How to take notes

One of the most important, if underestimated skills at university, is taking notes effectively. Whether in the lecture hall or the library, efficient notetaking can give you a real advantage as you prepare to write your term papers or a thesis. Here are some top tips to help you refine the process:

1.  Less is more

If you’re listening to a lecture, it is easy to become a dictation machine who just writes down everything the lecturer says. While the motivation behind this is understandable, it has two major flaws: one, your unlikely to actually listen to what the lecturer is saying; and, your unlikely to ever read through all those notes again in the future (when you actually need them to write your papers). Whether hearing a lecturer or reading an academic article, try to carefully discern what is actually relevant and what you will use in a few weeks or even months time.

2.  Always reference your notes

You do not need to provide a full citation but make sure you always make it clear to yourself where you got your notes from. For example, if you’re taking down notes from a book, put the title and edition of the book at the top, and then for each quotation make sure to include the page number(s). That way, if you ever need to consult the material again or reference it in your essay, you don’t have to waste time leafing through long books! 

3.  Structure is king

Whether you like to colour code or sub-divide your notes with different headings, finding some way of providing order and logic to your notes will make it much easier for you to understand the thought processes that went behind writing them and how different pieces connect together. This way, when you check your notes again in the future you will be able to easily see how your research all connects together.