Study Skills for Effe ctive Learn ing

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Note Taking

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Obvious Importance of Notes

• aid absorption and concentration
• records to aid recall and further investigations
• summarise arguments, information/ideas
• notes at the end of a class show that you did not fall asleep!

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What to include and length?

There is no answer to this. It depends on your purpose, ability to select and summarise. Some people write long notes in each lecture - this is one way of engaging in the lecture and keeping active.

• get an overview of the lecture or text structure. Some lecturers and authors will do this for you by giving summaries.
• spot and record key words or concepts, images or sequences. Use your own words, unless you need quotations (note the exact source of these so that you can complete references properly).
• indicate main ideas as headings, subordinate ideas as sub-headings. Use a numbering system. Leave plenty of white space (don't use every line and do leave margins).
• identify connections between points rather than just isolated facts and ideas.
• include doodles, diagrams, charts etc.. Create these from the information/ideas you have just absorbed.
• Space maps are real aids to absorption and recall. Remember, people have different styles when writing or lecturing and you will have to adapt to these.

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Record Your Sources

For each assignment, you MUST reference all sources. Listing your bibliography is the last step. When you make notes, always record the source whether lecture, journal or book. Use the following minimum format:

• Needle D., Business In Context, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1989
• Chambers A & Court J, Computer Auditing (2nd ed), Pitman, 1986

Trace all your sources as you proceed - you will save so much time later!

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Organising and Storing Notes

Use a ring binder with dividers (get organised!) and A4 paper so that you can add to and re-order notes. If you cannot afford A4 paper - there is usually scrap computer paper around - so cut this nicely and punch holes.

Do not carry all your notes around with you - they get lost!

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Reviewing Notes

Get into the habit of checking through notes the day they are made or by comparing notes with those of others from your group.

If you do not review work, you forget up to 75% in a week and up to 98% in under 3 weeks. So at revision time you start from scratch. Regular review stimulates understanding of a subject area. You knowledge grows and becomes integrated with other knowledge.

Short-hand use abbreviations and symbols whenever possible as a personal short-hand e.g.

• Ref = reference
• d.mkg = decision-making
• ­= not equal to
• >= greater than etc

  Build up a list of abbreviations you use now - to see how useful they are e.g. conf'n (confirmation), prody (productivity). Use mnemonics SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), STEP (social, technological, economic, political). SWALK, NOTLOB etc

  Abbreviations; (Commonly used in footnotes in books)

  • ibid. (ibidem, Latin for 'in the same place') in the same work as mentioned in the last footnote.
  • op.cit. (opere citato, Latin for 'in the work cited') = in the work already mentioned.
  • ff. = and the following pages
  • pp. = pages (and then number)
  • cf. = compare
  • passim = to be found throughout a particular book

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  Study Skills Index

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  © This resource was developed by C. Jarvis