So I need advice with researching for a upper level course paper. Specifically, a good order/process. I have really good secondary sources and several really good leads on primary sources to use. What I'm struggling with is figuring out a good system to take the detailed notes for a professional quality work of history.

The process I was using was going through the books and underlining key points. Then I figured I could go back through and find the important information for my research question and maybe make a list or something? This is where I am getting confused. I feel like this isn't a productive system. But idk.

What's stressing me out I guess is feeling that I'm either wasting time going through the books too much or that I'm missing a step. Like I want to be able to have my question, find some general survey books to read first then some articles and more specific deeper history books, these can help lead to primary sources, then with all the secondary and primary sources use the I can somehow record the important information, then somehow be able to see these details in a way that I can easily compare them to each other and use them to come to my own conclusions.

If my wording above is confusing basically I'm looking for if anybody has an order and process when approaching collecting the information and how to note it when approaching writing a history paper/work.

Thank you for any help given!