3 Note taking

Why make notes?

Note taking helps you to concentrate on what the lecturer is saying and
provides you with a summary. Taking your own notes will promote a deeper
understanding of the content of the lecture. You can take notes from a written
source which will help you in writing your essay. You can also include notes about
your thoughts on the written source or the lecture you heard to ascertain how you
are going to use the information in your essay.

Before note-taking

 Number your pages for easy reference and linking of concepts.

 Prepare to label your notes to identify them as authors’ direct quotations or your
own comments.
 Remember to include the correct bibliographical information for all sources.
 Become acquainted with symbols and abbreviations to help you to take notes
efficiently.
 If in a lecture look at the course outline to see what has been covered, what will
be covered, and how it all fits together.
 Read over your notes from the last lecture.
 Read the material that will be covered in the upcoming lecture.

During note-taking

 Date and give a title to each set of notes and keep them separate for each course
you are taking.
 Sit where you can clearly see and hear the lecture presentation without
distractions.
 Leave space on the side for expanding your notes when you have more time.
 Write notes in your own words.
 Record definitions of technical terms exactly as given.
 Use different colours, symbols or underlining to highlight points related to
important themes.
 Use key words such as ‘consequently’ or ‘therefore’ for summaries.
 Include lecturers’ examples of abstract ideas to help jog your memory of the
concepts.
 Use the time when your lecturer pauses during a presentation to review your
notes.

After note-taking

 Review and reflect on your notes soon after lectures to consolidate your
understanding.
 Form questions on your notes to find the significance of the content and its
application to other fields of knowledge.
 Highlight key points from your notes for exam preparation.
 Review and expand your notes by filling in the missing gaps, correcting errors,
and making sure that you understand all abbreviations.
 Make a habit of carrying out short weekly reviews of your notes.
 Practise reciting the information using only keywords.
 Talk with other students about the lecture.

Symbolize for the following abbreviations.

because ………...
and OR plus
question OR doubt OR possibility
greater than
less than
number
dollars OR money OR cost
change
Therefore OR consequently
per OR each
increase OR improvement
leads to OR causes
decrease OR deterioration
linked OR interrelated OR connected
does not lead to
equal OR the same as
Learning
approximately OR around OR similar to
not equal OR not the same as
not
varies with OR related to
etc. OR missing words
etcetera; and the rest
and the other authors
for example
that is
note well OR remember this
male / female
section
paragraph
page / pages
with / about (circa)
without
one / first / two etc.
at
to / too
for
compare
morning
afternoon
namely
as soon as possible

Taking Meeting Notes

One of the most fundamental skills to learn and master as part of your job is taking
notes. Note taking involves making a permanent written record of main points and
supporting details that can be referred to later.

Note- taking is most commonly used to record oral presentations or meetings, but
the same strategies can also be used to record notes from written sources.

The skill of taking notes is very challenging because of the manner in which
information is received and processed.

Notes are not just collections of information. The information must be correctly
recorded in an organised manner so it can be used at a later time.

Note taking strategies are designed to improve your ability to take more accurate,
more complete, and more organised notes.

The Cornel System

This system is designed to save time and at the same time be highly efficient.
There is no rewriting or retyping of notes. It’s a “Do it right in the first place”
system.

Advantages

1. It results in more organized notes

2. It allows you to quickly and identify key words and key concepts from the
meeting
3. The arrangement of information is aesthetically pleasing and easy to scan,
making it easy to locate particular pieces of information
4. The strategy may be adapted to a number of different presentation formats

Step1: Preparation

Use a large, loose- leaf of notebook. Use only one side of the paper.
Draw a vertical line 5 cm from the left side of the paper. This can be used during
the meeting to record key words or phrases or later after the meeting has finished
as a recall column. Notes will be placed to the right of this margin.

Make sure that you prepare enough pages for the duration of the meeting. At the
top of the first page write the title of meeting, the venue, the name and title of each
participant, their position at the meeting table and the date. Make sure that you
number ALL of you subsequent pages.

Meeting title Venue

Vertical line 5 cm from the left Name and title of participants
VV
side of the paper
Date

Place your notes in this

column
Column for key words and / or
phrases

Can be used during the

meeting or after as a recall

Step 2: Writing your notes

Record your notes in paragraph form. Capture general, not illustrative ideas. Skip
lines to show end of ideas or thoughts. Using abbreviations will save you time.
Write legibly.
During the meeting

Record the main ideas and on the right side of the page. This is your notes column
Rephrase the information in your own words before writing it down.
Skip one line between ideas and several lines between topics.
Avoid writing in complete sentences; use symbols and abbreviations instead.

The format or style of your notes can vary, but try to avoid using a formal outline.
Consider organizing your notes in:
 Paragraph style: For unstructured information, record notes in paragraph style
with short sentences and phrases
 Topic and ideas style: : For expanded topic information, record topic and ideas
 Sentence style: For ideas and concepts, record notes in short sentences
 Definition style: For main topics and features, record definitions and
explanation of words in short phrases

Step 3: After the meeting

Read through your notes and make them as legible as possible. Now use the recall
column and note all of the ideas and/ or key words that provide a clear overview of
the meeting.

Step 4: Review

 As soon after the meeting as possible, review your notes and clarify any
ambiguous information
 Compare the information with your briefing notes or speak to others
 Organise the main ideas, concepts, terms, places, dates, and people from the
right column and record them in the left- hand recall column

Step 5: Summarise
 Prepare a summary of the meeting notes and record it either at the beginning or
the end of the notes based on the procedure in your department.
The summary should be in sentences or short phrases and include only the main
ideas from the meeting. Again depending on the procedure in your department it is
typically placed on a separate page under the meeting title, date, venue and list of
participants.

Omit Unnecessary Words

Use one or two words instead of many words. Wordy phrases will confuse your
reader, and sometimes confuse you too!
Here are some examples:

Wordy phrases Simple words

Adequate number of

By means of

during such time

excessive number of

in respect of

in the event that

in view of the fact

 it is probable that

it would appear that

notwithstanding the fact that

on the part of

subsequent to

under the provisions of

until such time

with a view to

with regard to

Abbreviations, Cliches Jargon and Acronyms

Avoid using these if there is even the slightest chance that your reader will not
understand or recognise them.
 Abbreviations are tempting short cuts because you do not have to articulate
your feelings and they save typing time. However, not everyone recognises
them and they are far from being universally understood.
 Cliches are familiar expressions used to convey a range of sentiments. Use
them only if you are sure that your reader understands its meaning and will not
be offended.
 Jargon: If you need to use technical jargon, consider attaching a list defining
the jargon for easy reference.
 Acronyms: If you use acronyms, spell out the complete form of the word when
using it for the first time.

Redundancies

These are repetitive words that do not add to the meaning of the written word.
Some examples are:

6 p.m. in the afternoon If and when

Absolutely essential Important essentials

Absolutely urgent Joined together

Alter and change Made and entered into

Ascend up Most unique

Attached together New beginner

Attractive in appearance New innovation

Basic fundamentals Null and void

Blue in colour Original source

Both alike Oval in shape

Both together Past history

Circle round Past experience

Connect up Ready and willing

Continue on Procedural methods

Each and every Revert back

Enclosed herein Several in number

Enter into Severe crises

Entirely destroyed The reason is because

Final conclusion True and correct

Final outcome Undertake and agree

For and during this period Unwanted intruders

Follow after Visible to the eye

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