Noodletools History Fair Instructions

Noodletools History Fair Instructions

Logging In

1. Go to

2. Once in NoodleTools, enter your Personal ID and Password if you are a returning user. If you are a new user, click “Create a Personal ID.” Put a check in the “I am a student or library patron” button. You must now choose a Personal ID and Password you will remember. The password must be 6 or more characters long. Finally, enter the last four digits of your phone number, and then click “Register.”

Your My Projects Page

After logging in, you will see your My Projects page. This page provides you with a view of all the projects that you have created in NoodleTools. The first time you open your My Projects page, it will be empty.

Create a New Project

To create a new list, click the “Create a New Project” button on your My Lists page. On the Create a New Project screen, you must provide some information before NoodleTools allows you to begin a list:

Step #1: Choose the list style and version. You will not be able to switch between MLA, APA, and Chicago/Turabian format later. For this class, always choose MLA style

Step #2: At the bottom of the page, click “Create Project.”

Step #3: You can then click the link to “Works Cited” and begin citing your sources.

Creating a Citation

At the top of the next page, you will find the text “Cite a:” followed by a dropdown list that contains all of the citation types available. To create a citation, complete the following steps:

1. Make a selection from the dropdown list next to “Cite a:” for the source type you wish to cite and click “Create Citation.”

2. On the form with the empty boxes for entering information, fill in as many details about your source as you can locate.

3. At the end is the option to fill in an annotation, for History Fair ALWAYS fill out an annotation.

An annotation should be 2 complete sentences (at least 30 words) including: 1-explanation of what the source was, 2- a date ONLY if it is primary, 3- tie it to the theme or how you will use it in your project. Make sure you use correct grammar.

Name Fields

NoodleTools allows you to add any number of authors, editors, and other contributors to your citation. To add a name, enter the first, middle and last name, then a suffix, like Jr., if your author has one in his name. Then click the Add button. If you make a mistake, you can click on the name in the list and click the Remove Selected button to remove it. If you are citing a corporate author or the name of a group (ex: American Medical Association, The Grateful Dead, etc.), enter the entire name in the last name or group/corporation field and leave the other fields blank. Then click the Add button.

Checking for Errors

Click the Check for Errors button at the bottom of the citation form before you generate a citation. To check for errors on your citation list, please follow these steps:

1. Fill in form fields with as much detail as possible, including all required fields.

2. Click Check for Errors at the bottom of the form.

3. The form will reload with the words “Error check complete” in red at the top.

4. Scroll down the form slowly, looking for red error messages.

5. Follow the directions to correct any mistakes.

6. Click Update Citation when satisfied.

Citing a Research Database

If your source to cite is from a research database (ex: Historical Newspapers), NoodleTools has the names of all Montford Library’s research databases built in to its system. Therefore, as you type in the name of the database you used when prompted, NoodleTools will bring up a list of the databases that match the information you provided. If you are not sure of the exact name of the database you used, you can enter a partial name (ex: Academic Search).

Before You Print

You will changed it from saying ‘Works Cited’ to ‘Annotated List of Works Consulted’. Click on ‘Print/Export’ drop down menu. Click on ‘Annotated List of Works Consulted’. You must be in MLA Advanced version of Noodletools.

Now, divide primary and secondary sources. You can do this by checking the box and going all the way down to the bottom and clicking on ‘select attribute’. Click all of the primary sources and click the drop down menu to select primary sources. Click apply. Do the same thing for your secondary sources.

Then go back up to the top of the page to sort your sources by primary and secondary. Click the sort drop down menu and click on ‘primary, secondary’. If you didn’t assign if they were primary or secondary, they won’t show up. If you are missing some sources, simply go back to the alphabetic list.

Printing Lists and Adding Page Headers

When you are satisfied that your source list is accurate and complete, you can import it into a word processing program. To print your works cited or reference page, open the list you want to print, unless you already have it open and completed. Click the Print button within NoodleTools, not the one in the Windows Toolbar. Once you are ready to print your works cited page, scroll down and click on “Export and Print.” On the next screen, if the pop-up box to open and print your list doesn’t appear make sure you don’t have any pop up blockers for your internet browser.