Note making
Section Outline:
1. Making notes in lectures
2. Making notes from texts
3. Note-making styles
Making notes is an important activity and can help bridge the gap between your own thinking and
the subject matter you are taught on your course.
Note Making:
Aids understanding and can help you to see where things fit
Provides future reference of information which you may use at a later date
Helps ideas to flow
Helps your memory by summarising knowledge in a visual way
1. Making notes in lectures
Before the lecture
It is important to be prepared for lectures. If relevant, reading through the notes from the
previous lecture may help your recall and engagement with the next lecture. Printing off any
relevant notes/slides posted on the learning space for your lecture and reading part or all of
them beforehand will also aid your understanding and engagement. Your note making
during the lecture is likely to be more likely to be effective.
During the lecture
Making lecture notes can be challenging as you have to listen and take notes at the same
time, all at the pace of the lecturer. Lecture delivery styles can be variable due to the
context and the speaker, so be prepared to adjust your note making strategy. (Your notes
may vary depending on whether you need to take lots of detailed notes or you expect to use
your notes for an essay or to guide further reading.)
Ask yourself – what is your prime concern?
Do you want to understand what is being said or collect information?
Understand
Collect
Focus on listening
Focus on note making
Write brief notes (keywords, concepts)
Make more detailed notes
After the lecture consolidate your learning
After the lecture review your understanding
with more detailed notes
Or a mixture of the two?
Verbal signposts
Once in the lecture, it is important to listen for verbal cues from the speaker. Listen out for
phrases to indicate key points, such as discourse markers (see below.) Always pay attention
to the beginning of the lecture which should provide a structure for the session. The end of
the lecture often provides you with a summary.
Beginning of the lecture
Listen for: overview, contents of session,learning
outcomes
During the lecture listen for key points. Discourse markers may help e.g
Order - 'firstly..', 'now...' 'my next point...', 'finally....'
Contrast - 'alternativelly...' 'on the other hand...'
Changing topic - 'turning to..' 'moving on..'
Warning of illustration - 'evidence can be seen...' 'an example of this..'
End of lecture
Listen for: summary and further reading
recommendations
Never be afraid to use your lecturer’s words when taking down notes as translating them
into your own words may interfere with your own listening. However do not take down
every last word as you will struggle to keep up, make sure you are more selective and pick
out the main points.
Making your notes stand out
Making key words or ideas stand out will be a useful tool to help trigger your memory.
Underline important points
Put key words in boxes
or
bubbles
Write them in CAPITAL LETTERS
Mark them with highlighter pen
Underline or write headings in different colours
KEY POINTS:
Read through any key notes before the lecture
Decide on your note making strategy during the lecture
Listen for verbal signpost to indicate key points
Make key ideas/thoughts stand out
How helpful are your notes at present?
Exercise:
Mark along the line to show where on the scale you are for making notes from lectures
Easy to read…………………………………………………………..…..............Hard to read
Brief, to the point……………………………………….………………….........Too detailed
Easy to understand……………………………………………………………….. Hard to understand
Well organised…………………………………………………..…….............. Poorly organised
Pages numbered/labelled…………………………..……………………..….No system
Easy to work from…………………………………………………………….......Difficult to work from
In my own words……………………….....……………………………………….Chunks copied from a book
REVIEW:
Make a note of what areas of making notes you would like to improve on.
What will you do differently as a result of reading this section?
Abbreviations
Abbreviations can be useful in your notes to save you time (especially in lectures.) Work out
a system you will remember and introduce a few at a time so that your notes will make
sense
Useful common abbreviations
e.g
wd
NB
etc.
para
edn
impt
For example
would
Important, notice this
and the rest
Paragraph
edition
important
Useful common symbols
& (+)
and
+
plus, n addition to
>
Greater/more than/better
than
<
Smaller/less than
cd
esp
i.e.
p.
Ch.
info
C19
could
especially
That is, that means
page
Chapter
information
Nineteenth Century
=
≠

Is the same as/equal to
Not equal to
This leads to
w/
with
After the Lecture
It is important to follow up your notes after a lecture to consolidate your learning and provide useful
at a later date.
Follow up information
fill in the gaps in your notes
clarify any missed points
Consolidate information
Print out any additional lecture
notes/handouts
Summarise notes to consolidate
understanding/ideas
Organise
lecture notes into a structured filing system
REVIEW:
How effective are your lecture notes for use in coursework or assignments?
