Reading, Taking and Making Notes
Before You Read
▪
Make a note of the source. You will need this information to complete your
footnotes/endnotes and references. Record the full bibliographic details (author, date,
name of article/book/website, publisher, where published, etc.). Making an accurate record
at this point will save you time later.
Tip
If you are working with library books, it’s useful to copy down the library call number, in
case you need to locate the books again.
▪
Critically survey your reading material. This vital first step will help you get an overview of
the material and decide whether it is relevant. It should only take you a few minutes:
–
Look at the introduction, titles, headings and contents, the author, date of publication,
and the index. Read the introductions, abstracts or chapter summaries first.
–
Briefly examine any lists of key points, dates or events.
–
If you are reading a textbook and it includes “end of chapter” questions, review these.
The questions give you a good idea of what the chapter covers and what is important to
remember. Don’t be concerned if you can answer only a few or none of the questions.
This technique will save you time and allow you to quickly discard any materials that are not
relevant.
Tip
Avoid getting too absorbed in a particular piece of reading at this stage; if something is
especially interesting, make a note and plan a time to read it later once you have an
overview of the material.
▪
Question. After you have gained a superficial understanding of the material, note down any
questions that comes to mind based on your survey. Also ask yourself :
–
What do I want to find out?
–
What do I think now?
–
Why do I think this?
–
What do I already know?
These questions will help you focus and keep your concentration.
Distance Education Services ▪ Continuing Studies ▪ University of Victoria ▪ 2010
1
▪
Select. Once you have decided that the material is relevant, you will want to select the most
useful sections to read in more detail. Have another look at the contents and headings to
help pinpoint the sections to focus on. If you are looking for a particular piece of
information, scan the section for the required details.
While You Read
▪
▪
Question the writing. Asking questions as you read helps you focus on what you are trying
to find out. It’s a good idea to think of some questions before you start reading the material
in depth. As you become familiar with the author’s ideas and arguments, you may think of
others. The type of material you are reading will affect the questions you ask. Here are some
general questions to get you started:
–
What is this about? Is it a concept, an event, a theory?
–
How does it build on concepts /facts/theories I’ve already learned?
–
Who is involved? Who did this, who or what was affected by it, changed by it,
challenged by it?
–
When did this happen, will it happen?
–
Where did this happen, will it happen?
–
Why did this happen, will it happen?
–
How did this happen, will it happen, did they do it?
–
What are the bare bones of the author’s argument?
–
What is the author’s evidence for her/his ideas?
–
What would I like to ask the author?
Highlighting or annotating. Many students report that highlighting readings with highlighter
pens or annotating the text by writing in the margins helps them to recognize key points and
their significance. Just deciding what to highlight or annotate encourages you to
concentrate, ask questions about what you are reading and develop your own views or
judgements about what you are reading.
You may want to highlight or annotate
–
Headings and subheadings
–
A sentence or word that sums up an important idea
–
Specialized terms
–
Quotations
–
Important or useful data
–
Examples or links to other ideas
–
Statistics
Distance Education Services ▪ Continuing Studies ▪ University of Victoria ▪ 2010
2
You can use different coloured pens to mark different kinds of information but, remember:
–
never highlight or annotate anything until you’ve finished reading the entire thought
–
highlight or annotate something only if you can “say it from memory”
Highlighting and annotating are not a replacement for making your own notes – use the
items you’ve highlighted or annotated as the basis for making notes of the material you’ve
read.
Making Notes on Your Reading
▪
Revisit the questions you asked yourself. Can you answer them? If you can, you’re ready to
make notes, setting out the main points as you remember them. If not, it may be useful to
re-read the material or it may be that the material is not relevant and you should discard it.
▪
Always note definitions, key words and technical terms.
▪
Try to write the points in your own words so that you understand the reading. Do not copy
large chunks of the original, instead paraphrase or summarize the issues.
▪
Note any page numbers for direct quotes. Keep direct quotes to a minimum and ensure
they are copied exactly. In your writing, quotes are used to support your argument, not to
form the argument itself.
▪
Leave space for your notes and comments – e.g.things that are not clear; contradictions;
points of agreement/disagreement with other readings on the same topic; controversial
statements/viewpoints presented; whether you agree with what is being said.
▪
Review your notes. After you’ve completed your notes, review them, especially those you
expect to use later for a writing assignment or exam. Ask yourself:
▪
–
Are they readable?
–
Are they accurate?
–
Are they complete enough for your purposes?
–
Are there any concepts you don’t understand?
–
Have you included all the bibliographic details?
–
Can you clearly distinguish between direct quotes, paraphrases and your own ideas?
Store your notes in an orderly, easily accessible way.
Distance Education Services ▪ Continuing Studies ▪ University of Victoria ▪ 2010
3
Note
There are lots of different methods for making notes after you’ve done your reading and you
can use different methods for different purposes. However, it’s a good idea to learn to use one
or at the most, two methods for most of your note making.
Remember, making notes is about returning to the notes you’ve taken while reading your
academic materials and annotating these notes, putting the ideas into your own words or
summarizing them and highlighting the key points. This helps you think more about what you’ve
read – about what is important and how ideas and concepts link together.
Check the links on the Taking and Making Notes for suggestions.
Distance Education Services ▪ Continuing Studies ▪ University of Victoria ▪ 2010
4