Effective note taking

Effective note-takingEffective note-taking

Lawrence Cleary and Íde O’SullivanShannon Consortium

Regional Writing Centre

Regional Writing Centre 2

AimsDiscover useful tips on how to take effective notes in class. Enhance your reading, selecting and note-taking skills. Practice paraphrasing and summarising techniques so that you are equipped with the skills needed to distinguish between your own words and the words of the person you are reading.


Reading and note-taking• Note-taking in class• Reading (critically)• Selecting and note-taking• Reporting the work of others:

Paraphrasing, summarising, and synthesising

• Distinguishing between your own words and the words of the person you are reading


Note-taking in class• Why takes notes in class?• How to prepare for note-taking

– Before the course begins– Before each class– During the class– After the class


Note-taking in class• Before the course begins

– Be prepared!– Familiarise yourself with the

course/syllabus outline (objectives, topics, class schedule, assignments, grading, exams …)

– Find out if/where the lecturer makes the notes available.

– Team up with a with a classmate/study group.


Note-taking in class• Before each class

– Be prepared!– Familiarise yourself with the concepts

that will be covered in that class.– Read the assigned reading.– Check the previous week’s notes.– Attend all lectures – your notes will be

much more valuable to you than someone else’s.


Note-taking in class• During the class

– Develop a method/style that works for you.

– Strike a balance.– Use abbreviations and symbols.– Identify patterns of organisation.– Listen closely to the introduction and

conclusion.– Identify key words and ideas (direct

statements, repetition).– Listen carefully to the tutor’s voice for

clues.


Note-taking in class• During the class

– Listen carefully and summarise the main ideas (you cannot write down word-for-word everything the lecturer says).

– Decide on how much detail to include.– Mind-mapping

• Headings, numbers, bullets, indentations• Key words• Link ideas with lines/diagrams/colours

– Leave space to add things later.(Rose, 2001:120-121)


Note-taking in class• After the class

– Review your notes.– Fill in the blanks shortly after the

lecture.– Team up with a classmate if you are

missing important information. – Make sure your notes are complete and

accurate.– Try and make sense of the notes.– Discuss the content with a classmate.


Note-taking in class• After the class

– Integrate notes with the rest of the course material.

– Make connections between the ideas. – Write a summary of the main points.– Engage in further reading. – Develop a good filing system for your

notes. – Keep a learning journal.– Remember: Practice makes perfect!!!!


Reading• Scanning

– Titles/sub-title– Table of contents– Abstract/Introduction– Bibliography– Index– Reviewer’s comments

• Skimming• Careful/purposeful reading• Constructing meaning


Reading• Skim the text to get an overall impression

– Look at the heading/s - How is the text organised?

– Look at the first and last paragraph. – If there is a summary, read it.

• Carefully read the topic sentence of each paragraph, then continue to read the text

• Ask yourself:– What do I understand?– What do I know already?– What do I not understand?

• Read to the end.• Take notes (concept map/mind map).


Efficient reading• Purposeful • Flexible • Active• Interactive

– Understand the text– Construct meaning using

• existing knowledge; • information acquired in the text;• making connections between this and

other texts.• Informed reading (What to do before and

after reading.)


Reading and note-taking • Focus your reading.• Record the author’s name, the title of the

book, chapter, article, etc., the date of publication, the place of publication, and the page(s) on which the borrowed information is found.

• Read and understand the text.• Select the relevant information and the

main ideas.• Take notes: distinguish between your

words and the words of the author.


Reporting the work of others Making use of the ideas of other people is one of the most important aspects of academic writing because

• it shows awareness of other people’s work;• it shows that you can use their ideas and

findings;• it shows you have read and understood the

material you are reading;• it shows where your contribution fits in;• it supports the points you are making.

(Gillet, 2005)


Reporting the work of others• We report another author’s ideas by using

paraphrase, summary, and quotation, and we use introductory phrases and reporting verbs to communicate our relationship to the ideas that we are reporting.

• Compare, for example: – Brown (1983: 231) claims that a far

more effective approach is ...– Brown (1983: 231) points out that a far

more effective approach is ...– A far more effective approach is ...

(Brown, 1983: 231)


Reporting the work of others• If you use another’s words, ideas, or

method of organisation, you must credit that author by citing the source in the text of your writing and referencing it at the end of your essay/report. This is true whether you quote a source, paraphrase it, or summarise it.

