Using NoodleToolsUsing NoodleTools

A complete citation, notecard, A complete citation, notecard, and outlining tooland outlining tool

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About this TutorialAbout this Tutorial

This tutorial will walk you through the This tutorial will walk you through the steps of creating a project with steps of creating a project with NoodleTools.NoodleTools.– To move on in the program, click the NEXT To move on in the program, click the NEXT

button. If you need to go back, use the button. If you need to go back, use the navigation in the bottom left corner to navigation in the bottom left corner to select a slide.select a slide.

– After each section, you will have the After each section, you will have the option to move ahead or return to the option to move ahead or return to the main menu.main menu.

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Choose a Topic BelowChoose a Topic Below

Starting a ProjectStarting a Project

Managing SourcesManaging Sources

Creating Creating NotecardsNotecards

From From NotecardsNotecards to Outline to Outline

Drafting Your PaperDrafting Your Paper

Starting a ProjectStarting a Project

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Step One: Logging InStep One: Logging In

1.1. Access Access NoodleTools NoodleTools from the from the library’s library’s Source Source CitationCitation page. page.

2.2. Enter your login Enter your login information.information.

• Personal ID = Personal ID = 10-digit 10-digit student student numbernumber

• Password = Password = blazerblazer

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Create a New ProjectCreate a New Project

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Citation Style and TitleCitation Style and Title

Choose a citation style and give your Choose a citation style and give your paper a name.paper a name.

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The DashboardThe DashboardClick to see the different parts of the dashboard.Click to see the different parts of the dashboard.

The Dashboard shows general information about your project and its various components.

This is where you will add your research question and thesis statement.

Access the different parts of your project—the bibliography, notecards, outline, and paper—here.

When you share your project with others, they can leave comments, which will appear here. You can create a list of

tasks and due dates for yourself by clicking here.

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Managing SourcesManaging Sources

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Creating a New Creating a New CitationCitationWhen you begin looking at a research When you begin looking at a research source, create a citation for it so you can source, create a citation for it so you can keep track of where different information keep track of where different information in your paper comes from.in your paper comes from.

Begin by selecting the type of resource from the pull-down menu, then answer any additional questions about your source. This will help NoodleTools choose the right type of citation.

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Filling in the CitationFilling in the Citation

The pattern for your citation The pattern for your citation is color-coded so you can is color-coded so you can see what it will look like.see what it will look like.Enter the information about Enter the information about your research source into your research source into the spaces provided. the spaces provided. You may not have You may not have information for every field, information for every field, but you should have entries but you should have entries in in mostmost fields. fields.When you are done, click When you are done, click .. then then

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Adding Additional Adding Additional InformationInformation

You can choose to add additional You can choose to add additional information about the research source in information about the research source in the “Annotation” field.the “Annotation” field.

This is required for an annotated This is required for an annotated bibliography, and can help you to keep bibliography, and can help you to keep track of the format and general track of the format and general characteristics of each source in case characteristics of each source in case you want to refer to them later.you want to refer to them later.

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Creating NotecardsCreating Notecards

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What are notecards?What are notecards?

In the olden days of research, In the olden days of research, you kept track of your sources you kept track of your sources and the facts you found in each and the facts you found in each one on handwritten notecards.one on handwritten notecards.

These could then be spread out These could then be spread out on a tabletop and sorted into on a tabletop and sorted into piles to represent the different piles to represent the different parts of a paper, as well as to parts of a paper, as well as to remind the researcher which remind the researcher which source each idea came from.source each idea came from.

Citation managers take care of Citation managers take care of all of these things for you, all of these things for you, eliminating the need for eliminating the need for handwritten cards.handwritten cards.

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Open a new NotecardOpen a new Notecard

When you’re ready to take some notes When you’re ready to take some notes from a research source, click “new” from a research source, click “new” under Notecards next to that source.under Notecards next to that source.

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New NotecardNew Notecard

Give your notecard a name that will help you remember what information is there.

Adding a URL will create a link back to the original source from your notecard.

You can add tags to help you later when you are sorting cards. After you add tags to a card, you can choose from the dropdown menu to give other notecards the same tag.

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Direct QuotationsDirect Quotations

Pull direct quotations from Pull direct quotations from your source and paste to the your source and paste to the dialog box. You can also add dialog box. You can also add pictures from electronic pictures from electronic resources.resources.

If formatting is a problem, If formatting is a problem, you have a text-only option you have a text-only option for pasting.for pasting.

The text box has many of the The text box has many of the same features as a word same features as a word processor—find and replace, processor—find and replace, different font styles, various different font styles, various text alignments, special text alignments, special characters, and highlighting characters, and highlighting text.text.

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ParaphraseParaphrase

Take another look at Take another look at the section you just the section you just copied to your copied to your notecard, and put it into notecard, and put it into your own words. Try to your own words. Try to give as complete a give as complete a rundown as possible. rundown as possible.

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Further QuestionsFurther Questions

The last text box asks The last text box asks you to think about the you to think about the information you’ve information you’ve found.found.

– What does it mean for What does it mean for your research? your research?

– Why is it important? Why is it important? – Does it reveal any Does it reveal any

other ideas that need other ideas that need to be researched? to be researched?

– How does this connect How does this connect to other information to other information you’ve already found?you’ve already found?

You can highlight, You can highlight, underline, or italicize underline, or italicize points you know you want points you know you want to come back to.to come back to.

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Viewing Notecards Viewing Notecards from the Citation Listfrom the Citation List

From the source list, click “show” to view summaries of all From the source list, click “show” to view summaries of all notes for that source. Click “hide” to remove these from view.notes for that source. Click “hide” to remove these from view.

