Taking good notes in class is an important part of academic success. Actively taking notes during class or reading an academic text can help you focus and better understand the main concepts.

Good note-taking is a practical strategy that will improve your active listening, comprehension of material, and retention of information.

What is critical reading? 

Critical reading is taking the findings of what you are reading and applying considerable thought and analysis when you are reading the information as to how it pertains to you and your thought process. It is asking critical questions based on the article. Critical reading is making inferences and engaging to the information that you read in an academic critical way.

Different formats for notes 

There is no right format to use when taking notes, however, many different structures and styles should be considered and practiced. What is important is that you find a method that works for you and encourages good note-taking qualities.

Let’s identify a few types of formats that you may want to experiment with:

Cornell Method: This style includes sections for the date, essential question, topic, notes, questions, and a summary. 

The Cornell Method – The University of Tennessee Chattanooga (article)

Outlining Method: An outline organizes the lecture by main points, allowing room for examples and details.

The Outlining Method – The University of Tennessee Chattanooga (article)

Flowcharting/Concept Mapping Method: A visual representation of notes is good for content that has an order or steps involved.

The Mapping Method – The University of Tennessee Chattanooga (article)

Concept Maps – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (article)

Charting Method: A way to organize notes from lectures with a substantial amount of facts through dividing key topics into columns and recording facts underneath.

The Charting Method – The University of Tennessee Chattanooga (article)

Sentence Method: One of the simplest forms of note-taking, helpful for disseminating which information from a lecture is important by quickly covering details and information. 

The Sentence Method – The University of Tennessee Chattanooga (article)

Consult the following resources below to locate the important information on this week’s topic.   

Taking notes allows you to understand all information presented conceptually and factually and may differ between students. For instance, working memory, or the ability to process and manipulate information in the moment, is often involved in transcribing lecture notes, which is best done digitally; but there are individual differences in working memory processes that may affect which method works best for you. Research suggests that handwriting notes can help us learn and remember conceptual items better than digital notes. However, there are some pros to typing notes on a computer as well, including speed and storage. 

Consider these differences and decide what the best strategy is for you: handwritten, digital, or a combination of both.

Research to find one or two extra academic articles that relate to note-taking and the importance of annotating academic articles and attempt one other method of note-taking that you would like to try. 

Fill out or print the PDF template provided to list of reading strategies and note-taking methods that would be relevant to a student with limited technology access or no technology access.

Reading Strategies & Note-taking Methods (PDF)