How to make notes

Note making at university 

Whatever it is that you are studying, you will need to filter and manage a vast wealth of information to arrive at your own understanding of any problem with which you are presented.

Choosing when and how to take notes is one crucial part of this work of filtering. Taking clear and manageable notes is a good way to save yourself time and effort in the longer term.

Active note taking will also help you to understand, recall and represent ideas, concepts and information in a range of different ways, which can help with the recall and synthesis of material.

Different people find different note-taking strategies suit them best, so experiment and develop a systematic approach that works for you. The following are some techniques that you may wish to try out.

Digital or paper notes?

Do you use a notebook and pen or do you take notes on a laptop or device? There are both advantages and disadvantages to each:

Paper notes

Taking notes on a sheet of paper is a physical and tactile process that allows you to be creative and dynamic in your approach. You may also find it easier to recall information that you have recorded physically on paper (Umejima, Iberaki et al, 2021). However, be aware of the following pitfalls:

• Paper notes can easily get lost or misplaced. Make sure you have a good system in place for filing them.
• Pay attention to your handwriting as you may need to refer back to your notes months after you have written them.
• Notes can get messy, so make sure you give some thought to how you are going to organise your notes and make use of colour, etc.

Digital notes

Taking notes digitally can help you to keep them organised and allow you to return to and search and edit them as your thinking develops. You can add comments and notes to yourself and you can use the full range of formatting tools available. However there are some issues to be aware of:

• You will need to organise your digital notes just as you do your paper notes using a system of folders.
• You may want to print your notes off to use for revision to allow you to more easily read them and annotate them.
• Be sure to use cloud services like Google Docs or to back up your notes so that you don’t lose access to them.

There is no single best way to make notes. Experiment with your own approach to note taking and find out what works for you.

Cornell method

The Cornell Method provides a simple way to create a set of indexed and easily accessible notes to refer back to when you are revising or working on an assignment. 

First, divide your page into three with a wide left-hand margin and a bottom bar (you can also use this template if you are taking Cornell notes digitally). While you are reading or in class, take notes in the right-hand (further notes) column, using your usual techniques.

When you have completed the reading or the class, pick out keywords based on the notes in the right-hand column. Write these in the left-hand (cue) column. Writing these keywords helps to clarify meanings, reveal relationships and summarise information.

Cover the note taking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the keywords in the left-hand column only, use the space at the bottom of the page to summarise the most important information.

Reflect on the material by asking yourself questions. For example: Does my summary match the notes in the right-hand column? Does the information make sense? Are there any gaps in my understanding? Do I need to do any further reading?

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Note taking techniques

The following are some common strategies to help you get the most out of the notes you take during your lectures and reading.

Smart wisdom

Listen for keywords and place them in a chain. Drop unimportant words, eg "Is it suitable for my way of thinking and my day-to-day job?"

Then put the words in a chain – use joins to replace the dropped words, eg suitable-way-thinking, day-day-job?

Colour coding and formatting

Try to use a variety of colours, highlighting, bullet points, bold text and underlining in your notes to organise your thoughts and emphasise key points.

This can help to make your notes more visually interesting and easier to find key information when you return to them later. Studies even suggest that using warm colours for your note-taking improves concentration and memory (Dzulifki and Mustafar, 2013).

Mind mapping or concept mapping

Mind mapping takes advantage of how the human brain processes information both visually and textually to reinforce your retention of information. 

It also provides a visual way to establish connections between concepts and ideas. 

Some simple principles to apply to your mind mapping are as follows:

• Start in the centre of the page and build up a network of facts, information and ideas.
• Use a variety of colours and illustrate with doodles and images if possible.
• Be bold and creative!

Find out more on our mind mapping webpage.

Book a reading and note taking workshop which introduces you to the different approaches and techniques you will need to take towards your reading and note taking strategies and techniques.

Book here

Attend a short course in academic reading and writing to build on reading skills including note making.

More information

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Top Tips 

• Be concise: keep to the point and use abbreviations and bullet points rather than full sentences when appropriate.
• Keep it readable: OK, you can read it now, but will it be readable later today? Tomorrow? Next week? Think about your handwriting and space material out on the page.
• Be organised: include references cited or suggested by your lecturers, make sure your structure is easy to follow and be sure to store your notes somewhere safe afterwards.

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Next steps 

• How to write in an academic style
• How to revise effectively

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Further Resources

• Open University Note taking techniques resource page