Hum 122
Reading-Notes (for Scholarly Arguments)
Spring 2007
1.
Write notes so they will be useful to you three months down the road, when it is time to study for a final
exam or write a final paper for your course. If the readings are in your major or minor, write notes that will
be useful four years later. Notes will not be useful if they are merely a cryptic list of words or phrases.
2.
Highlighting a book or writing marginal comments in it or on a photocopy of it is not enough. Taking notes
in your own words forces you to begin the process of analysis, which is the process by which you begin to
understand others’ ideas and begin to generate your own ideas. Never mark library books!
3.
Read first, take notes after. The best reading notes identify the thesis (main point) of the reading assignment
and summarize the chain of reasons and evidence that the author uses to prove that thesis. So it is vitally
important to recognize the thesis and the structure of the assignment before you begin to take notes on it.
4.
a.
Begin by turning the title into a question: the thesis is likely to be the answer to that question.
b.
Read the conclusion first. You want to know the author’s destination before you begin.
c.
Next read the introduction. Typically an author uses the introduction to set up the problem (research
question) and to persuade readers that it is a problem worth solving (it has significance). Most often,
the thesis appears at the end of the introduction. Once you have identified the thesis, go back to the
beginning and read the first sentence of every paragraph. (If the reading is divided into sections, you
should first read the opening and concluding paragraphs of each section.) Once you have identified the
structure of the argument, you are ready to read the piece from beginning to end. As you read, focus
your attention on how the author proves the announced thesis.
After reading and understanding the argument, you are ready to take notes.
a.
Start your notes for each reading on a separate page. Provide a full bibliographic citation of the reading at
the top (so you can find the reading later, even if you have lost your syllabus, and so you are never
confused about the source of the notes you have taken).
b.
Leave wide margins on the left side, so there is room for later analysis and annotations of your notes.
c.
Your notes should be a compressed summary of the author’s argument in proof of the thesis. Be sure to
indicate (by asterisks, underlining, highlighting, etc.) exactly what the thesis is. This is crucial.
d.
In effect, the notes are an outline of the argument. Use indentation to reveal the organization of the
argument—show which points are main reasons and which ones are subsidiary or supporting reasons.
e.
As you take notes, always indicate the page numbers so you’ll easily be able to go back to the original
place later if you need to refresh your memory or get a quotation.
f.
Always place in quotation marks any words that you have copied from the reading. If you have closely
paraphrased the words in the reading, indicate that in your notes by writing “paraphrase” in the margin
so there’s no mistaking it. Forgetfulness and sloppy note-taking often lead to inadvertent plagiarism.
g.
Always add your own ideas, comments, analysis, questions, responses, etc. as you take your notes.
These are the most valuable products of note-taking. But always indicate clearly which ideas are your
own, so there’s no danger of inadvertent plagiarism. You can separate your own ideas by using square
brackets [ ], a different color ink, a different font, etc.
h.
At the end of the notes, always write out a brief analytical summary of the reading. What was the
purpose of the reading in the structure of the course? What are the implications and significance of this
reading for the class session for which it was assigned? How does this reading relate to other assigned
readings in the course? (Does it confirm, or complicate, or challenge them?)
i.
Leave space on the sheet for notes taken during class discussion of the reading. Be sure that in-class
notes are clearly labeled as such. Record the date of the class and, if possible, the name of the speaker.