Note-Taking Tips
Taking good notes is a vital skill for succeeding in college. There are several research-based, effective common note-taking methods to consider adding to your note-taking practice. It's important that you select one that works for you and use it often so that you can become stronger at retaining the important points of a lesson. The more you practice, the better you will become. With good note taking techniques, you’ll be more engaged in class and have a great study tool to use when preparing for your assignments and exams.
Regardless of the technique you use, some aspects remain the same. Select the drop-down sections to learn more about the important aspects of note-taking:
- Take notes only on the learning session you're actively engaged in (in-person or virtual lecture)
- Take notes only on the specific section of a textbook or assigned reading material you're actively working on.
- Date your notes during each single lesson or lecture.
- Show up a little early and remind yourself what the previous class was about. What homework did you do? What topic did you read about? This will prepare you mentally for what is about to happen -- it is extremely difficult to pick out the most important points if you don't have any idea what the lesson will cover! Then, when you're in class, remove any distractions and focus.
- If the instructor uses a word you don’t know, write it down (you may have to sound it out since you likely won’t know how to spell it) and look it up later.
- Be brief: focus on major points and important information.
- Use abbreviations and symbols rather than writing out every word. You can translate into a more complete text after class. If your instructor uses abbreviations, as is often the case in science classes, know and use them too!
- Write as legibly as possible.
- Don’t worry about grammar or spelling! (This can slow you down or distract you from the lesson)
- Review your notes as soon as possible after class and edit as needed. If they’re hard to read, it’s easier to fix this right after class.
- Underline or otherwise highlight things to look up or clarify. These notes will help you when you come back to study more thoroughly later.
You'll find that many instructors will:
- pause before or after an important idea.
- write out important ideas on the board, overhead and/or PowerPoint.
- use repetition to emphasize an important point.
- use introductory phrases (i.e. “A point to remember …” or “A critical consideration …”)
You must:
- mark ideas emphasized in lecture with a star or other special symbol.
- take down examples that the instructor presents and “note” them.
- pay close attention to transitional words and phrases. Listen for words such as “therefore”, “finally”, and “furthermore”. These words usually signal an important idea.
- Listen for signal words:
- that lead to main ideas/points:
- “There are three reasons why … “
- “First … Second … Third … “
- “… and most important … “
- “A major development … “
- that indicate supporting material:
- "On the other hand … “
- “For example … “
- “For instance … “
- “Similarly … “
- “Also …”
- “Furthermore …”
- “In contrast …”
- that signal conclusion or summary:
- “Therefore … “
- “In conclusion … “
- “As a result … “
- “Finally …”
- “In summary … “
- “From this we can see … “
- that are stressed by the instructor:
- “Now this is important … “
- “Remember that … “
- “The important idea is that … “
- “The basic concept here is … “
- that lead to main ideas/points: