Note-Taking for Lectures Overview

Importance of effective note taking
Note taking tools
Critical Thinking
Approaches to note taking
Colour coding your notes & assignment structure
Organising your notes

Importance of Effective Note Taking

As a third level student, it is essential to develop effective note-taking skills to make sure that you get the most out of the time that you spend reading. Your reading requirements will become more extensive, and may, in turn, become a bit confusing and cluttered. Hence, it is well worth your while to spend time writing effective notes that will save you time down the research and writing track.

Good note taking will record the useful information which helps you do the following:

Increases topic understanding
Sharpens concise academic writing skills
Strengthens critical thinking skills
Deepens understanding of complex concepts
Exam preparation

Note Taking Tools

When reading academic material, two methods will help you to deepen your understanding of the text: Paraphrasing and Summarising

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is basically your own version of information or ideas expressed by someone else and you have presented them in a new form or way. That means you should be rethinking other people’s ideas and arguments! This is essential when taking notes for academic reading. It is important to know that if you plan to present a paraphrased version of somebody else's work, it must include a citation and reference! Below is a step-by-step guide to make sure you are correctly paraphrasing other people's work:

Identify key words
Write main argument/main point of paragraph in your own words
Use ‘layman’s language’ if you wish and you can ‘polish’ later
Comparision: Compare your text to the original text and ask yourself, “Does this reflect the original material?” If it does - you have successfully paraphrased! Remember, this is NOT your idea, even though these are your own words. So, if you are using this information in an essay, you MUST reference it

Summary

Brief account of main points in original text
Remove excess information
Much shorter than original text

Critical Thinking

Critical thinking skills are essential elements of a logical and coherent argument
Thinking critically when reading allows us to evaluate and identify relevant material

Approaches to Note-Taking

Organisation is key and it will help with the completion of assignments. You should separate your reading notes from your lecture notes, both on your PC or if they are in paperback form. Highlighting randomly will NOT help you remember.

It can be difficult to filter through and use your notes during the writing process. If a certain sentence or paragraph from your reading sounds good or it explains your entire argument, it does not mean you have to take it down. Noting down everything will make your structuring and write-up experience more difficult since you may have too many notes. Being overly reliant on notes or quotes will also show the lecturer that you may not understand the material fully if you are using others work to make your argument. The key to making efficient notes for the write-up is by using a planning template.

There are many planning templates online, but whichever system you use, make sure to stick to it and make it part of your planning process. You could also try following the example below which shows an effective way of planning the structure of your essay.

Downloadable handout of 'Essay Planning Template'

Colour Coding your Notes & Assignment Structure

Colour coding allows for

Each colour to serve as a form of mental shorthand
Giving context to the material you are reading
Which allows for you to process it more efficiently and with a deeper understanding

Colour Coding Tips

Take notes first, colour code afterwards
Assignment questions will help you break readings down into specific topics
The colours will help break your notes into blocks that relate to these specific topics
This will help you to begin planning out an answer to an assignment and structure your paragraphs

Plannign Assignment Structure

Once notes are completed and colour coded, it is easier to create an assignment structure. The 3-step ‘tell us’ approach can be helpful here:

Tell us what you will tell us

How are you going to answer the question?
What will your thesis statement and argument be?

Tell us the main points

How are you going to snswer all points related to the question and/or assignment topic?

Tell us how you have answered the question

How did you support your thesis statement and/or argument?
What is your conclusion?

Organising your Notes

Mind Mapping

One basic principle of mind mapping is that you start on a blank paper or digital canvas instead of lined paper. The subject (e.g. essay question) goes to the centre of the canvas, where it’s always clearly visible and this should help your train of thought to stay on track.

Colour coding your notes can break them down into ideas which can then be linked to spider diagrams or planning templates; for example, colour coding the bubbles and ideas as shown above. The information in these bubbles can become your paragraph ideas. This will help you plan writing in a more effective way.

Topic bubbles represent paragraphs. They help you to figure out what information you already have for each main point, and what you might need to research further.

Reminder: Save your Files!!!

Note-taking for Academic Reading