• You must not use another person's words or ideas as if they were your own: this is Plagiarism and plagiarism is regarded as a very serious offence (Gillet, 1995: Online).


Reporting the work of others• It is very important when you do this

to make sure you use your own words, unless you are quoting. You must make it clear when the words or ideas that you are using are your own and when they are taken from another writer.


Referencing• Why do we document sources accurately?

• Doing so allows readers to find materials that you’ve used.

• Doing so enhances your credibility as a writer.

• Doing so protects you against charges of plagiarism.[From the Department of English, Illinois State University, ‘Course Guide for English 101: Language & Composition 1’, (1997: 109)]


Quotation• Quoting a person means writing down the

words of that person exactly as you find them and enclosing those words between inverted commas:

“There is no such thing as a free lunch” (Gibbons 2008).

• The context for the quote should be part of the introduction to the quote:

Gibbons (2008) tells us that the current food crisis illustrates that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”.


Direct quotation• Direct quotation of whole sentences or

just one or two words (exact words)• Quoted information is enclosed by double-

inverted commas (“…”).• The text quoted is sacrosanct.

– Do not change spelling (i.e. American to British) or punctuation.

– Do not correct spelling and punctuation.– Sic enclosed in square brackets, [sic], is

inserted into the quote, after the error, to indicate to the reader that the error was not yours.


Paraphrase

“Paraphrasing is writing the ideas of another person in your own words. You need to change the words and

the structure but keep the meaning the same” (Gillet, 1995: Online).


ParaphraseExample:• Original Text:

Memory is the capacity for storing and retrieving information.

• Paraphrase: Memory is the facility for keeping and

recovering data.(Gillet, 1995: Online)


Paraphrase“…the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) high-level summit on world food security, climate change and bio-energy… blames weather conditions in major grain-producing regions (mainly Australia and Canada) for the spike in prices. It also fingers population growth, higher oil prices, changing dietary habits as well as demand for bio-fuels” (Gibbons 2008).


Changing wordsThe UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) high-level summit on world food security, climate change and bio-energy… implicates changing climactic norms in agricultural centres (chiefly Australia and Canada) for sharp price increases. It also identifies increases in populations, elevations in the price of oil, modifications in what people eat as well as an insistence a supply of bio-fuels be made available (Gibbons 2008).


Summary“A summary is a shortened version of a text. It contains the main points in the text and is written in your own words. It is a mixture of reducing a long text to a short text and selecting relevant information. A good summary shows that you have understood the text” (Gillet, 1995: Online).


SummaryExample:• Original text:

People whose professional activity lies in the field of politics are not, on the whole, conspicuous for their respect for factual accuracy.

• Summary: Politicians often lie.

(Gillet, 1995: Online)


Peer review• Did the writer cover the main points? • Does the summary give a good, brief

overview of what the article is about? • Is it written in complete sentences? • Is it accurate?• Was it sourced? How?• Can you introduce your summary with

one of the phrases covered earlier?


Citing and referencing sources• The ideas or the words of those that you

have read are generally recorded twice:– First, in your text (a parenthetical

citation).– Second, at the end (in a reference page,

marked References, or Works Cited).• The parenthetical citation in your text

refers to more detailed information given in the References page at the end of your essay.


Citing and referencing sources• Example:

– Swales has recently withdrawn slightly from his original conception of the discourse community, arguing that "the 'true' discourse community may be rarer and more esoteric than I once thought” (1993, p. 695).

• Reference– Swales, J. (1993) ‘Genre and

engagement’, Revue Belge de Philologie et d'Histoire, 71, 687-98.


References• Gibbons, J. (2008) ‘Sustainable production

can end food shortages’, The Irish Times, 05 Jun, available: http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/0605/1212602149337.html [accessed 05 June, 2008].

• UEfAP.com (2008) ‘Academic Writing: Citing Sources’, Using English for Academic Purposes: A Guide for International Students [online], available: http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm [accessed 05 June, 2008].

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/0605/1212602149337.html

http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm

Effective note taking

Career

effective notes

notes available

classintegrate notes

previous weeks notes

main ideas

assigned reading

class schedule

ideas direct statements