Literature Search
6 Best Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer Templates
Explore the 6 best research note-taking graphic organizer templates to enhance your study sessions and organize information effectively.
Sep 10, 2024
Gathering sources for a research paper can be a time-consuming and stressful process. As you sift through articles, books, and notes, it’s easy to lose track of your findings and forget essential details. This is especially true when working with a large number of sources that all have overlapping themes. If you’ve ever started writing a paper only to realize that you can’t remember where you read a particular piece of information, you know exactly what I mean.
This is where a research note-taking graphic organizer can help. In this guide, we'll explore the benefits of using a research note-taking graphic organizer and help you find the right one for your next literature search.
Table of Contents
What Is A Note-Taking Graphic Organizer?
A research note-taking graphic organizer helps students and researchers systematically collect and organize information during the research process. This visual tool typically includes structured sections or frameworks to record key points from sources, such as facts, quotes, summaries, or reflections, making it easier to track and reference information later. Research note-taking graphic organizers help with clarity, structure, and addressing all relevant aspects of the research topic.
What Are the Components of Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizers?
Research note-taking graphic organizers can vary but usually have several standard components. Here are a few of the most common parts of these graphic organizers:
Main Topic/Research Question
The central focus or question that guides the research.
Source Information
Details like the title, author, and publication date of each source.
Key Ideas/Notes
A section to jot down key points, facts, or data from each source.
Quotes
An area dedicated to direct quotes from the source, usually with citations.
Paraphrasing
Space to rewrite information in your own words.
Personal Thoughts/Reflections
A place to note any thoughts, connections, or questions that arise during the research.
Page Numbers
Working with physical texts helps with tracking where the information was found.
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Purpose Of A Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer
1. Get Organized with a Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer
Research graphic organizers help students systematically gather and sort key details, ensuring that all relevant information is captured in a structured way. This prevents essential data from being overlooked or forgotten.
2. Simplify Complex Information
Research graphic organizers break down complex topics into manageable sections and aid in better understanding and processing the research material.
3. Track Your Sources
A research graphic organizer helps you keep track of where specific information or quotes come from, which is crucial for accurate citations and avoiding plagiarism.
4. Improve Your Focus and Efficiency
A graphic organizer directs attention to the most critical aspects of the research, helping avoid distractions and making note-taking more efficient.
5. Enhance Critical Thinking
Research note organizers encourage analysis, reflection, and synthesis of the information, helping researchers connect ideas and draw meaningful conclusions.
6. Prepare for Writing
A well-structured organizer can be a blueprint for writing essays, reports, or presentations, allowing researchers to refer back to their notes and ideas easily.
6 Best Research Note-Taking Graphic Organizer Templates
1. Tackling Research Overload with Otio
Today, knowledge workers, researchers, and students suffer from content overload and are left to deal with it using fragmented, complex, and manual tooling. Too many settle for stitching together complicated bookmarking, read-it-later, and note-taking apps to get through their workflows. Now that anyone can create content with a button, this problem will only worsen. Otio solves this problem by providing researchers with one AI-native workspace. It helps them:
Collect
a wide range of data sources, from bookmarks, tweets, and extensive books to YouTube videos.
Extract key takeaways
with detailed AI-generated notes and source-grounded Q&A chat.
Create
Draft outputs using the sources you’ve collected. Otio helps you to go from the reading list to the first draft faster. Along with this, Otio also enables you to write research papers/essays faster.
Here are our top features that researchers love: AI-generated notes on all bookmarks (Youtube videos, PDFs, articles, etc.), Otio enabling you to chat with individual links or entire knowledge bases, just like you chat with ChatGPT, and AI-assisted writing.
Let Otio be your AI research and writing partner — try Otio for free today!
2. Supporting Student Research with Graphic Organizers from Teachers Pay Teachers
These research graphic organizers will help your students form strong note-taking habits, organize findings, build vocabulary, and keep track of the sources they use to find information. TPT has various templates for research note-taking graphic organizers. You can also find some free templates on TPT.
3. Download a Research Note Taking Template from Education.com
Students will use this graphic organizer template in the first step of their research process, honing note-taking skills as they document their sources, pick out relevant information from resources, and concisely record essential details. After gathering information, students will be prompted to reflect and draw conclusions about their research. Geared toward students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, this worksheet is a helpful way to get learners in the habit of citing sources and preparing for the next steps in the writing process. You can easily download the worksheet from their website.
4. Use This Research Note-Taking Organizer from Loyala Marymount University
Loyala Marymount Univeristy provides a free note-taking graphic organizer PDF that you can download for all your research notes. Click here to check it out!
5. Avoid Plagiarism with This Research Notes Graphic Organizer from Twinkle
Use this research notes graphic organizer to help students as they research for a project or essay. This resource allows students to keep track of where their information is coming from to help avoid plagiarism. They have a wide variety of note-taking graphic organizers for students.
6. Get Organized with This Note-Taking Graphic Organizer from Teach Starter
Use this teaching resource when students are required to take notes from a particular source of information, e.g., a nonfiction book, a website, a podcast, or a video clip. Students can record the main idea, essential vocabulary, and essential information in the table. There is also space to summarize the text and list the source of the information. Use the drop-down menu to choose between the PDF or Google slide versions.
What Are The 5 Types of Graphic Organizers?
1. Circle Map Graphic Organizer: Brainstorming Made Easy
The circle map graphic organizer is an excellent tool for brainstorming an idea or topic using related information. A circle map consists of a large circle with another circle inside, where the main subject or idea takes center stage. Surrounding it is the larger circle, where corresponding ideas flow. As the second circle fills up, connections and definitions grow organically and visually. In the second circle, any wording, including nouns, adjectives, or phrases, can define the main idea.
