5.7 Source Cards And Quote Cards

Read before you write.

5.7.1 Source Cards

Section 5.5 and 5.6 described how to use index cards to scaffold planning tasks and tracking their progress. When I begin a new project, I usually start by collecting relevant information. In particular, I find source materials – books and articles – relevant to my project, and then I read them. I use index cards to scaffold my information gathering.

When I compile a list of sources to read, I create an index card for each source. I could write out the full citation, but often I find a short note works. Why create an index card for each source? First, each card reminds me of a source I need to retrieve and read. Second, a source’s index card provides a place to jot some short notes about key points I read and wish to refer to later. By adding such notes, and by stamping a finished date on the card after reading the source, index cards distinguish what I have read already from what I still need to read. Third, I can add a completed source card to my outline later. I put a source card in the location in my scaffold where I want to refer to the source in my paper. The source card reminds me to cite the source, reminds me where in the writing project to cite the source, and reminds me what information in the source I need to mention.

After creating new source cards for a project, I suggest filing them away for use in future projects. I keep my source cards organized alphabetically in a file cabinet to consult for future projects.

5.7.2 Quote Cards

I create different kinds of source cards. Quote cards provide one useful example. To create a quote card, I take an index card upon which I write a quote which I want to include in a manuscript. Along with the quote, I write the citation to use when I include the quote (i.e., Author, Year, Page).

I usually create my quote cards while reading books. Following excellent advice (Adler & Van Doren, 1972), I make a book my own by marking the book up. Marking the book up includes underlining sentences I find interesting, important, or quotable. To create quote cards for a book, I go back to the book when I have finished reading and scan its pages, looking for underlining. I copy each underlined quote and add its citation to a new quote card.

Like source cards, quote cards scaffold memory. Placing a quote card amongst a set of topic cards reminds me to include the quote; the quote card’s position reminds me where I would like to place the quote in my manuscript. However, quote cards provide additional affordances.

First, quote cards offer portability. After creating a quote card, I find the card easier to carry around than the book from which I found the quote.

Second, quote cards offer non-repeatability. I often discover I use the same quote more than once in a book-length manuscript. I use quote cards as a remedy. If I only include a quote written on a quote card in my outline cards, and if I only have one such card for each quote, then I will only use the quote once.

Third, quote cards remind me about what I have read. As mentioned, I usually compile quote cards while reading a book. When I finish, I file the book’s source card away, and I file the book’s quote cards away with the source card. When I later pull the source card out, I remind myself about the book by reading my quote cards.