Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Taking Concise, Clear Notes to Remember Information
• Method 2 of 4: How to use specific methods
• Method 3 of 4: How to Listen Effectively for Literate Notes
• Method 4 of 4: How to Read Correctly for Good Notes
• Tips
• What do you need

The ability to take convenient notes and notes can be very beneficial to your academic and professional success. Records help to carry out projects, tests and assignments correctly. Not everyone knows how to take notes correctly. Use techniques that work best for written texts or oral presentations such as lectures, seminars, and meetings.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Taking Concise, Clear Notes to Remember Information

1. 1 Provide details at the top of the page. Write important details at the top of each page to keep your notes organized. Include date, bibliographic information, and page number. This data will help you find the most important and accurate information later.
2. 2 Use your own language. Write down all key facts, ideas, and details in your own words. There is no need to write it down word for word if it is not a quote and not an important definition. When taking notes in your own words, brain resources are actively used, understanding of the text improves, information is better remembered and the risk of plagiarism is reduced.
   • Develop your own system of signs and abbreviations that allow you to quickly and easily make clear notes. For example, write "scientific method" as "NM" or "oxygen balance" as "KB".
3. 3 Use keywords instead of whole sentences. Analyze the text or lecture - they can be difficult and incomprehensible. Do not reproduce these models in your recordings. Instead, use keywords to concisely and clearly reproduce the same meaning and quickly find the information you need later.
   • For example, in a lecture about obstetrics, you can use the words obstetrician, placental abruption, postpartum sepsis, and preeclampsia.
4. 4 Skip lines for additions. When writing down key ideas and words, leave space after each line of text to add information later and clarify any misunderstandings. This way you can quickly write down and find important information by keywords or thoughts in the synopsis.

Method 2 of 4: How to use specific methods

1. 1 Take notes by hand. Resist the temptation to record the information you read and hear electronically. Always take handwritten notes to better formulate, remember, and combine data for your own personal use.
   • Use strategies such as the Cornell Method as needed, or create an outline for organizing your typed notes.
   • Use programs like Evernote and Microsoft OneNote to take easy notes.
2. 2 Use the Cornell method. Divide the page into three parts: a small part for legends, a wider part for summaries, and a conclusion part at the bottom of the page. Work in the following columns:
   • Abstract: In a wide column, write down the key ideas of the lecture or text. Leave room for additions and questions. Be sure to take notes of all reference material.
   • Legend: After taking notes, use the smaller legend column to ask clarifying questions and find relationships and consequences.
   • Conclusions: in this section at the bottom of the page, all notes should be summarized in 2-4 sentences.
3. 3 Make a plan. The text or lecture can be outlined in outline format. Write down the general information on the left side of the page. Indent slightly to the right and add examples to general ideas.
4. 4 Create connection diagram. Draw large circles and write the main themes in them. Use thick lines to indicate the main ideas and write down a couple of keywords that summarize additional information on the topic. Finally, under the short and thin lines, write down less important details. Mind diagrams are very useful for people with a visual type of perception and those who are not familiar with the presentation style of a particular lecturer.

Method 3 of 4: How to Listen Effectively for Literate Notes

1. 1 Come on time. Always show up for meetings, classes, and other appointments a few minutes before the start. Take a place where you can hear the speaker well and have as few distractions as possible. If you arrive on time, then you will almost certainly not miss important information.
   • Prepare all the materials before the lesson starts so that you don't have to fuss later.
2. 2 Write down relevant contextual information. Write down information that will help identify the topic at the top of the page. Include the date, class or meeting number, topic, and other important aspects. Do this in advance so you don't miss out on anything important when the lecturer or presenter takes the floor.
   • Organization and systems approach improve the overall quality of the recordings.
3. 3 Examine the support materials. Before the event, write down all the keywords on the board. Get your copy of the printouts. Working with reference material will allow you not to miss out on important information and better understand the lecturer.
   • Include the date and other important information at the top of the printouts. Refer to printouts in your notes to refer to reference material as you review the text from the outline.
4. 4 Listen carefully to the speaker. Learn to listen actively during lessons and meetings. Better not to be distracted by people, computers, social networks. Mindfulness will allow you to accurately write down, understand and remember the material.
5. 5 Notice important transition words. An active listener will always notice words that signal important information to be recorded. Many transition words can mark the beginning of the next question or thesis. Notice the words after which you should complete your notes:
   • Firstly Secondly Thirdly;
   • important to note;
   • significant event;
   • on the other side;
   • For example;
   • against;
   • Further;
   • as a result;
   • remember.
6. 6 Reread the notes immediately.When the lecture or meeting is over, review your notes. Spot any unclear points that need clarification. If you review the notes immediately after a lesson or meeting, then you will always have an accurate and understandable summary.
   • Rewrite your notes if possible. This will help you quickly recognize incomprehensible points and better remember information.

Method 4 of 4: How to Read Correctly for Good Notes

1. 1 Skim through the entire text. Before starting work, quickly run your eyes throughout the text. Do not write out or underline anything: this can be done when you have formed an idea of ​​the text. A quick glance will help identify the general theme and the most important parts of the text, which provide answers to the main questions. Pay attention to the following elements:
   • title and summary or abstract to the text;
   • introduction or first paragraph;
   • subheadings that allow you to understand the general structure of the text;
   • graphic materials;
   • conclusions or last paragraph.
2. 2 Define motives for your text notes. After reading, determine the purpose of the reading and the reason for the notes. Consider the following questions to understand the type of outline you need:
   • Need to get a general idea of ​​a subject or concept?
   • Is it important to find out specific information or details from the text?
3. 3 Highlight key messages. Most texts contain central arguments and ideas that the author wants to convey. Write these ideas down in short phrases or sentences. If you highlight them in your own words, then you can extract all the important information from the text.
   • You can also literally highlight and underline ideas with a pen or pencil. Be sure to include the exact page in your notes so you can revert to the original text later.
   • For example, the phrase "the fall of the Weimar Republic" is much more convenient than: "The general conditions that led to the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933 were the product of intrigue between the world wars and served as the end of the young republic."
4. 4 Review the records. After work, you need to be distracted for a few hours. Re-read the notes and think about how they correspond to your understanding of the text. Decipher obscure keywords or ideas, and supplement your notes with helpful thoughts or observations.
   • Review the entries regularly. The more often you re-read the synopsis, the more completely you will remember the information.

Tips

• Try to write legibly so that you don't have to decipher the scribbles when repeating the material. Develop clear, neat handwriting.
• If you are a visual type and like bright colors, then use pencils and pens with different inks to highlight themes and ideas.
• If possible, record lessons and lectures on a tape recorder. At home, listen to the recordings and add notes.

What do you need

• Notepad, note paper, or dedicated application (OneNote, Evernote)
• Pen or pencil
• Marker
• Textbook
• Supporting materials or previous notes (optional)