper Hopper . But it took me a long time to acquire enough cards to need that. Before, I used the smaller Vaultz 4×6 Index Card File boxes . There are also cheaper cardboard versions out there.

What do you do when a box gets full? If I am taking notes for a specific project, like a book, I give it it’s own box. For instance, my Cash Money book is just about at the stage where it can fill up a Vaultz box. After another hundred or so notecards, I’ll move it into it’s own Cropper Hopper.

Wouldn’t digital be easier? Yes. But I don’t want this to be easy. Writing them down by hand forces me to take my time and to go over everything again (taking notes on a Kindle is too easy and that’s the problem). Also being able to physically arrange stuff is crucial for getting the structure of your book or project right. I can move cards from one category to another. As I shuffle through the cards, I bump into stuff I had forgotten about, etc.

Isn’t it hard to carry around? Yeah, a little. But so what? It pays off so it’s worth it. Joking aside, what I tend to do is just take the section I am working on with me. If I am working on chapter 2–I take those cards. If I am writing a post about education, I’ll take the education cards with me. Very rarely do I find that I need the whole thing with me.

How do you remember it all? That’s why doing it physically is so important. I am invested in each one of these cards. I made them and arranged them with my own hands. This tactile relationship helps. As one reader put it, it helps make a “memory palace.” I don’t vaguely remember what I put on the note cards, but where I put it, what it’s connected to, what’s around it, when I did it, etc.

Do you review the cards? Absolutely. If I am lacking inspiration or just kicking something new off, I always try to flip back through them. It doesn’t have to be all of them either. Just grab a few. Another example: When I wrote the new foreword for Trust Me I’m Lying , I started by going back through the cards. When I starting prepping the paperback of Growth Hacker Marketing (out in 2014), I went through the cards and was able to find a place for some that I hadn’t used the first time.

But wouldn’t Evernote be better? Maybe for you but not for me. If that’s what you want to use then go for it. But I think there is something irreplaceable about the physical aspect. Physical books, physical notecards, that’s the best in my opinion.

What if something happened to your box? My house recently got robbed and I was so fucking terrified that someone took it, you have no idea. Thankfully they didn’t. I am actually thinking of using TaskRabbit to have someone create a digital backup. In the meantime, these boxes are what I’m running back into a fire for to pull out (in fact, I sometimes keep them in a fireproof safe).

Remember there is no right and wrong way to do this. The system that I have was taught to me by someone and I made my own modifications. His way works best for him, and I have a way that works better for me.

Make your own way. But I think you’ll love this system.

Want to learn more about writing habits? Check out WritingRoutines.com . You can also download the free PDF “ 12 Essential Writing Routines To Help You To Craft Your Own .”

This post originally ran on ThoughtCatalog.com . Comments can be seen there.

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66 Comments

I’ve always felt overwhelming loss associated with reading because I never knew how to pin down all my favorite quotes / themes and what I thought about them…and in a way that I could quickly reference them again and again. I also often use “clutter” as a reason to take notes or pen down ideas on my computer — however, I often feel a loss there too what with the lack of intimacy when things go digital. The lack of intimacy makes things hard to remember too. I like this. I’m going to try this method for a few months — I imagine the ROI is life-changing. Thanks, Ryan.

Hey Ryan, thanks for this post. It’s gold and I’ve started using it. I also read your post that mentioned that these cards are the first thing you would grab in a fire. That being said, please, get an evernote account or something similar and transfer these cards and categories to it. If anything ever happened to them (flood, fire, robbery, etc.) you could recreate them. By hand if necessary. But you’d have them.

I saw a post about a similar system a while back, I believe it was from you Ryan! It has been a lifesaver, and really helped save my sanity. Reading this updated version has inspired me to upgrade my organization!

I got a Kindle roundabout Christmas 2011. I’ve read probably about 150 books since then and maybe 120 were on the Kindle. I read a lot more now that I have the Kindle (partly because of the portability and the ease of getting new books but also partly because I just make more time for reading than I used to) and I take a ton more notes than I used to (all digital).

But fuck, I’m starting to yearn for physical books again. The Kindle’s so convenient but after 150 books I just can’t help but feel like something’s missing. And I WISH I’d put more time in over the last few years to create a better note-taking system like the one you describe here – my Evernote is bulging with book quotes but I almost never review them and I have my doubts that it’s really paid me back for the time I’ve invested into it. If I’d read 10% less books since 2011 but made better notes, I think that would have been a better time investment.

Part of my problem though (and I know this isn’t an excuse, I’m just saying) is that I LOVE reading books but don’t enjoy making notes for its own sake. If I have a spare half hour, I always prefer cracking open a new book than going back over an old one – the first feels like play, the latter feels like work. Do you or did you ever feel the same way? It is something you just suck up and deal with because it’s worth it (like e.g. the pain of exercise), or do you enjoy it for its own sake?

I like my Kindle (I’m on my 3rd one!) but I do miss the physical notes in a book.

I’m going to add some index cards to my Kindle – and start benefiting from the simplicity of this. I’ve tried using underlining in the e-text, but I just can’t remember which book has the good stuff in it.

I’m a reasonably intelligent person but I’m sorry but I was lost after the first two sentences. Can you simplify this process? If you only had 30 seconds to tell someone (Cliff Notes-style) how to do it before the elevator got to your stop, what would you say Ryan?

I wouldn’t. Because it’s not my job to compensate for other people’s laziness. I can already tell that this notecard system is not for you.

Ryan, It’s not laziness if you’re making it too complex. Geniuses (which I’d classify you as) are able to take something complex and make it simple. Look at what you did with Trust Me I’m Lying. You were able to show how to manipulate the current media to get what you want in a step-by-step process. Find a low hanging fruit blog that a larger blog often hyperlinks/validates to, then go up the ladder to a mid-sized blog then work your way up to the nationals. That’s what I’m asking you here. How would you explain this process to a 5-year-old?

It’s not too complex. It’s too complex for YOU.

Other people are implementing it, and it works for Ryan. So if there’s an issue here, it’s you, not the system.

This article rang for me, because I’ve personally found something very similar to have been very helpful to me for many years. Though I took some amazing tips from it, and will implement them.

Jamie, you may find it helpful to re-read Ryan’s post and think of two words “marginalia” and “commonplace.”

– Read, and whilst reading annotate, highlight, write in the margins if you own the book, if not then certainly take loose notes and page number them. – Set the book aside, get note cards, and create a personally meaningful system of categories that reflects your own goals and interests. – Categorize each card. Transcribe quotes or facts from the places in the book you highlighted or left margin notes, per the card’s theme.

-Struggle and own the method, adapt it to you rown needs, RESIST the urge to ask for explanations because your own elegant solutions will come as you struggle with it.

Read up on Commonplace Books It’s a modern form of Commonplace booking. What Ryan is doing is pretty much straight out of the tradition of classical rhetoric. He compiles topics, tropes, themes, and uses them in the process of “invention” in coming up with topics. This process is a process of discovering new knowledge, from combinations of existing knowledge. This is a powerful process, to ask Ryan to simplify it in a nutshell is almost, in a sense, to insult him and the process.

Trust yourself, trust the freaking process, just start doing it and make it right for you and your needs. If you pause or freeze up due to its perceived complexity then work through it. By working through it you gain proficiency and competence.

Thanks, Kemal!

Extremely interesting system! Out of (slightly weird) curiosity – what is your posture when doing the majority of your reading? I’m interested in knowing whether this process has you arched over a desk, or sitting relaxed in your favorite chair.

Always moving around

Do you read all your books on physical copies or do you use a kindle(or ipad)?

Any criteria that dictates which you choose?

This is an awesome post, but for those of us that are visually orientated why don’t you create a video of the process and how you use this to create and write books.

