On Taking Notes | Perspectives on History | AHA¶

URL: https://www.historians.org/research-and-publications/perspectives-on-history/january-2009/on-taking-notes

Today you would just have an 2 terabyte SSD inside your laptop, or a 16 terabyte external hard drive, or some kind of cloud storage (ie. GitHub). —[[ (danielmussell)]]

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an external hard drive with many gigabytes of storage space¹

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External Backup Files are useful, to move along different devices. —[[ (AfHAshcc)]]

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external hard drive with many gigabytes of storage space¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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I assess a document as both a source of historical information—evidence about what “happened” in the past—and also as a rhetorically constructed text and cultural representation.¹

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The processes of pre-writing —[[ (AfHAshcc)]]

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¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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I try to read in advance the secondary literature on my research topics¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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mine these texts for their archival citations.¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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I open up a Word document file for each source¹

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Memos related, and notable style or descriptors missing or expressed one way rather than another. —[[ (AfHAshcc)]]

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whether there are significant silences or elements that seem to be missing.¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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keep a running bibliography.¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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write ahead to archivists, make an appointment to visit the archives, and request documents in advance. I note the names of the archivists with whom I have corresponded and spoken. When I arrive, I attempt to establish cordial relations with them.¹

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—[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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try to determine the conditions that generated this file:¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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try to describe the materiality of the file, its size, variety of paper, layers of communication, and chronological ordering¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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take careful summary notes of what seem to be the most significant documents¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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back up my files¹

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Notes next to photos help put it into context. —[[ (AfHAshcc)]]

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it is a mistake to photograph or photocopy documents without simultaneously processing them into some form of notes and explanation¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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write memos to myself about secondary or theoretical texts I need to consult in relation to this material¹

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—[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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record the details or features that strike me as surprising or telling¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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Before I photograph, I place a rectangular piece of paper on the document that records its archival citation and maybe a keyword or two relating to its contents¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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To keep my notes in order when I am in “writing mode,” I print out notes from the computer and file them in file cabinets, arranging them alphabetically according to chapters. I keep a running index of this file system on my computer. I read over my hard-copy notes, annotating them and adding comments to idea files.¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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index these notes in multiple formats.¹

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Step found —[[ (carissthekid9914)]]

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organize my notes into topics or themes by cutting and pasting text fragments and quotations, using a keyword search on my computer¹

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Her view of what a document should be. —[[ (EricDes)]]

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I assess a document as both a source of historical information—evidence about what “happened” in the past—and also as a rhetorically constructed text and cultural representation.¹

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step 1 —[[ (EricDes)]]

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I try to read in advance the secondary literature on my research topics¹

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- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
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step 2 —[[ (EricDes)]]

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I try to read in advance the secondary literature on my research topics¹

tags: links:
- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
connected ideas:
MOC:

another step —[[ (EricDes)]]

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I write ahead to archivists, make an appointment to visit the archives, and request documents in advance. I note the names of the archivists with whom I have corresponded and spoken. When I arrive, I attempt to establish cordial relations with them.¹

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- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
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another step. Making sure she arrives completely prepared to not waste time. —[[ (EricDes)]]

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I arrive, equipped with a laptop computer, a battery and plugs, an external hard drive with many gigabytes of storage space, and a digital camera with at least one extra battery and a cable connection to the computer.¹

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keeping notes seperated. —[[ (EricDes)]]

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I open up a Word document file for each source.¹

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connected ideas:
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Finding the why of the document and the medium helps generate context and useful information. —[[ (EricDes)]]

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I try to determine the conditions that generated this file: in the case of governmental files, was it a result of routinized oversight or was it the result of the disruption of routines by an outside force, such as a complaint or a newspaper report about a scandal? I also try to describe the materiality of the file, its size, variety of paper, layers of communication, and chronological ordering.¹

tags: links:
- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
connected ideas:
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Step. —[[ (EricDes)]]

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take careful summary notes of what seem to be the most significant documents¹

tags: links:
- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
connected ideas:
MOC:

Step —[[ (EricDes)]]

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back up my files religiously on the external hard drive¹

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- broader terms (BT):
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- related terms (RT):
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Step. Thinking about where this data will lead to find more information. —[[ (EricDes)]]

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write memos to myself about secondary or theoretical texts I need to consult in relation to this material¹

tags: links:
- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
connected ideas:
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need to have it in your own words so you remember why you decided to photocopy that specifically. —[[ (EricDes)]]

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it is a mistake to photograph or photocopy documents without simultaneously processing them into some form of notes and explanation.¹

tags: links:
- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
connected ideas:
MOC:

Step —[[ (EricDes)]]

Source¶

To keep my notes in order when I am in “writing mode,” I print out notes from the computer and file them in file cabinets, arranging them alphabetically according to chapters. I keep a running index of this file system on my computer. I read over my hard-copy notes, annotating them and adding comments to idea files.¹

tags: links:
- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
connected ideas:
MOC:

Step. Keeping organized from the beginning will help out immensely later on. —[[ (EricDes)]]

Source¶

I organize my notes into topics or themes by cutting and pasting text fragments and quotations, using a keyword search on my computer.¹

tags: links:
- broader terms (BT):
- narrower terms (NT):
- related terms (RT):
- used for (UF) or aliases:
connected ideas:
MOC: