To do that, there are a few basic methods that have become popular… everyone has their own way of taking notes, and the proof of personal practice is best - but it's worth being aware that some methods of note-taking have been developed and researched for long enough to have stood the test of time – they’re proven to be effective and efficient, and that kind of collective experience is worth listening to. Taking notes is about identifying key words and key points in the flow of information, and relating them to something else. Writing notes is also an excellent way to practice summarising and paraphrasing, analysing and prioritising, and generally thinking critically about information being presented. Notes will be most useful when you’re focused on how you will use the information in an exam, or an assignment… that is, when you seek the relevance to your own need to think and write responses to particular questions. They should help you make sense of information as you first encounter it, and should also be useful to you later, when reviewing for a test or developing a formal written or spoken response to a question on the given topic. Your notes represent intellectual engagement in making sense of what you read or hear, and thinking about it seriously. Your notes can also record questions arising, that you might need to follow-up in further reading or conversation. It’s a live comprehension check, and a way of creating memories around the keywords, so something ‘sticks’.

Writing while (or soon after) reading or listening to something is a good way of making it memorable, and making sense of what is being presented, putting into ‘your own words’. Writing while listening can help or hinder your ability to pay attention to a lecture, depending on whether you’re doing it with focus and purpose. notes will probably be most useful to you when you’re clear why you’re writing them. Taking notes can serve many purposes, or none…. Writing notes is often just a matter of summarising a talk or reading into a few key points, but in an academic context, it should also involve some critical thought about them - evaluating, prioritising, and 'joining dots'. It's the first step in a complex web of activity that good students aim to master. Taking notes is a way of actively processing information so that it is remembered, understood, and readily available for other purposes later. Taking notes well means not only identifying key new information but also connecting it to what you already know, and what you need to do, whether that is developing a report or argument of your own or having your knowledge tested in an exam. But what you find ‘important’ depends on your own purpose, so taking useful notes is as much about clarifying why something is important to you as it is about identifying the important bits.

You take notes while you are in the process of reading or listening to someone else’s presentation of ideas, and you do it to help you identify and remember the most important information. Notes are written records related to something being experienced – heard, read or otherwise seen.

What are 'notes' and why do we write them? It will help you recognise a couple of important things about the purpose and practice of writing notes, and how it relates to other academic practices. This resource focuses on how we make notes in order to help develop understanding.

Writing to your own memory note taking