I am curious as to why you don’t make a customized note card. I used to use vertical 3x5s from Levinger quite a bit. I wanted to change the layout a bit so I went to a printer and had my own made. I used a simple design and I had three “boxes” or sections at the top to write in to help me categorize my cards. I also had the printer use a heavier card stock that seemed to hold up much better than a normal note card. It was surprisingly inexpensive. The pluses are that the cards are now your own. The heavier stock doesn’t seem like it would matter much but it did. My thoughts just seemed more important on a nicer card. If you are going to go through your process then spend a couple bucks and do it on a custom made Ryan Holiday card and then tell me if you didn’t think its worth it.

Because I have zero complains about 4×6 cards after several years of using them?

I had zero complaints about riding my bike until I got my drivers license.

Really, ok.

Last thought. So they stop making index cards tomorrow. You go to the printer and tell him I want a red line on top and then blue lines the rest of the way down on thin enough paper so they curl up on me. I love you Ryan, DON’T EVER CHANGE!

I have been thinking about putting this system into place for my own writing. I first came across it whilst reading ‘Lila’ by Robert Pirsig. Thank you for the article it has given me the push I needed. Keep up the great work. Regards Patrick

According to his biographer, Michael Keene, General Patton used to use a similar system:

“He read every treatise on warfare ever written. He would take copious notes on 4-by-6 index cards for every book that he ever read. It was that immense knowledge of history that he had that he could bring to battle. So he could almost anticipate what the enemy was going to do next.”

Oh shit, what book is this from?

It’s from Patton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer by Michael Keene. I haven’t had a chance to really dig into it yet, but it explores how Patton’s personality and spiritual beliefs shaped his decisions, as opposed to just another recounting of his military exploits.

Thank you for sharing this system with us, I really appreciate you attention to detail and your no-nonsense step by step explanation of the method.

One quick question – Do you prefer to underline/write in the book/tag etc. the entire book BEFORE writing onto note cards or do you transcribe ideas onto the note cards simultaneously? (In the article you mention that when you have a thought, you write it down on your 4 x 6 cards, and yet you also mention re-visiting books a few weeks after they’ve been read)

Thanks for clarifying, keep up the inspiring work and enjoy your weekend!

I actually finish the book and revisit in 2-3 weeks to take the notes.

I was watching a show about Joan Rivers and she had a 3 x 5 index card system of her jokes and categorized them by type. She had them filed in metal card files and there were lots of drawers of them. She kept them from the beginning of her career.

I bet it’s a pain in the ass to carry these around with you if you get sick of working from home.

Someone on reddit just told me to google you to read about the system. 🙂 I like it! It’s inspired me to tie up some loose ends, I have linger with my system…which is very similar. Just this year I made a gmail account, just for me to send myself creative ideas, interesting quotes, and write down moving experiences. I also send myself articles that I like and it’s nice to be able to write my thoughts or key words to go with it. Then the email can be organized into folders for the different themes. 🙂 It’s a really easy way to bring it all with me and to never feel like I have to wait to record an idea.

Thanks Ryan, I am now inspired to do this constantly and to use them.

Very much enjoyed your RealVisionTV interview. I came to your site to learn more and had the feeling of being “on the same team” when I saw your article on Meditations.

Darwin had a similar system of organizing information. He collected facts and notes in different portfolios based on the subject matter. He further maintained an index for each of these portfolios and so was able to efficiently reference his accumulated knowledge of any topic. See point three in the link below if interested:

https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2016/10/charles-darwins-reflections-mind/

Thank you for the great article. I’m going to implement this in my own life. Just curious do you find it easier to read an entire book through, mark the important pages and then return to put the info on the note cards or do you prefer to do it while reading, or a bit of both? It seems from the post you do it after reading, hence the book markers but I wasn’t exactly sure.

By the way, thanks for all the great work you put out. Just finished Trust Me, I’m Lying, great read!

Just saw an earlier post which answered my question, sorry for the duplication.

Heaven sent. Kismet. And all of that. I am an academic (professor) and loathe that I might find the process so satisfying. thank you for sharing so generously. I also have read your Ego text, your Daily Stoic text, and I treasure both. I just read an interview you gave on another website — and it was simply divine. Thank you for modeling stoicism for us all. Not sure if you have seen the novel, A Gentleman in Moscow — but it seems as if the Count in novel is reading the Daily Stoic for 32 years in Moscow… Cheers.

I was searching for notecard systems after reading Will and Ariel Durant’s dual autobiography and not having much luck. The book talks a lot about his writing and the use of “classification slips” to cover the depth of material, especially for The Story of Civilization series they did.

And then by chance I came across this post! Super super helpful. Thanks for sharing this!

PS: Heard your podcast on Ferriss a while back. Your post was a good reminder to order your two books. Done!

Thanks much for sharing. I use a similar note-taking system using Evernote. I take my notes ‘live’ while reading, or at least at the end of every reading session. Ebook notation just isn’t there yet, and you can’t mark up the library books, LOL

I have one evernote “note” for each book, with category tags denoting the type of book. Within each note, I have sections: How I came across the book. Where I got it. The dates I completed reading it. The Book Notes themselves. And a Review for cut/paste into amazon or goodreads.

Like you, I go back later and review, but I review my notes and not the book. You are correct that some of what I found interesting on the first readthrough was not as remarkable on the second pass. The initial note taking is for getting the important info out, like turning the book into a pamphlet or cliff notes, the second pass really helps me to clean up and clarify the practical takeaways, and that’s when I usually realize interesting ties to other books/ideas.

Another thing I’ve found useful is to try to put the author’s arguments into the classical logic format. Premise One + Premise Two = Conclusion One. (Sorry, B.A. in Philosophy. Can’t turn it off!) But it is amazing how often the premises are assumed to be true, or conclusion does not necessarily follow.

Keep up the great work, Ryan! -Conrad

I use the “Notepad” in my various electronic devices but often run into the challenge of actually looking back on them. I believe this to be not because I don’t remember to but actually because they aren’t something physical for me to see.

As much as technology advances our species, somethings are better left to tradition. \

Thanks Ryan

Thanks ! I wonder why not MS One note or Mindmap softwares are used

This is just what I needed! After reading a book, I usually pull few quotes out for IG and Twitter, but I’m not left with much for my blogs (or future books). I love writing but the digital method of note taking just hasn’t worked for me. I’m seeing that writing things down builds a better memory connection with what I’m noting down. Thanks so much for sharing this!

best article

Best Credit Cards
Balance Transfer
No Annual Fee

Will a balance transfer hurt my credit score?

Should I get a balance transfer card?
Making the most of a balance transfer
Our methodology
Frequently asked questions

Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards of June 2024

June 3, 2024

How we Choose

There’s little doubt consumers are getting squeezed by inflation, which can make managing credit card balances even more challenging. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of those with credit card debt added to it in the past year, according to a YouGov survey conducted for CreditCards.com at the end of 2022.

If you’re trying to manage your existing credit card debt or pay off a balance in full, a balance transfer credit card with a 0% or low-interest introductory period can save you plenty in interest charges. This can give you a fighting chance to work on paying down your balance.

Check out our picks for the best balance transfer credit cards and tips to help you with your debt repayment strategy.

Here are the best balance transfer credit cards of June 2024:

Wells Fargo Reflect® Card: Best for long intro APR on purchases and balance transfers
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express : Best for grocery, gas and online rewards
Citi Double Cash® Card: Best for versatile rewards
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card : Best for flat-rate cash rewards
Chase Freedom Unlimited® : Best for broad spending
Blue Cash Preferred Card® from American Express : Best for families
Citi Custom Cash® Card: Best for automatically maximizing rewards
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card : Best for everyday spending
Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card : Best for Preferred Rewards members

Additional Options:

Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card: Best no frills balance transfer card
Citi Simplicity® Card: Best for 0% intro APR + low fees
Chase Slate Edge℠: Best for staying on track
BankAmericard® credit card : Best for low interest

Wells Fargo Reflect® Card

Estimated balance transfer savings

At a glance, overall rating, why we like this card.

