Note Taking Tips
First: read the source you have selected to determine its usefulness,
- Do not take notes at this stage, read for meaning instead. Focus on understanding the material
- Tips:
- skim for keywords related to your topic
- read the introduction and conclusion paragraphs
- read headings and sub-headings to find relevant information
- read the first sentence of each paragraph
- Decide whether or not the source contains information you think is relevant to your research/argument
- Read to obtain an understanding of the material
It is tempting to take notes as you are reading the first time, but this is not a particularly efficient technique as you are likely to take down too much information and simply copy without understanding
Second: review the source and take notes
- Record details of the source for your reference list or bibliography (see our Guidelines documents on our home page for detailed help with this)
- Identify the main ideas, as well as important sub-points
- Dot point the information for easy presentation, highlighting any sections that you might want to use as a quote
Third: determine what you want to use for your research/argument. This might occur later when you use the ideas to construct your argument.
Either:
- Write up the selected information using your words from the dot points
- Placing the information into your own words forces you to become actively involved with the material
- Ask yourself, “Do I need to reference the information?”
Or:
- Use as a quote
- Ask yourself, “Have I used the quote in a constructive manner?”
Remember:
- Do not copy information directly from the book or site unless you intend to use it as a quote and then you must clearly identify it as a quote – you might forget that later on
- Be efficient and not only enough detail to understand
Note Taking techniques & Templates
