Reading and note-taking

Note-taking is an important part of successful study and learning. It helps you organise what you read or hear and turn it into your own understanding. Good note-taking makes it easier to move between reading and writing because you can capture key ideas in your own words and connect information from different sources.

In brief, to take good notes, you should:

Always keep accurate records of what you read for referencing. Include details like the author, date, title and source. One way to do this is by using a reference management tool such as EndNote.

Strategies

Good notes are useful notes. They help you move from the information you get in lectures and readings to showing your knowledge in an assignment.

So, how do you take good, useful notes? It depends on your learning style. There are many ways to take notes. We will explain a few methods, but if these do not suit you, check out #studyspo for more ideas and inspiration.

All note-taking styles share some common features. When you record your notes:

  • Keep your assignment question and thesis statement (if you have one) in mind as you read and take notes. This will help you focus on the most useful information.
  • Write notes in your own words instead of copying word for word from the source. This helps you understand the content and helps with paraphrasing later, reducing the risk of accidental plagiarism. Your notes are for you only, so they don’t need to be in perfect academic English.
  • Think about other sources you have read and note any links or disagreements between them. This will help you synthesise in your writing.
  • Always record the details of the source for your reference list (and so you can find it again).

Watch this short video for 10 tips!



Let’s look at three note-taking strategies: Cornell note taking, mind mapping, and the outlining method.

Cornell note-taking

The Cornell note-taking method focuses on an individual source, and provides structure to the note-taking process. It gives you the opportunity to record key information from the source, pose questions to yourself and write a summary in your own words.

Method:

  1. You need a piece of paper (see example below), a whiteboard, or use our Word template: Cornell template [DOCX, 16kB]
  2. Divide your space into three sections: an area for Notes, a smaller area for Questions, and a section for a Summary.
  3. Use the Notes section to write down facts, definitions, important details, and anything else that stands out. Also write down if you find any connections or differences with other readings.
  4. Use the Questions section to write questions for yourself. Later, you can test your understanding by covering your notes and trying to answer these questions. You can also write down questions about things you still need to clarify, research further, or think about more.
  5. Use the Summary section to write the main ideas of the article in your own words without looking at the article. Try to only write a few sentences. This helps make sure that you are using your own words and that you understand the article.

Example: An example of the Cornell method

Mind mapping

Mind mapping is a way of taking notes visually which shows how ideas are connected. You can use it to record notes from one source or to link ideas from several sources. Mind mapping is useful for planning assessments because it helps you identify the main ideas for your paragraphs and the readings that you can use as evidence to support those ideas.

Method (for notes for one article):

  1. Write the main idea from an article in the centre of a blank page and draw a circle around it.
  2. Find the main concepts and write them around the main idea. Draw lines to connect them back to the centre.
  3. Under each concept, write important facts, definitions, or anything else related to that concept.
  4. Show links between ideas by drawing lines to connect them.

Method (for summarising multiple sources)

  1. Write your assignment question in the centre of the page and draw a circle around it.
  2. Around this circle, write the main ideas or concepts you want to include in your assignment. Draw circles around these too.
  3. Under each idea, write important facts, supporting sources, and any statistics or research you plan to use.

Example: An example of mind-mapping

The outline method

The outline method is a structured way to take notes. It organises information into main ideas and supporting details using formatting on the page. Your notes will look like this:

  • Main idea or topic
    • Sub-topic or idea that supports the main topic
      • Supporting fact, evidence or thought related to the main idea.
      • Supporting fact, evidence or thought related to the main idea.
      • Supporting fact, evidence or thought related to the main idea.
    • Another sub-topic or idea that supports the main topic
    • …

Method:

  1. Read the source carefully before you start taking notes. This helps you find the main points.
  2. Write your first main idea as a bullet point.
  3. Add supporting ideas underneath, using a new bullet point for each one. Move these points further from the left margin so you can easily see which are main ideas and which are supporting ideas. Keep notes short—about one sentence per point. It does not need to be a full sentence, just write what works for you.
  4. Add more details if needed, always moving each new level further from the left margin.

Example: An example of the outline method

Synthesising

Good notes also help you with synthesising information.

Note-taking strategies help you find information from a source that is useful for your assignment. They allow you to focus on the most relevant details and start changing the author’s words into your own. These strategies also help you see the bigger picture by combining what you have read with what you learned in lectures and your own ideas. This process of putting information together is called synthesising. It helps you make connections and build a more complete understanding of the topic.

When you synthesise, you look for connections in the research, such as common findings or ideas. You also notice where there are differences or contrasting views. Making these connections is an important step as you prepare to write your assignment. For more details, see the writing guide.

Planning your assignment

Good notes also help you with planning your assessment.

You can use your notes to start bringing your information together. As you notice how your sources connect, begin thinking about how they will fit together in your assignment. You can start planning the structure and create an outline using your notes.

Your notes can help you consider:

  • How many paragraphs your assignment might need
  • The number of sections required
  • Any quotes or statistics you may want to include

As you organise your ideas and make your plan, you can also start writing the main elements of your assignment, such as your introduction or topic sentences for your paragraphs.