This Wells Fargo card features one of the longest intro APR offers on the market. That nets you an industry-leading intro APR offer on purchases and qualifying balance transfers.

The intro rate extends to both purchases and qualified balance transfers.
There are a few additional benefits attached to the card, including access to My Wells Fargo Deals and up to $600 in cellphone protection against damage or theft (with a $25 deductible).
The balance transfer fee of 5% ($5 minimum) is higher than some other balance transfer cards.
The lack of traditional rewards does eat into the card’s long-term value.

Bottom Line

If you need the maximum time to pay off high-interest credit card debt, consider this Wells Fargo credit card your top choice.

Select "Apply Now" to take advantage of this specific offer and learn more about product features, terms and conditions.
0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 18.24%, 24.74%, or 29.99% variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate, BT fee of 5%, min $5.
$0 Annual Fee.
Up to $600 of cell phone protection against damage or theft. Subject to a $25 deductible.
Through My Wells Fargo Deals, you can get access to personalized deals from a variety of merchants. It's an easy way to earn cash back as an account credit when you shop, dine, or enjoy an experience simply by using an eligible Wells Fargo credit card.

Rates & Fees

Blue cash everyday® card from american express.

See if you’re pre-approved for this card using our CardMatch tool .

Thanks to its lucrative everyday bonus categories, this card should earn its keep long after its intro APR period ends. It also carries a low balance transfer fee, so it could save you more overall than a card with a longer intro APR period and higher balance transfer fee.

Along with an intro APR on new purchases, the card offers ongoing payment flexibility via Amex’s Plan It®, which lets you pay off qualifying purchases at a fixed monthly plan fee instead of facing interest charges.
It offers one of the highest cash back rates you can get on groceries, gas and online shopping without paying an annual fee.
Its intro APR period is relatively short, so it won’t be a great fit if your priority is getting as much time as possible to chip away at your balance.
Its high-end APR is very high indeed, rivaling the rate you’ll find on cards for people with bad credit. That could prove costly if you carry a balance beyond your intro APR period.

If you’re looking for a low-cost balance transfer card with terrific long-term value, this card is definitely worth a look.

Earn a $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
No Annual Fee.
Balance Transfer is back! Enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening. After that, 19.24% to 29.99% variable APR.
3% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1%.
3% Cash Back on U.S. online retail purchases, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%.
3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year, then 1%.
Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon.com checkout.
Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Everyday® Card. Enrollment required.
Enjoy up to $15 back per month when you purchase a Home Chef meal kit subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your enrolled Blue Cash Everyday® Card.
Terms Apply.

Citi Double Cash® Card

It’s not always easy to find a card offering generous rewards along with favorable balance transfer terms, but the Citi Double Cash Card delivers both. With the opportunity to earn cash back on every eligible purchase, plus another cash back incentive when you pay your balance, you can rack up serious cash back rewards.

The flexible flat rate makes it easy to rack up cash back without worrying about rotating categories.
Existing Citi users can maximize earnings by pairing with a companion bonus category card and converting rewards to Citi ThankYou points.
The introductory APR does not cover purchases, so this might not be the best way to finance a big ticket purchase.
You’ll only earn 1% back on all purchases if you can’t avoid carrying a balance.

Aside from having one of the longest APR introductory offers available for balance transfers, the Citi Double Cash Card also offers a straightforward way to earn rewards on all purchases without the hassle of tracking bonus categories.

Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back.
Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24.
Balance Transfer Only Offer: 0% intro APR on Balance Transfers for 18 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
Balance Transfers do not earn cash back. Intro APR does not apply to purchases.
If you transfer a balance, interest will be charged on your purchases unless you pay your entire balance (including balance transfers) by the due date each month.
There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer (minimum $5) completed within the first 4 months of account opening. After that, your fee will be 5% of each transfer (minimum $5).

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

With a flat 2% cash rewards rate on purchases, a generous welcome bonus and intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers, this card offers plenty of reasons why it’s one of the best flat-rate cards around.

It comes with short- and long-term perks not found with other flat-rate cards.
The spend requirement for the welcome bonus is not as high as the requirement for other top rewards cards.
Other cards offer longer intro APR periods for purchases and balance transfers.
The card’s cellphone protection is not as comprehensive as other cards.

With its unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases and long introductory APR period, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card is great for both qualifying balance transfers and everyday spending.

Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Earn unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases.
0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APR thereafter; balance transfers made within 120 days qualify for the intro rate and fee of 3% then a BT fee of up to 5%, min: $5.
$0 annual fee.
No categories to track or remember and cash rewards don't expire as long as your account remains open.
Find tickets to top sports and entertainment events, book travel, make dinner reservations and more with your complimentary 24/7 Visa Signature® Concierge.

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited offers boosted cash back rates with generous intro APR periods for both purchases and balance transfers. It’s a great card for managing debt and earning rewards because you can earn plenty of cash back for routine purchases while whittling down your transferred balance.

Intro APRs for purchases and balance transfers help manage current debt without losing the potential value of a new rewards card.
Combines tiered categories with a boosted flat rate, increasing your overall cash back potential.
This card’s ongoing APR is higher than other balance transfer cards’ ongoing APRs and could offset the rewards you earn fairly quickly if you carry a balance.
Its intro APR is fairly short compared to the extended periods on other balance transfer cards.

It’s a great card if you want to earn rewards while managing a modest transferred balance, but you should consider a card with a longer intro period and lower ongoing APR if you have substantial debt.

Intro Offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 20.49% - 29.24%.
No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
Member FDIC

Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express

This card earns high cash back rates on U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and U.S. streaming subscription purchases. Even though the Blue Cash Preferred puts a spending cap on your high-earning category and charges a $95 annual fee ($0 the first year), it’s easy for households to earn enough to offset the fee and make this card worth it.

Its solid balance transfer offer can help you pay down modest debts.
The U.S. streaming subscription bonus category can reward modern household budgets with cash back.
While it has a good intro APR offer, other cash back credit cards have longer periods.
The U.S. supermarket category excludes Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs (like Costco).

The Blue Cash Preferred card has a intro APR offer on balance transfers that can help households pay down modest debts, but its true value lies in its highest-earning bonus categories.

Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card within the first 6 months.
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Buy Now, Pay Later: Enjoy $0 intro plan fees when you use Plan It® to split up large purchases into monthly installments. Pay $0 intro plan fees on plans created during the first 12 months from the date of account opening. Plans created after that will have a monthly plan fee up to 1.33% of each eligible purchase amount moved into a plan based on the plan duration, the APR that would otherwise apply to the purchase, and other factors.
Low Intro APR: 0% on purchases and balance transfers for 12 months from the date of account opening. After that, your APR will be a variable APR of 19.24% - 29.99%. Variable APRs will not exceed 29.99%.
6% Cash Back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).
6% Cash Back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions.
3% Cash Back at U.S. gas stations.
3% Cash Back on transit (including taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more).
1% Cash Back on other purchases.
Get up to $120 in statement credits annually when you pay for an auto-renewing subscription to Equinox+ at equinoxplus.com with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. That’s $10 in statement credits each month. Enrollment required.
Thinking about getting the Disney Bundle which can include Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+? Your decision made easy with $7/month back in the form of a statement credit after you spend $9.99 or more each month on an eligible subscription (subject to auto renewal) with your Blue Cash Preferred® Card. Enrollment required.

Citi Custom Cash® Card

This card not only includes a solid intro APR offer, it also features one of the easiest reward programs around. When you use this card, you automatically earn a generous cash back amount on purchases made within the eligible everyday spending category you spend the most on. Although there is a cap on earnings each billing cycle, the earnings potential is substantial enough to consider.

