Learning to make notes effectively will help you to improve your study and work habits and to remember important information. Often, students are deceived into thinking that because they understand everything that is said in class they will therefore remember it. This is dead wrong. Write it down.
As you make notes, you will develop skill in selecting important material and in discarding unimportant material. The secret to developing this skill is practice. Check your results constantly. Strive to improve. Notes enable you to retain important facts and data and to develop an accurate means of arranging necessary information.
1. Don’t write down everything you read or hear. Be alert and attentive to the main points, and don’t worry too much about missing any one point.
2. Take accurate notes. You should usually use your own words, but try not to change the meaning. If you quote directly from an author, quote correctly.
3. Omit descriptions and full explanations. Condense the material you hear.
4. Review your notes regularly. Go back and rework (not redo) your notes by adding extra points and spelling out unclear items.
5. Compare your notes with those of a competent classmate or study group members. Not only will you have the opportunity to correct errors and resolve blanks, but reciting your notes will also help you remember.
6. Use abbreviations. Create your own personal abbreviations to make note taking go faster. Otherwise, notes should consist of key words or very short sentences.
7. Record the class. As for permission to record the lecture and you can listen to it as many times as you wish to fill in gaps in your notes.
©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College
