Taking Notes From Your Reading

1. 
   Make notes during your reading at the Recall stage because:
   • it keeps you active and concentrating (so you learn and remember better);
   • they provide a written record for revision.
2. Some general advice about note taking includes:
   • Record the source of your notes exactly (author, title, date, publisher and page numbers) and the date on which you wrote them.
   • Write clearly or type on loose-leaf paper of A4 size.
   • Use a logical and memorable layout on the page, e.g. a new page for each set of notes - label clearly; leave plenty of space and wide margins; use colour, diagrams, capitals, underlining, etc.
   • Work out a set of useful abbreviations for commonly occurring words in your subjects.
   • Make use of standard abbreviations such as:
     e.g. - for example
     i.e.  - that is
     c.f. - compare, remember in this context
     N.B.  - note well, important
     =  - equals, is the same as
     =/=  - does not equal, is different from
     <  - is less than
     > - greater than
     .^..  - therefore
     ^..^. - because
   • Content should include:
     1. author's main ideas and any important details
     2. the logical structure of his/her argument (in a diagram where possible)
     3. any important references s/he mentions.
   • Use your own words - don't just copy down undigested chunks of textbook or speech. Use a skeleton outline (bullet points) rather than continuous, paragraphed prose. Notes should not simply be a shorthand copy of the original. They should be the 'bones' of the text.
   • Notes should not be too lengthy (or you might as well re-read the original). Warning - Reading in depth and taking detailed notes can seriously damage your morale.
   • After you have finished taking notes read them through and write a summary (notes on notes). NB Only underline or highlight a passage in a text if it is yours to keep.
3. Store your notes in a loose-leaf folder. This gives you maximum flexibility to re-write sections of your notes and re-arrange them into more useful groupings as your understanding of a subject develops. Always file notes together by topic, rather than in the order in which they happen to be written.