There’s no annual fee.
Points can be pooled with other Citi ThankYou rewards.
Rewards in your top spending category are capped to $500 each billing cycle.
You may be missing out on potential earnings in other high spend categories.

The Citi Custom Cash® Card is a simple-to-use cash back card that allows you to maximize rewards in your top spending category every month. Its generous APR offer makes this card especially attractive. And you’ll get it without having to pay an annual fee.

0% Intro APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. After that, the variable APR will be 19.24% - 29.24%, based on your creditworthiness.
Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2025.
No rotating bonus categories to sign up for – as your spending changes each billing cycle, your earn adjusts automatically when you spend in any of the eligible categories.
Citi will only issue one Citi Custom Cash® Card account per person.

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

The Customized Cash Rewards card offers a generous intro APR offer on both purchases and balance transfers made within the first 60 days. It also has one of the most versatile rewards programs, letting you earn bonus points in an eligible category of your choosing.

Choosing your own monthly bonus category offers a lot of flexibility in maximizing potential earnings.
You can change your bonus category once a month.
A $2,500 combined quarterly spending cap on bonus category rewards limits how much cardholders can earn.
Redemption is limited to cash back options, like statement credits, checks or direct deposit into a Bank of America account.

If you want to tackle credit card debt by way of a balance transfer, without sacrificing the potential to earn rewards, on everyday categories like gas and dining, then the Bank of America Customized Cash card could be a great match.

$200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
Earn 3% cash back in the category of your choice, automatic 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases) and unlimited 1% on all other purchases.
Choose 3% cash back on gas and EV charging station, online shopping/cable/internet/phone plan/streaming, dining, travel, drug store/pharmacy or home improvement/furnishings purchases.
If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. That means you could earn 3.75%-5.25% cash back on purchases in your choice category.
No annual fee and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 19.24% - 29.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%.
Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.

Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card

The flexibility of 1.5% cash back on all purchases makes this card an appealing option for anyone looking to earn straightforward rewards without having to track bonus categories. And if you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you’re eligible for a rewards bonus that will boost this card’s rewards rate.

This card charges no annual fee.
Cash back rewards never expire as long as your account remains open and there's no cap on how much you can earn.
If your spending tends to be focused in certain categories, you may be better off with a card that offers a high rewards rate on bonus categories.
If you carry a balance, the higher APR could prove to be expensive after the intro period ends.

For anyone considering a balance transfer or splurge purchase, this new flat rate card from Bank of America offers an excellent introductory APR along with unlimited cash back rewards and potential bonus earnings.

Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases.
If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards® member, you can earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. That means you could earn 1.87%-2.62% cash back on every purchase with Preferred Rewards.
No annual fee.
No limit to the amount of cash back you can earn and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.

All information about the Chase Freedom Flex, and the BankAmericard credit card has been collected independently by CreditCards.com and has not been reviewed by the issuer.

Comparing the best balance transfer credit cards of 2024

Editor’s picks: best balance transfer credit card details, best for long intro apr: wells fargo reflect® card.

Best features : This card features one of the longest intro APR offers on the market, giving you ample time to pay off a larger purchase or tackle debt from other high-interest cards. With no rewards program, it’s an ideal card for those who want to focus solely on paying off a balance.
Biggest drawbacks : The 5% balance transfer fee (minimum $5) is hefty compared to others and could tack on a significant amount to your balance transfer.
Alternatives : The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is an excellent flat-rate cash rewards card with both an attractive ongoing rewards rate and a better welcome bonus, in addition to a great intro APR on purchases and qualifying balance transfers completed within the first 120 days.
Bottom line : If you need a longer window of time to pay off existing high-interest debt or an upcoming large purchase, this card can’t be beat.

Read our Wells Fargo Reflect® Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for everyday spending: Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

Best features : There aren’t a lot of balance transfer cards that offer rewards, and those that do are light on additional benefits. But the Blue Cash Everyday Card goes further, offering up generous rewards, a welcome offer, plenty of secondary benefits, and even two valuable credits for the Disney Bundle and Home Chef meal kits (subject to auto renewal) — all for no annual fee.
Biggest drawbacks : If you make even one late payment, you could get hit with a high variable penalty APR that lasts at least six months. Combined with the late fee, that could add up to a lot of debt on top of what you already owe.
Alternatives : The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card has a similar intro APR offer, but you won’t have to worry about a penalty APR if you miss a payment. Plus, the card’s unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases could be more useful if many of your everyday purchases fall outside the Blue Cash Everyday Card’s bonus categories (such as superstore or wholesale club purchases).
Bottom line : This card’s cash back categories, intro offer and unique perks make the refreshed Blue Cash Everyday card a great choice for households.

Read our Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for versatile rewards: Citi Double Cash® Card

Best features : It comes with an impressively long introductory offer on balance transfers, but the base rewards are the real highlight. Cardholders can earn a generous flat rate that competes with the best rewards credit cards . Plus, there’s no annual fee.
Biggest drawbacks : There’s no introductory APR offer for purchases, so you will incur interest on your purchases unless you pay in full each month. That can slow down your progress to paying off your debt. There’s also a high penalty APR if you make a late payment, which could leave stuck in a cycle of debt.
Alternatives : The Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express has a generous intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers. It also offers bonus categories rather than a flat cash back rate. Depending on your spending, you could potentially earn more on everyday purchases at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.
Bottom line : The Citi Double Cash Card gives you the versatility of a flat-rate cash back card coupled with one of the longest intro APR balance transfer offers available. Existing Citi customers already earning ThankYou points could earn even more by pairing this card.

Related : Citi Double Cash card benefits

Read the full Citi Double Cash review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for flat-rate cash rewards: Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

Best features : There aren’t a lot of flat-rate cards that offer all the perks you get with the Active Cash card. On top of the unlimited 2% cash rewards, you get a welcome bonus and generous intro APR offer on purchases and qualifying balance transfers.
Biggest drawbacks : Rewards can only be redeemed for cash back and cannot be transferred to other programs.
Alternatives : The Citi Double Cash Card isn’t as straightforward as the Active Cash card, but it does have a longer intro APR period for balance transfers.
Bottom line : If you’re on the hunt for a simple flat-rate unlimited rewards card for day-to-day purchases that just so happens to have favorable balance transfer terms, the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card should be at the top of your list.

Read the full Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for broad spending: Chase Freedom Unlimited

Best features: Its modest intro APR periods and tiered rewards program make it a standout option for managing debt without sacrificing the value of a great cash back card.
Biggest drawbacks: Its short intro APR periods can’t measure up to the intro APR periods on dedicated balance transfer cards.
Alternative(s): For a longer intro APR and better flat cash back rate, consider the Citi Double Cash card. It earns up to 2 percent back on all purchases (1 percent when you buy, 1 percent when you pay your statement) and offers a slightly longer intro APR on balance transfers.
Bottom line: If you spend reliably in this card’s tiered categories, you could earn a decent amount of cash back while managing your debt.

Read our full Chase Freedom Unlimited review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for families: Blue Cash Preferred Card® from American Express

Best features : It has a modest balance transfer intro APR offer and its high earning rates reward spending in modern household categories can reward families well.
Biggest drawbacks : Its spending caps and category restrictions can limit your earnings. And you’ll have to work to offset the annual fee after the first year.
Alternative : If you don’t want to worry about an annual fee and want a longer balance transfer intro APR, the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express is worth a look.
Bottom line : The Blue Cash Preferred is a staple credit card for households, just make sure to do the math that the annual fee is worth it after the intro APR period.

