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Key Points
Taking notes when reading helps you:
- concentrate and remember what you are reading,
- summarise ideas and arguments,
- find links between sources, and
- find information for your assessments.
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Effective notetaking
There are various methods to take effective notes.
You can start with what suits you the best: a blank sheet of paper, a new word document on your computer or a stack of catalogue cards.
Using a template tailored to the assessment task requirements to help guide your reading and note taking can save a lot of time.Templates generally include the following information:
- The bibliographic details of the resource. This will help make proper referencing much easier later.
- The paraphrased or summarised key points/ideas/arguments from the text. No need to write full sentences, write phrases and in your own words. Direct quotes can also be noted.
- Your personal responses or notes to the text and the information within it.
You can create your own structured template for your reading and note-taking, or download one from the website.
Synthesing information using mindmaps
Mindmaps help combine information from various sources, deepening knowledge and encouraging critical analysis.
- Mind maps start with the main topic at the center of a blank page.
- Use keywords or short phrases instead of full sentences.
- Connect ideas to the center with lines.
- Use colors to link different topics.
- Illustrate relationships with connecting lines.
