Overview
A source citation notebook keeps research from becoming a memory pile. It separates what a source says, where the source lives, what the researcher thinks it might mean, and what question should come next.
What this helps you learn
- Good notes prevent a clue from turning into an unsupported claim.
- Citation fields make Community Notes and Fact Checks easier to review.
- Open questions become productive when they are tied to the next source set.
Careful claims
- Do not paste long copyrighted passages into public notes.
- Do not mix transcript, summary, and interpretation without labels.
- Do not include private details about living people in a public notebook excerpt.
Research path
- Use four columns: source, exact clue, interpretation, and next check.
- Add repository, collection, title, date, page or image, URL if available, and access date.
- Move any sentence without a source into open questions before publishing.
Source trail
- FOBA Editorial Standards – Internal evidence and claim-status labels.
- FOBA Safe Sharing – Privacy guardrails for public collaboration.
Evidence note: This starter entry is educational. Add sources, dates, maps, Community Notes, and Fact Checks as research develops.