Read our Blue Cash Preferred Card® from American Express card review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for automatically maximizing rewards: Citi Custom Cash® Card

Best features: This cash back card comes with a solid introductory APR on balance transfers and purchases. You also earn high cash back rewards for purchases in your top spending category each billing cycle.
Biggest drawbacks : The big drawback here is the balance transfer fee, which is 5% of the transferred balance (or $5, whichever is greater). That’s on the higher side for a balance transfer, with many other cards charging just 3%.
Alternatives: While the Citi Custom Cash Card comes with a $500 spending cap in a single category each billing cycle, the Citi Double Cash Card lets you earn a flat rate on all purchases with no spending caps or select categories.
Bottom line : This card is an option if you have a mid-level amount of card debt for a balance transfer but want to earn rewards once you’re finished paying down your debt. For higher debts, the 5% balance transfer fee can be hefty.

Related : Is the Citi Custom Cash card worth it?

Read our Citi Custom Cash Card review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for everyday spending: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card

Best features: In addition to the lengthy intro APR period, cardholders earn bonus cash back in the category of their choice. There’s also an online cash rewards bonus, giving the card greater value.
Biggest drawbacks : The introductory APR period for balance transfers is good, though certainly not the longest one out there. Plus, you’ll have to act fast —only balance transfers made within the first 60 days of opening an account qualify. A 3% intro balance transfer fee applies for 60 days from account opening, then 4%.
Alternatives: The Chase Freedom Flex℠ * offers year-round cash back on Ultimate Rewards travel, dining and drugstore purchases, plus bonus cash back in rotating categories that you activate each quarter.
Bottom line : Choosing your own monthly bonus category is a definite plus for anyone seeking flexibility in a cash back card, but be mindful of the spending caps. This card is best suited for earning rewards for everyday moderate spending.

Read the full Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards credit card review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for Preferred Rewards members: Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card

Best features: Not only does this card feature an attractive intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, it also offers an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all eligible purchases, and you could earn even more if you are a Preferred Rewards member. Cardmembers can also earn a generous online cash rewards bonus.
Biggest drawbacks : If you carry a balance past the introductory period, the interest you owe could be high, particularly if you end up at the high end of the card’s regular variable APR. Depending on your spending habits, a card that offers a high rewards rate on specific bonus categories may be a better option.
Alternatives : The Wells Fargo Active Cash Card offers a similar welcome bonus and intro APR period, but the Active Cash also comes with 2% cash rewards on purchases compared to just 1.5% on the Unlimited Cash Rewards card.
Bottom line : Thanks to its competitive intro APR offer and the unlimited 1.5% cash back rewards, this is an excellent option for anyone hoping to tackle existing credit card debt or make a large purchase.

Read the full Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards credit card review or jump back to this card’s offer details .

Best for no frills balance transfers: Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card

Best features : This card pairs one of the longest balance transfer offers currently on the market with a potentially low go-to interest rate. Plus, you can enjoy added perks through the Citi Entertainment portal, Citi Flex Plan and Citi Easy Deals.
Biggest drawbacks : You’ll pay a balance transfer fee of 5% (or $5, whichever is higher). This card doesn’t offer a base rewards program either, which might limit its long-term value.
Alternatives : The BankAmericard offers a longer intro APR period on new purchases.
Bottom line : So long as you’ve done the math on that 5% balance transfer fee (or $5, whichever is higher), the Citi Diamond Preferred is an attractive option for anyone hoping to pay down debt and doesn’t mind the lack of rewards.

Read our full Citi Diamond Preferred Card review .

Best for 0% intro APR + low fees: Citi Simplicity® Card

Best features : This card offers one of the longest intro APR offers around for balance transfers. And since it doesn’t charge a late fee or penalty APR, it’s far more forgiving than most credit cards if you forget to make a payment.
Biggest drawbacks : This card does not have a rewards program, leaving it with little long-term value.
Alternatives : The U.S. Bank Visa® Platinum Card is another alternative worth considering. It also charges a lower balance transfer fee, so if you think you may take longer to complete your balance transfer this may be a better alternative.
Bottom line : If you need to transfer high-interest credit card debt to a low-fee card, this may be a smart option due to the longer intro APR period for balance transfers.

Read our full Citi Simplicity® Card review .

Best for staying on track: Chase Slate Edge℠

Best features: You can lower your ongoing APR by 2 percent each year if you pay on time and spend $1,000 before your next account anniversary. You’ll also unlock an automatic, one-time credit limit increase review when you spend $500 in your first six months. Both perks could come in handy as you finance purchases or build credit.
Biggest drawbacks: The intro APR period is relatively short compared to some of the top balance transfer cards. The card also carries no rewards and few ongoing perks, limiting its value after you’ve paid off your balance.
Alternatives: The right rewards card could help you pay off debt while also offering better long-term value. The Chase Freedom Unlimited® carries an intro APR offer and cash back on dining, travel and more. You’ll even earn 1.5% back on general purchases.
Bottom line: While you can get a longer intro APR offer with other cards, this is one of the few that offers incentives like a lower APR or automatic credit limit increase review if you keep up with payments and meet the spending requirements.

Related: Chase Slate Edge vs. Chase Freedom Unlimited

Read the full Chase Slate Edge review .

Best for low interest: BankAmericard® credit card

Best features: The BankAmericard offers one of the longest intro APR offers around, with the potential for a low interest rate afterwards.
Biggest drawbacks : You’ll need to act fast to capitalize on the balance transfer offer, given it applies only to balances transferred in your first 60 days. You’ll pay an intro balance transfer fee of 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4%.
Alternatives : Besides offering a lengthy introductory APR period on both balance transfers and purchases, the Citi Simplicity® Card never charges late fees. That’s good news for cardholders who are occasionally late with their payment.
Bottom line : This card has no rewards program, but that may not be a negative for cardholders with big balances. For larger debts, the balance transfer fee may sting a bit at 3%.

Related : Is the BankAmericard card worth it?

Read the full BankAmericard credit card review .

What is a balance transfer credit card?

If you’re ready to break out of credit card debt, you can take advantage of several different strategies. One of the most effective is to move an existing balance to another credit card that offers 0% APR on the transferred debt for a limited period.

The main benefits of a balance transfer credit card include:

Avoiding interest . These cards are a great tool for temporarily avoiding interest charges since many offer a 0% intro offer of six to 18 months. By paying no interest for a period of time, you can potentially pay your balance off over a shorter period of time and pay less interest overall.
Consolidating debt . A balance transfer card is an option if you want to simplify payments by combining them into one bill, making it easier for you to manage your debt and pay on time.
Improving your credit score . After paying off your balance, you may find yourself with a higher credit score due to lowering your credit utilization ratio. Plus, you also expand your overall credit limit if you keep your original account open after paying off your debt.

Although balance transfers are primarily used for credit card debt, each issuer has its own rules for what types of debt you can transfer. Depending on the issuer, your balance transfer options could include credit card balances, auto loans, personal loans, and student loans.

One thing to consider is that most issuers will not let you transfer a balance from an existing account to another with that same issuer. Also, some issuers allow you to transfer multiple debts to one balance transfer card as a form of debt consolidation.

See related: How does a balance transfer work?

What is a balance transfer fee?

A balance transfer fee is a payment to transfer an existing credit card balance from one card to another. The issuer you’re transferring to charges the balance transfer fee.

The fee total depends on both the fee percentage and the total balance transferred. Most credit cards charge between three to five percent, often with a minimum fee of at least $5 to $10. So if a credit card charges a five percent balance transfer fee and you choose to transfer a $1,000 balance, the balance transfer fee amount is $50.