What could you do differently?
2. Making notes from texts
Reading and making good notes are imperative for helping organise ideas, clarify your own thinking
and use for written assignments. It is important to:
Make
them
legible
Record
the
source
Separate
your
ideas
from the
writer's
Leave
space to
add
more
Organise
your
notes
By following these rules, your notes should still be meaningful whether they are read a day later or
a month later.
It is important to think about what is important to include in your notes before you begin writing.
Think about:
What is
important?
What is
relevant?
What is
credible?
Do you want to include facts? Opinions? Examples?
If you are reading with a critical eye, there will be more questions to ask of the text.
How does it
relate to
previous
knowledge?
Is it logical?
Is there a
good
argument?
What are the
gaps in your
understanding
?
Are there
questions you
need to follow
up with?
Being prepared before reading and note-making is essential to ensure you are more selective in your
note-making and make the most out of your notes.
Active Writing Strategies
It is important when taking notes from texts that you do not copy out chunks of texts.
Although this may seem like a good idea, you will not be processing the information as this
is a passive activity. Making the notes in your own words make it an active activity and
encourages you to be more selective and gather the specific facts you need. Writing notes in
your own words shows your understanding of the text. If you are struggling to write in your
own words, then perhaps your level of comprehension is not up to the standard that is
needed for reading that particular text. Taking a step back and reading a text or finding a
website that provides more of an overview will develop your understanding before
returning to the text.
REVIEW:
Are you taking notes in your own words or copying chunks of text?
Annotating Reading
If you are reading a text that is your own property or a photocopy, then annotating the text can be
helpful in locating specific information. However, sometimes highlighting too much information can
be detrimental when going back to your notes at a later date as it will mean re-reading the whole
section again.
Things to think about when annotating….
Good Annotation
Bad Annotation
Write key words or phrases
in the margin
Highlight or underline
everything
Note related ideas
contrasts with other texts
Highlight or underline
nothing
Key words, names, date
Only highlight or underline
Read the paragraph first
then go back to highlight
Highlight as you read
Less is more
KEY POINTS:
Make your notes meaningful
Never copy out chunks of texts from books – make it more meaningful by
writing it in your own words
Annotating notes can be helpful for picking out key points
3. Note-making styles
There are various forms in which to take notes. Some are most suitable for taking notes in
lectures, while others may be more suited for putting together ideas or making key points
from readings.
Cornell System
This is a useful way of making lecture notes and actively engaging with the lecture
Use the bottom of the page to summarise the lecture in your own words –
this will help you to engage with the subject matter and monitor your own
understanding
Left hand side
for questions
and thoughts
Right hand side used
for main body of notes
Example of the Cornell
System used in a lecture
Synthesis Matrix
A synthesis matrix can be useful when structuring ideas thematically
Use one axis to record your sources (book, journal article, website…etc) and the other axis
to record and keep track of your themes and your main points.
Click here for synthesis matrix
Mind Mapping
“A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the
potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic,
rhythm, colour and spatial awareness – in a single, uniquely powerful manner. In so doing, it
gives you the freedom to roam the infinite expanses of your brain.” (Buzan 1993)
Mind maps can be used as a tool to assist with the many ways of thinking and learning
which you are required to do during your studies at University. Mind maps can be used for:
• Generating new ideas and thinking through complex problems
• Summarising Information (from lecture notes or readings)
• Organising information to plan an essay structure
Images can be a very powerful tool to use within a mind map. Pictures are extremely
powerful at triggering the memory. The brain finds it easier to remember and accept visuals
quicker than it responds to text.
Link to mind map section for ‘how to make a mind map.’
Pictures
‘A picture is worth a thousand words’, so they say. For many, it represents and means so
much more to draw something than to write it down in words. Pictures capture the
imagination and we are more likely to remember something in a picture than if it is written
down. However, like getting to know the meaning of words, building up your own style of
pictures may take a while.
At first it might be useful to try drawing something simple using pictures only. It might be a
paragraph of notes you have taken from a lecture or try drawing some pictures of an idea
you might have for a project. Remember – you can also use words alongside pictures; not
great chunks of text as this spoils the point of using pictures. Once you build up your
confidence and your own ‘language’ in pictures then you might progress to drawing essay
plans or taking notes in lectures.
KEY POINTS:
Trial a variety of note making styles to see what works best
for you
Some systems will be more effective depending on whether it
is used to formulate ideas, plan, or make notes.