Circle maps are great for brainstorming the very beginning of an idea. You can use it on a whiteboard for a group brainstorming session. With the help of a circle map, great ideas can begin to take shape and eventually become complete and complex plans. You can also use a circle map with a newly created team to get the ball rolling. If the team members don’t know each other very well, a circle map exercise can break the ice and get them to open up about their ideas. Use the interior circle to ask, “What do we want to achieve with this project?” and watch the interaction flourish.
2. Idea Web Graphic Organizer: Easy Comparison of Concepts
The ideal web graphic organizer is a combination of two spider maps. It's a comparison organizer that defines differences and similarities between topics. In an idea web, the two central circles contain the main ideas. Stemming out from both are circles of two types. The two first-stemmed circles contain shared similarities. Towards the sides are the circles that define the differences. This type of organizer is perfect for situations in which concepts or ideas need a visual comparison.
School students use idea webs for courses like Language Arts. They compare characters, situations, and parts of the story, making it all easier to grasp. Another situation in which an idea map could help make decisions. If you have to choose between two solutions to a problem or an idea, we can help you decide. By comparing and contrasting visually, the option becomes more apparent.
In the same way, an idea web can be a slide inside a presentation. It can show a comparison between concepts. Idea webs can also work well as infographics. The layout of the circles doesn’t need to follow a strict grid. Get creative with organizing the circles as long as they're still understandable.
3. Concept Map Graphic Organizer: Understanding One Topic at a Time
The concept map is very similar to an idea web. This graphic organizer can analyze one topic instead of two or more topics at once. A concept map and an idea web look very similar, with circles stemming from the center. The difference is that an idea web is for comparing, while a concept map is for brainstorming and organizing. Concept maps sometimes stem out in so many directions that they look complicated.
These graphic organizers are suitable for many stages of content production, from the messy brainstorming stage to the more structured hierarchical organization. This type of organizational chart usually ends up very large and complex. It's more suited for personal use than for an infographic or presentation. Although, a concept map is sometimes used for data visualizations that show connections between topics.
4. Organizational Chart Graphic Organizer: Visualizing Hierarchy
Although it resembles a tree chart, an organizational chart has a different purpose. A tree chart separates information into sections that stem from each other as classification, while an organizational chart is more about hierarchy. The most common use for an organizational chart is for internal company purposes. It can help visually organize the founders' positions and everyone who comes after. The sections at the top of the chart are for the CEO, CFO, etc. Below them are the managers and so on in hierarchical order. The same system can be used to visualize a team inside a company.
5. Cause and Effect Map Graphic Organizer: Understanding Complex Events
The cause and effect map helps determine the causes and effects of certain events. The way to use it is to start with a main event, which fills the main central section of the map. From the main section, other connected shapes stem out to the left and right. The shapes to the left represent the causes that helped the event happen. The shapes to the right are the effects of the chosen event. Sometimes, an effect can also become a cause, creating a feedback loop. This graphic organizer can help show how something is achieved using the causes functionality. For example, "Be more productive" can be the main event.
Some causes on each side could be spending less time on social media or using a calendar or timer. Another way to use a cause-and-effect map is to predict the outcome of a particular event. For example, "Move the office to a bigger place downtown" can be the main event. To predict possible effects, connect shapes to the right of the main event and fill them in. Some of the impacts could be that it would be a longer commute or we would be closer to networking events.
The cause and effect map can also be combined with a sequence of events chain.
This way, you can progress towards a cause or a succession of events after an effect. You could make a combined cause-and-effect map with a sequence of events chains for flipping a house. The main event would be "Flipping a House." The causes could include looking for a new investment, buying an old home, or seeing a great investment opportunity. The cause-and-effect map is one of the most versatile of all graphic organizers.
How To Write A Research Note
1. Stay on Track with a Clear Focus: Define Your Research Goals
Before taking notes, take some time to define your research goals. What information are you hoping to find? As you read and make notes, keep returning to your original purpose. It’s okay for your goals to change as you conduct your research, but having a clear direction will help you stay organized and avoid getting lost in the details.
2. Organize Your Research Notes for Easy Access
Effective note-taking begins long before you start writing. Set up a folder for your research and label it clearly. As you find articles, books, and other sources, save them in your folder to keep your research organized. If you’re using digital files, create subfolders to categorize your sources and save your digital files frequently. Make sure to label all files clearly. This will help you locate information quickly when it’s time to write.
3. Summarize Key Information in Your Own Words
Taking point-form notes in your own words will help you better understand your research and avoid plagiarism. Include your thoughts and analysis about the reading. This will help you make connections to your work and develop original ideas. Be sure to note references and page numbers for all sources so you can cite them properly in your writing.
4. Wait for the Right Moment to Take Notes
As you read, it’s tempting to start taking notes immediately when you come across interesting information. Instead, wait for breaks in the text—such as paragraphs, sub-sections, or chapters—before summarizing the author’s ideas. Then, go back to the specific details you wish to include. This will help you process the information and understand how it fits into your work.
5. Review Your Notes and Summarize Key Points
Once you have finished the whole text, review your notes and summarize the key points and how they relate to your work. This will help reinforce your understanding of the material and make incorporating your research into your writing easier.
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Supercharge Your Researching Ability With Otio — Try Otio for Free Today
Researching for a paper or project can quickly get overwhelming. You will find countless articles, papers, videos, websites, and other sources as you search for information. Before you know it, hundreds of potential resources are saved to various platforms, and your brain is overloaded. Collecting and organizing research is a critical step in writing any paper, but the task can be daunting with the sheer volume of information available today.
Otio can help you calm the research chaos with a centralized platform for collecting, organizing, and writing research papers. Instead of getting lost in a maze of digital files and notes, you can use Otio to create a smooth workflow that helps you get from reading to writing quickly.
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