Pros and cons of balance transfer credit cards

Avoid paying high interest . A balance transfer credit card with a 0% intro APR offer can save you hundreds of dollars if you can pay off all or most of the debt before the intro period ends.
Consolidate debt . A balance transfer card offers the convenience of moving debt from multiple cards to one new card with an intro offer that you can then pay off in a single bill each month. Your minimum monthly payment may also be lower for one consolidated debt than your total payments for multiple accounts.
Fast track repayment . A balance transfer card’s repayment schedule and lack of interest charges mean you’ll have the opportunity to get out of debt much faster than you would otherwise.
Improve your credit score . By paying off your balance on the new card and keeping your old accounts open, you’ll lower your credit utilization ratio and improve your credit score.
You can lose your low or zero-interest rate if you make late payments . It’s a good idea to set up an automatic payment through your bank and schedule it a few days before your due date to be on the safe side.
More available credit can make it easy to keep incurring debt . You might be tempted to spend more with a new credit line. To avoid racking up more debt, track your credit card spending and make sure you are staying on budget.
When the offer ends, your interest rate goes up . Once the intro APR offer ends, interest will begin to add to any remaining balance, so plan strategically to maximize your intro APR offer and pay off your debt during the intro period.
Balance transfer fees can be steep . Most balance transfer cards have a balance transfer fee of up to 3% to 5% of the transfer. If you opt-out of a balance transfer card and just pay down the debt quickly, you may be better off.

How to choose a balance transfer credit card

Choosing the right balance transfer credit card may seem difficult— but if you ask the right questions before making a decision, you’ll have a much better idea of which one is right for you.

How long is the 0% intro APR period?

Not all balance transfer credit cards are created equal. Standout balance transfer cards offer introductory APR periods as long as 18 to 21 months. Always check the APR period first when deciding on a balance transfer credit card.

Do you need low-interest or zero-interest?

Although it seems obvious at first that you should take the card with 0% interest, that’s not always the case. A card with an ongoing low-interest rate might be best for you if you think you’ll need longer than the introductory period to pay off your debt completely.

What are the fees?

Watch out for fees that can make it harder to pay off your debt. While some balance transfer cards don’t charge a fee to transfer debt, most charge between 3% and 5% of the balance being moved. Also, avoid any late fees by paying on time and pay off the full balance before your introductory APR rate expires to avoid interest charges. If you’re unable to do so, make sure that the regular APR on the new account is lower, and scan the fine print to be sure a penalty APR isn’t involved.

Do you want a card with long-term value?

Balance transfer offers often provide excellent short-term value, but some cards may lack additional features. If you’re looking for a card you can use long after an intro APR period ends, look for one that offers rewards, especially if you intend to consistently pay your balances in full each month. Or a low-interest credit card with an intro APR offer and a low ongoing interest rate can be a good fit if you tend to carry a balance.

What card issuer do you prefer?

You won’t be allowed to transfer a balance from one card to another card with the same issuer, so keep this in mind as you’re selecting the best balance transfer card. While it may seem like this limits your options, it can help you narrow down which card issuer you end up choosing.

How much time do you need to make the transfer?

Many balance transfer cards have a strict transfer window you must transfer your balance within for the intro offer to apply, such as 30 or 90 days. Because there are different transfer windows, choose a card that aligns with how quickly or how often you want to transfer balances.

Some balance transfer cards are available without any transfer windows, so make note of that as well, especially if you’re unsure of your exact balance transfer timing. To avoid any issues with transfer windows, it’s best to initiate your transfer immediately.

Do you have the right credit score?

Most balance transfer cards offering competitive 0 percent introductory periods require good to excellent credit for both approval and qualifying for the best ongoing interest rates — which means at least 670 or higher on the FICO scale.

Even with bad credit, you may still qualify for a balance transfer card. However, your options are limited. If you’re concerned your credit score is too low for approval, you could try applying for a secured credit card or another credit-building card and start rebuilding your score to increase your approval odds in the future.

Balance transfers do impact your credit score in a number of ways, including some that can both help and hurt your credit score.

How a balance transfer can hurt your credit score

When you complete a balance transfer, you will get a small, temporary ding to your score for applying for a new card, whether an issuer approves your application or not. Other factors, like payment history, outstanding balances, length of credit history, new credit and credit mix, also affect your score. Finally, your overall length of credit history will decrease when opening a new account.

However, though a balance transfer may hurt your score temporarily, paying off your balance will have a positive long-term impact.

How a balance transfer can help your credit score

Completing a balance transfer also means you may increase your overall available credit when you take out a new card, which could lower your credit utilization ratio. It’s recommended that you keep your credit utilization below 30%, so adding a new card can help maintain a positive ratio.

Also, since you are not accruing interest during the card’s intro period, it should be easier to pay off your balance. Eliminating or lowering any credit card debt will often have a significant positive impact on your credit score.

But you will need to be diligent about reducing your debt for a balance transfer to help your credit score in the long run.

Should I get a balance transfer credit card?

A balance transfer credit card can help you pay off debt faster, but it is not suited for everyone. Some cardholders will benefit from transferring their balances to a balance transfer credit card, while others may realize that another method of debt repayment makes more sense — as it all depends on your specific situation.

Who should get a balance transfer credit card

The debt manager . If you’re currently carrying credit card debt on one (or more) credit cards, you’re a prime candidate for a balance transfer credit card. A top-notch offer can save you money on interest and help you pay down existing balances faster, given interest won’t accrue during the introductory period.
The credit-builder . Paying off existing debt can improve your credit utilization rate, a core component of credit scores. Your credit utilization rate measures how much credit has been extended to you. If you’re unsure of your credit utilization ratio, you can use our credit utilization calculator to know where you stand.
The strategist . If you’re a financial planner, then it’s important to find a card that will help meet your long-term financial goals. Balance transfer cards typically have low interest rates and allow you to pay off high-interest debt without sacrificing your finances later.

Who should skip a balance transfer credit card

The rewards seeker . While some balance transfer credit cards do offer rewards, you can generally find more lucrative programs attached to traditional or premium rewards credit cards.
The luxury traveler . Balance transfer credit cards rarely, if ever, offer travel perks, like complimentary lounge access, a free checked bag or travel insurance. If you’re in the market for those perks, consider a travel, airline or hotel credit card.
The frequent revolver . If you tend to consistently carry at least some purchases over from month to month, you might be best served by a low-interest credit card, which offers a competitive APR for the long term vs. simply during an introductory period.

How to do a balance transfer

If you’re considering a balance transfer card, you may be wondering how much work goes into moving the balance from one card to another. Overall, the balance transfer process is relatively simple. Here are the steps you should follow:

Select and apply for the right balance transfer card. Each balance transfer card is unique, so the right card for you will depend on your individual needs. Do you need the most time to pay down a balance? Choosing a card with a very long intro offer on balance transfers may be a good fit. Are you hoping to finance a purchase if needed with your card? Picking one with an intro APR on purchases and balance transfers could be the way to go.
Thoroughly review the card’s terms and conditions. Each issuer has its own set of rules. For example, some companies may require you to complete the balance transfer within a specific time frame. You can find the information you need in a card’s Schumer Box , a standardized disclosure form that helps people understand the full scope of a card’s terms and conditions. Some of the most important terms to note will be the balance transfer fee (usually 3% or 5% of the transferred balance) and how long you have to pay the transferred debt back before the regular APR kicks in.
Initiate the transfer. Once you have selected, applied and been approved for a card, initiating the transfer is a simple process. You can initiate a transfer to the new card online or through your new card issuer’s mobile app.
Monitor your accounts and keep up with the minimum payments. Transfers usually take between five days and six weeks to complete. While you’re waiting, it’s important to continue making payments on your old card to maintain your credit-building efforts. Once the money is transferred to your new account, take note of the date and time so that you have a record of the successful transaction and can begin your payoff timeline.

Note : The process for how to do a balance transfer varies slightly from issuer to issuer. We’ve put together the resources below to provide more details on how some major credit card issuers conduct them.

