Note Taking Tips.

What are some great functional tips for taking notes?

In order to take adequate long or short hand notes, here are several tips. Keep these in mind when taking notes both from books, journals, and websites and also from business meetings and lectures.

1. Look for signals and clues.

When taking notes from books or websites be sure to follow the steps of reading comprehension which require that you look for section descriptors, captions, chapter titles, and headings. Additionally, table of contents, glossaries, side bars, and graphics are also extremely important and can give the quick and important facts. If you’re in a lecture, be sure to give definite attention to the speaker.  Listen for if the person says “this is important,” or moves onto a new slide or topic.  

2. Stick to the main points.

You do not have write in perfect grammar. Just be sure to keep your notes consistent in your standard abbreviation. To avoid plagiarism be sure to get the appropriate work cited information from what you are reading but also keep track of the speaker’s credentials. When I was at Oxford University, my lecturer suggested that I should only make a note or comment for every page if necessary. Of course, everyone’s memories and abilities are different but overall your notes are not meant to be a paraphrasing of a book or lecture but simply a short summarization of our source.

3. Give your own signals.

When you are in a meeting or a lecture be sure to give your own signals to the speaker demonstrating your active participation. If you understand, be sure to nod, smile, and take quick notes to demonstrate that. It will help facilitate the discussion for the speaker. If you are confused, be sure to portray that through facial expressions or raising your hand to ask a question. Being a good note taker means also being an active communicator.

4. Organization is key.

Most importantly, keep your notes organized. Keep relevant information together whether by subject, speaker, or topic area.  Be sure to keep the source information up to date and that all notes are categorized in such a way that you will not have to repeat the research but simply examine them again in the future. Additionally, there should be a standard abbreviation key to study them so that you do not forget what was meant; this is especially helpful if the notes are meant to be viewed by another person.