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From Notecards to From Notecards to OutlineOutline

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The TabletopThe TabletopClick to see the different parts of the tabletop.Click to see the different parts of the tabletop.

This is the tabletop, where you can see the different This is the tabletop, where you can see the different threads of your research all at the same time.threads of your research all at the same time.

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You can sort your cards in this area, putting them in groups.

When you’ve sorted your notecards, use this window to set up your outline.

If two notecards provide information about the same concept, you can put them together in a pile.

This box holds any new notecards you haven’t yet put onto the table.

If you have more notecards than can be seen at one time, this box shows you which area of the tabletop you are looking at.

Organizing NotecardsOrganizing Notecards

The simplest way to sort your The simplest way to sort your notecards is by dragging notecards is by dragging them around the tabletop. them around the tabletop. Hold the cursor over a Hold the cursor over a notecard to see its full title notecard to see its full title and a short summary. and a short summary. Double-click to edit the Double-click to edit the notecard.notecard.

You can put similar cards You can put similar cards together, or even drag a card together, or even drag a card on top of another one to on top of another one to create a pile. Holding the create a pile. Holding the cursor over a stack will cursor over a stack will remind you which cards are remind you which cards are in that pile.in that pile.

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Tagging NotecardsTagging Notecards

It’s easy to add visual It’s easy to add visual cues to your cues to your notecards, too.notecards, too.

CTRL-click to select a CTRL-click to select a notecard, then pull notecard, then pull down the Tags menu. down the Tags menu. From there, you can From there, you can color-code, change color-code, change tags, or add visual tags, or add visual cues to help you keep cues to help you keep track of your track of your information. You can information. You can add multiple colors or add multiple colors or visual cues to each visual cues to each notecard.notecard.

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Creating the outlineCreating the outline

Creating an outline will Creating an outline will help you to organize the help you to organize the parts of your paper into a parts of your paper into a clear and logical order.clear and logical order.

Create your outline using Create your outline using the outline toolbar. With the outline toolbar. With the buttons, you can add a the buttons, you can add a heading, make a heading heading, make a heading into a subheading, move into a subheading, move headings up and down, headings up and down, delete a heading, or print delete a heading, or print the entire outline.the entire outline.

Double-click to change the Double-click to change the names of the different names of the different sections.sections.

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Adding SupportAdding Support

Drag notecards over to the appropriate sections of Drag notecards over to the appropriate sections of the outline. Use the up/down button to change the the outline. Use the up/down button to change the order of the notecards.order of the notecards.

Notecards that have been added will show a check Notecards that have been added will show a check mark in the upper corner.mark in the upper corner.

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Printing the OutlinePrinting the Outline

When your outline is finished, you have When your outline is finished, you have several options for publishing. You can print several options for publishing. You can print the outline with or without the information the outline with or without the information from your notecards, or convert the outline from your notecards, or convert the outline to a file type that you can edit with a word to a file type that you can edit with a word processor.processor.

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Drafting Your PaperDrafting Your Paper

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Exporting the OutlineExporting the Outline

In the Outline In the Outline window, choose the window, choose the Print button.Print button.

Select the Convert Select the Convert to RTF option. to RTF option. Rather than Rather than sending a sending a document to the document to the printer, this option printer, this option will convert your will convert your outline to a format outline to a format that can be read by that can be read by a word processor.a word processor.

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Export OptionsExport Options

You can include or You can include or exclude many of the exclude many of the elements of your elements of your notecards. You will notecards. You will probably want to include probably want to include at least the page at least the page numbers, quotations, numbers, quotations, paraphrases, and your paraphrases, and your own ideas. These will own ideas. These will help you write your help you write your paragraphs and cite the paragraphs and cite the sources correctly sources correctly without having to refer without having to refer back to your notecards back to your notecards while you are writing.while you are writing.

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Open Your OutlineOpen Your Outline

You will have the option to either You will have the option to either save your file or open it immediately.save your file or open it immediately.

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Now What?Now What?

When you open your When you open your outline, it will look like outline, it will look like this. You have several this. You have several options from this point:options from this point:– Open a new document Open a new document

for your draft and click for your draft and click back and forth as you back and forth as you write.write.

– Begin typing Begin typing paragraphs or parts of paragraphs or parts of paragraphs directly paragraphs directly into the outline.into the outline.

– Reformat the Reformat the document into a Word document into a Word outline and type outline and type paragraphs right into paragraphs right into it.it.

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Typing Typing Straight Into Straight Into the Outlinethe Outline

If you choose to If you choose to draft your draft your paragraphs directly paragraphs directly into the outline, you into the outline, you can make it easier can make it easier to tell the draft from to tell the draft from the outline bythe outline by– Eliminating extra line Eliminating extra line

spacingsspacings– Color-codingColor-coding– HighlightingHighlighting– Using different fontsUsing different fonts

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Google DocsGoogle Docs

One of the best places to put your draft is on One of the best places to put your draft is on Google Docs. You will need a Google account Google Docs. You will need a Google account to do this.to do this.

The advantages to using Google Docs for The advantages to using Google Docs for storing your files are:storing your files are:– Files are accessible from any web-connected Files are accessible from any web-connected

computer.computer.– You only have one version of the file floating around—You only have one version of the file floating around—

no more figuring out which is the one you were no more figuring out which is the one you were working on last time.working on last time.

– A full-featured, built-in word processor means you can A full-featured, built-in word processor means you can edit your file on a computer that doesn’t have Word, edit your file on a computer that doesn’t have Word, or open your file no matter what program or version or open your file no matter what program or version you have.you have.

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You’re Done!You’re Done!

Press to exit the tutorial.Press to exit the tutorial.