How to do a balance transfer with an American Express credit card
How to do a balance transfer with a Bank of America credit card
How to do a balance transfer with a Chase credit card
How to do a balance transfer with a Citi credit card
How to do a balance transfer with an HSBC credit card
How to do a balance transfer with a U.S. Bank credit card

How to make the most of your balance transfer credit card

A balance transfer card can provide a fresh start but only when used properly. Once you find a card that’s right for you, stick to the plan and keep your spending in check. The following guidelines will help you get on track and stay the course:

Look into high-limit credit cards . It’s possible to get approved for a card, but at a lower credit limit than the balance you’re looking to transfer. To increase the odds of qualifying for a credit limit that covers the full amount you’re trying to pay off, consider applying for these balance transfer cards that could offer you a high limit based on your creditworthiness.
Avoid new, unplanned charges . While you might have a balance transfer credit card that offers rewards on spending or a 0% intro APR on new purchases for a limited time, make sure you have a plan before making new charges. That way, you won’t go into further debt. Focus instead on paying the transferred balance off before the card’s regular APR applies.
Set up auto-payments to ensure you don’t miss a monthly bill . This step is particularly important with balance transfer credit cards, given some issuers note that their introductory terms are contingent on an account being in good standing (meaning a late payment can cost you that 0% introductory APR, even if the intro period hasn’t ended). Plus, late fees and penalty APRs will only add to your debt load.
Pay off your balance before the promotional APR period ends . Many balance transfer credit cards charge average-to-high go-to interest rates, depending on your credit, so if you don’t pay balances back by the time the 0% introductory APR expires , you’ll risk foregoing any savings and getting caught in a cycle of debt. Draft a payment plan and consider redoing your budget to ensure you’re out of the red by the deadline.
Look into low-interest offers . If you anticipate that you might still have a balance after the 0% intro APR offer ends, take a look at balance transfer cards with low-interest rates. Keep in mind that the better your credit, the lower your regular APR will likely be on a card.

Alternatives to a balance transfer

While a balance transfer can be a great tool, it’s also a new commitment. If you’re looking for breathing room rather than another card, here are some options:

Consider getting a personal loan . If you need to pay off credit card debt swiftly – especially if you’re carrying high balances on numerous cards – a personal loan may be better than a balance transfer card. By combining multiple debts into a single payment, you could pay less interest over time and save money on fees.
Get a credit-building card . If you’re concerned that your credit is not good enough yet to apply for a balance transfer card, then looking at a credit-building card could be a good option. Be aware that the interest can be high on these cards, so weigh your options carefully.
Strategize a payment plan with a payoff calculator. Often, looking at the amount owed can be overwhelming. Instead of looking at the larger number, it can be beneficial to break it down into smaller, more manageable payments using a payoff calculator . Play around with the numbers until you find one you are comfortable with as a starting point.
Negotiate with your card issuer. If you’re having a hard time paying off your credit card balances, you can try negotiating the debt with the credit card company. You can work with the credit card company to reduce your monthly payments, lower your interest rate or even lower your fees.

How we picked the best credit cards for balance transfers

In our research methodology : We analyzed 1,002 credit cards to identify the top balance transfer credit cards on the market. While a large number of factors contribute to the quality of a credit card, the following were our most important criteria in evaluating and choosing the best balance transfer cards:

Length of 0% intro APR period : The longest balance transfer offers on the market currently offer 0% intro APR periods on balance transfers that last between 15 to 21 months. Historically, there have been offers that tout a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for close to two years.
Balance transfer fee : Most credit cards charge a balance transfer fee between 3% to 5% of the transferred balance (minimums apply). A few cards have historically skipped the charge or waived the charge if a balance is transferred within a certain time period.
Regular APR after the intro period : There’s always a chance that cardholders won’t pay their balance off by the time the 0% introductory APR expires. As such, we considered whether the go-to APR on that balance was reasonable, compared to the current industry average. (See the current average credit card interest rates .)
Annual fee : The best balance transfer credit cards minimize the cost of a credit card so cardholders have more money to put toward their balance. As such, we more heavily weighted credit cards with no annual fee .

Our full criteria include 0% intro APR period for balance transfers, balance transfer fees, regular APR, savings period, current APR assumption, monthly payment assumption, other rates and fees, customer service, credit needed, security, ease of application, potential rewards and miscellaneous benefits.

More information on balance transfer credit cards

For more information on all things balance transfer cards and credit card debt, continue reading content from our credit card experts:

Balance transfer calculator
Why did my credit score drop after paying off debt?
How to manage credit card debt as a possible recession looms

Frequently asked questions about balance transfer credit cards

What credit score do you need for a balance transfer card + –.

Most balance transfer credit cards offering competitive 0 percent introductory periods require a credit score in either the good or excellent range, which means at least 670 or higher on the FICO scale.

How much money can you save with a balance transfer? + –

Moving an existing debt from one credit card to another can potentially save a lot of money. Just how much money you’ll save depends on a number of factors, including your original APR, the introductory APR of your new balance transfer card, the duration of that introductory APR, as well as any fees associated with transferring that debt. The most common fee is the balance transfer fee, which is often worth the cost for saving more on interest overall. For example, the average American carries $5,910 in credit card debt . Here’s how a balance transfer card could help you pay that debt off even with a 3% fee of $165.75:

Based on the above scenario, after paying a 3% balance transfer fee, you could save over $750 using a balance transfer card to pay off your debt ($940.23 – $165.75 = $774.48).

In order to see if a balance transfer is your best option, use our balance transfer calculator to push the numbers. As you do, you’ll see top offers from Bankrate partners and an estimate of how much you could save if you take advantage of a balance transfer offer.

Let’s say you currently owe $3,800 on your current card. Your APR is currently 24% and your monthly payment is $250, which means you’d spend $775.74 in interest before finally paying off the card in 19 months. However, if you were to transfer that $3,800 to a balance transfer card with a 0% introductory APR offer for 18 months and a 3% fee on balance transfers, you would spend only $114 in fees and be able to pay the balance off in 16 months. That saves you $661.74 and three months!

What should I do if my balance transfer is denied? + –

If your application for a balance transfer card is denied, there may be other options, such as applying for a personal loan or asking your existing card issuer for a lower interest rate. You can also make an appeal with the issuer’s reconsideration department.

If your heart is set on getting a balance transfer card, you’ll likely need to improve your credit score. Track your spending and avoid applying for multiple cards until your score improves.

How much debt can I transfer with a balance transfer card? + –

It varies by issuer. Balance transfers are limited to a maximum amount equal to the account’s credit limit. A few card issuers may permit cardholders to transfer 100 percent of their existing balance, but if you want to move a large balance, your transfer limit may be capped in order to be approved.

How long do balance transfers take? + –

The time it takes to complete a balance transfer varies by card issuer, but generally you should expect the process to run anywhere from a few days to several weeks. Contact the issuer before initiating the transfer and confirm exactly how long the process will take to complete. If you’ve only recently opened the account, that could have an impact on your wait time.

Should I keep my balance transfer card after my balance is paid off? + –

It’s actually best to keep your balance transfer card after paying off your balance, even if you decide not to use it. Closing an account shortens the length of your credit history, which can negatively impact your credit score. It will also affect your credit utilization ratio, since the amount of available credit you have access to decreases. And if your new card has perks, like extended warranty coverage, or offers rewards, you can still enjoy these benefits even after you pay off your balance.

However, if your balance transfer card has an annual fee you can’t offset every year or you are worried about overspending with multiple credit cards, then closing the account might be the better option.

Ask the Experts: When does it make sense to consider doing a balance transfer?

Sally Herigstad

Jason Steele

Erica sandberg.

Personal Finance, Taxes and Debt Expert Contributor

Points and Miles Expert Contributor

Small Business Credit Expert Contributor

It’s hard to make progress paying down your debt when a large portion of each payment goes to interest. Getting a card with a zero- or low-interest introductory period can help. Before you choose a card, compare balance transfer fees and annual fees, and select a card with a long enough introductory period for you to pay off the balance. You might also look for a card with a reasonable regular interest rate. Be careful not to procrastinate on paying down debt , or worse yet, run up both your old and new credit limits, or you could end up deeper in debt. However, balance transfers as part of a good plan can give you the break from high interest charges you need to pay down debt once and for all.

