Note-taking effectively

The type of notes you make will depend on the subject you are studying. For example, if you are studying a STEM subject (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) short, concise notes may be the best approach for you. However, if you are studying a Business, Arts, Law or Social Science subject your notes will probably need more detail and may include links to your own thoughts and ideas. 

Sometimes, you may not need to make written notes. Instead, you can use a highlighter pen on lecture handouts, or on copied articles from books and journals. Visual notes such as mind-maps and diagrams can also be useful and can be combined with more detailed written notes. 

All good notes should be organised using a system that is personal to you. However, they should contain:  

• source information (title, author, date etc.)  
• headings to help you identify key topics  
• key points, examples, and evidence  
• your own thoughts and ideas which can be followed up later. 

You should also set up a system to record bibliographic details (author/speaker name, date of lecture or publication, title of lecture, book or article, page numbers where applicable, other important details. This will help to save lots of time, effort (and stress!) when you come to design your list of references at the end of each assignment. You can consult the StudySkills page on Referencing to ensure you are familiar with the correct style for your subject area. 

• Listen carefully to the beginning and end of lectures as this is where the speaker will set out and summarise the main points. 
• Don’t try to write everything down. Listen for key words and phrases such as: “There are two main causes of X” and “Alternatively / In contrast / On the other hand” as these will help you to identify key points and ideas. 
• Watch the recorded lecture again on Abertay MLS as this will help you revise or fill in any gaps in your notes. 

Once you have decided that a lecture or text may be useful to you for your assignment… 

• Firstly, scan the text for key information such as headings, keywords, important facts and data. 
• Secondly, skim (quickly read) the (Abstract), Introduction, Conclusion and beginning and end of each section / paragraph to get an overview of the main ideas in the text 
• Finally, read the text carefully whilst questioning ideas and information presented. Make notes of any thoughts or questions as these may be useful later. You can consult our Abertay Study Skills Guide: Critical thinking and analysis to help you further with this. 

There are several well-known note-taking techniques that you can try, until you find the one that suits you best for your studies at Abertay. Here is a link to some examples of three popular techniques which include outlining, mind-mapping and charting information, and the Cornell method.

New technology means that there are now many apps available which can make note-taking easier, and more fun. However, many educationalists argue that taking notes by hand helps students remember information for longer and also helps them to perform better in tests.  

Watch this short video clip by Oxford Learning on how to boost your note-taking confidence and then read this BBC article to discover and reflect on how research suggests that your brain may benefit more from old-fashioned pen and paper. 

Here is a list of some of the most popular apps available for note-taking: 

• Microsoft OneNote: With this app you can make notes on your tablet or laptop. You can also convert written notes to digital text  
• Evernote helps you to create, store and quickly find all your hand-written notes, visual diagrams, webpages and source articles. It also provides some handy note-taking templates. 
• Spreeder is an online tool for skim reading text. It allows you to adjust the number of words presented and your reading speed.  
• UPAD is available on iPad. It allows you to create visual, eye-catching notes as well as highlighting and annotating PDFs. 
• Notability is available on iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. You can import a wide range of documents and annotate them using drawing and text tools. 
• MindView allows you to create digital mind maps. There is also a version available for DSA students  
• Coggle is a free on-line mapping tool which has fewer features than MindView; however, it is still very convenient to use. 

Lecture listening note-taking strategies University of New South Wales  

Taking notes from your reading (A useful note-taking template) University of New South Wales  

Useful tips for reading and note-taking: University of North Carolina Learning Center  

Useful templates for note-taking: lectures, readings, and research - Trent University (2022)  

Note-taking in lectures and seminars: Manchester Metropolitan University Student Services