Note-Taking

Unless you have one spacious memory palace, you’re going to be taking a lot of notes. For those of us who weren’t stenographers in a former life, this most essential of tasks can be surprisingly challenging. How do I capture what I need in a way that’s reasonably organized and at least semi-legible? 

• For note-taking in classes, our "Mastering Note-Taking and Time Management" workshop will show you how attending a class or lecture can become an active experience that doubles as a study and research session; it will teach you how to "lean forward" in class and wisely invest your valuable time. Workshops are offered in the first four weeks of each quarter; you can sign up during workshop season through WCOnline. Alternatively, view the video version.
   
• As you take notes on sources, it's critical to keep track of where the information comes from (so you can attribute it properly in your text) and whether the words you're recording are the author's or your own (so you know what needs to be quoted—and what doesn't); our pages on avoiding plagiarism and on source blending—summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting—will equip you with the information you need to take traceable and transparent notes.

For more tips on taking notes about sources, please see the following links:

Note-Taking Links

• GWC quick clip (16:01): "Mastering Note-Taking"
• Handout: "Reading to Write," University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center
• Handout: "Taking Notes While Reading," UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center
• Website: “Taking Notes from Research Reading,” University of Toronto
• Video (20:32) offering very useful techniques for all graduate work: “Note Taking during a PhD,” Tara Brabazon, Office of Graduate Research, Flinders University