There are two reasons why you may wish to perform a balance transfer. First, you can avoid interest charges when you have a balance transfer credit card that offers 0% introductory APR financing. There’s usually a balance transfer fee of 3% or 5% of each transfer with these offers. Also, you’ll want to consider a balance transfer to consolidate your outstanding balances . If you have several credit cards with existing balances, then you can transfer them all to the card that you have with the lowest interest rate. This will mean you will have only one statement to worry about and one bill to pay each month. Just note that card issuers will not allow balance transfers between their accounts; it must be from a different bank or credit union.

Shifting high interest credit card debt to a card with a temporary 0% APR can make strong financial sense. Many balance transfer offers give at least 12-months to pay, interest-free. To know how much you can save, calculate the balance transfer fee, then subtract it from the estimated interest costs of the original card.

Just be aware that you’ll need good credit to qualify for a balance transfer card, and that paying late can nullify the deal early. It will also be important to stay out of future debt, and that you can afford the monthly payments. Any balance remaining when the promotional period ends will be subject to the regular interest rate.

About the Author

Jeanine Skowronski

Jeanine Skowronski is a credit card expert, analyst, and multimedia journalist with over 10 years of experience covering business and personal finance. She has previously served as the Head of Content at Policygenius, Executive Editor of Credit.com, Deputy Editor at American Banker, Staff Reporter at TheStreet and a columnist for Inc. Magazine.

About the Editor

Tracy Stewart

Tracy Stewart is a personal finance writer specializing in credit card loyalty programs, travel benefits, and consumer protections. He previously covered travel rewards credit cards, budget travel, and aviation news at SmarterTravel Media. His money-saving tips have appeared in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Consumer Reports, MarketWatch, Vice, People, the Zoe Report and elsewhere.

About the Reviewer

Sally Herigstad is a certified public accountant, author and speaker who writes about personal finance for CreditCards.com. She also writes regularly for MSN Money, Interest.com, Bankrate and RedPlum.com, and has been a guest on Martha Stewart radio and other programs.

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Latitude New Zealand Credit Card Master Trust – Series 2024-1

Tue 04 Jun, 2024 - 7:10 PM ET

Fitch Ratings has assigned expected ratings to Latitude New Zealand Credit Card Master Trust – Series 2024-1’s pass-through floating-rate notes. The issuance consists of notes backed by a pool of New Zealand consumer sales finance and credit card receivables originated by Latitude Financial Services Limited. The master trust structure permits purchases of eligible receivables on a revolving basis, which will be funded through potential issuance of an additional series of notes from time to time. The master trust programme features a linked-note issuance structure. The notes issued constitute Series 2024-1 and will be issued by The New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Limited as trustee for Latitude New Zealand Credit Card Master Trust (the issuer). Key Rating Drivers Stable Receivables Performance: Portfolio performance has been stable; gross charge-offs averaged 3.3%, yield – excluding merchant fees – 16.0% and the monthly payment rate (MPR) 12.0% in the 12 months ending 1Q24.

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The Craft of Research, Third Edition addresses notetaking in a section called "Recording What You Find" (pp. 95-100). Below is a summary of the system outlined in the book. Take full notes. Whether you take notes on cards, in a notebook, or on the computer, it's vital to record information accurately and completely.
PDF Taking and Organizing Notes for Research Papers
Taking and Organizing Notes for Research Papers Why take notes? Note taking is the transcription of information using shortening techniques to create an outside memory source. Students take notes to record information and to aid in comprehension and reflection. Note taking is an essential part of writing any research paper because they give you a
How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: 4a. Take Notes
Include a heading or key words at the top of the card. Include the Work Cited source card number. Include the page number where you found the information. Taking notes: Use abbreviations, acronyms, or incomplete sentences to record information to speed up the notetaking process. Write down only the information that answers your research questions.
Making Note Cards- CRLS Research Guide
1. Write the subtopic heading of the note at the top of each note card. (see Tip Sheet 11: Creating Subtopic Headings) 2. Write only one main point on a note card. 3. Only write information directly related to your Statement of Purpose. (see Tip Sheet 9: Writing a Statement of Purpose) 4. Write only essential words, abbreviate when possible.
13.5 Research Process: Making Notes, Synthesizing ...
1.4 Annotated Student Sample: ... use something like the template shown in Figure 13.8, or another like it, as a template for creating your own research notes and organizational tool. You will need to have a record of all field research data as well as the research log for all secondary sources. ... Figure 13.8 Electronic note card (attribution ...
PDF Examples of How to Take Research Notes
METHOD 2: Cornell Notes. Divide a piece of paper into three sections. The large box to the right is for writing notes. Your key points can be translated into the main ideas of each of your body paragraphs. Skip a line between ideas and topics. Use point form. Use abbreviations whenever possible.
PDF Taking Purposeful Research Notes
How Notes Sheets eliminate possible note-taking problems: Problem #1: Students write too much information on a card Notes Sheet Solution: Each space on the sheet is only big enough for one fact or quote. Problem #2: Students fill out cards just to meet teacher requirements (i.e. "you must have 50 note cards for your paper") without thinking about the usefulness of the information or its ...
Research Note Cards
In the center of the note card is the quote/paraphrased information from the source. In the bottom right corner of the note card is the page number the information came from. Back. On the back of the note card is the full citation for the source. *Note: Keep in mind, your note card might not be organized the exact same way as the example. That ...
Note-taking techniques I: The index card method
As its name indicates, the Content Index Card is a combination type of index card that includes direct quotations, draft notes and ideas, conceptual diagrams, etc. that are all associated with the main article, book chapter or book discussed in the index card. I use larger (5″ x 8″) index cards for those cases.
Digital Notecards
Understanding the Digital Notecard. The purpose of note cards in research writing is to help you organize your evidence as you find it. (Evidence is anything that supports your thesis—especially quotations, text summaries and facts.) The note card provides all the critical information about that piece of evidence: where you found it, how it ...
Taking Research Notes Using the Note Card System and Ilaro
The Research Note Card. A research note card contains a single quote, note, or idea. Due to the physical size of index cards, there is a limit to how much you can write on on each card. But this limitation forces you to keep concise notes. The short notes make it easier to organize thoughts and outline writing.
The Notecard System: The Key For Remembering, Organizing And Using
After the response to this recent LifeHacker piece, I thought I would explain the system I use to take notes, research books and keep track of anecdotes, stories and info I come across in my work. This isn't the perfect system. It might not work for you. All I can say is that since learning it about 7 years ago, it has totally transformed my process and drastically increased my creative ...
Example of Research Paper Note Cards
Example of Research Paper Note Cards - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. example of research paper note cards
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The Double Empathy Problem: A Derivation Chain Analysis and Cautionary Note
Work on the "double empathy problem" (DEP) is rapidly growing in academic and applied settings (e.g., clinical practice). It is most popular in research on conditions, like autism, which are characterized by social cognitive difficulties. Drawing from this literature, we propose that, while research on the DEP has the potential to improve understanding of both typical and atypical social ...
Fitch Affirms Evergreen Credit Card Trust Notes
The class C notes are supported by excess spread and the cash reserve account. The cash reserve account was not funded at closing. CE supporting the 2022-CRT1, 2022-CRT2 and 2023-CRT1 series class A notes is derived from 6.00% subordination of the class B notes, 2.50% subordination of the class C notes and excess spread.
Latitude New Zealand Credit Card Master Trust
The issuance consists of notes backed by a pool of New Zealand consumer sales finance and credit card receivables originated by Latitude Financial Services Limited. The master trust structure permits purchases of eligible receivables on a revolving basis, which will be funded through potential issuance of an additional series of notes from time ...