Note taking basics

Once you’ve found a few high quality sources,

you will review them and find information which
will support your argument.
When reading through your sources, it’s important to
take notes.
● Learn the information
● Build your argument
Everyone has a different method for note taking.
● Typing notes on a computer
● Using notecards
● Traditional pen and paper

The tool you use to take your notes isn’t as

important as the notes themselves.
 What should I highlight?
Answers to Wh… ?
Who? What? Important details
When? Where? Key words
Why?
You can even highlight each in a different color if you’re
organized!
How to highlight your article...
For example…Not like this…
▶ Seals, sea lions, and walruses belong to the order Pinnipedia (meaning "feather-footed,"
for their flattened limbs), which is divided into three families: Phocidae—the true,
earless, or hair seals; Otariidae—the eared seals, sea lions, and furseals; and Odobenidae
—including only the single species of walrus.
▶ The pinnipeds are flesh-eating mammals that long ago returned to the sea to live a
primarily aquatic life. Their limbs have bones that correspond to those found in the limbs
of land mammals, and their teeth and skulls show them to be closely related to the
mammals in the order Carnivora. Because of that close relationship, some biologists 
believe they should be classified as a suborder of Carnivora.
▶ Seals, sea lions, and walruses are large, bulky mammals with rudimentary tails. Their
external ears are very small or absent altogether. The body hair of the different groups
varies from the finest fur to coarse bristles. They prey upon fish, squid and other 
mollusks, crustaceans, and, occasionally, other seals. They are preyed upon in turn by
polar bears, killerwhales, and sharks.
But like this...

▶ Seals, sea lions, and walruses belong to the order Pinnipedia (meaning "feather-footed," for their
flattened limbs), which is divided into three families: Phocidae—the true, earless, or hair seals;
Otariidae—the eared seals, sea lions, and furseals; and Odobenidae—including only the single
species of walrus.
▶ The pinnipeds are flesh-eating mammals that long ago returned to the sea to live a primarily
aquatic life. Their limbs have bones that correspond to those found in the limbs of land
mammals, and their teeth and skulls show them to be closely related to the mammals in the order
Carnivora. Because of that close relationship, some biologists believe they should be classified
as a suborder of Carnivora.
▶ Seals, sea lions, and walruses are large, bulky mammals with rudimentary tails. Their external
ears are very small or absent altogether. The body hair of the different groups varies from the
finest fur to coarse bristles. They prey upon fish, squid and other mollusks, crustaceans, and,
occasionally, other seals. They are preyed upon in turn by polar bears, killerwhales, and sharks.
What should I write down?
▶After reading, decide on the main points for
your body paragraphs to help organize the
information
▶Write down facts, quotes, main ideas, key
words, and summarize information at the
bottom of the Cornell note-taking worksheet.
For example notes should not look like
this…
▶ Seals, sea lions, and walruses belong to the order Pinnipedia (meaning "feather-
footed," for their flattened limbs),
▶ The pinnipeds are flesh-eating mammals that long ago returned to the sea to live a
primarily aquatic life.
▶ Because of that close relationship, some biologists believe they should be
classified as a suborder of Carnivora.
▶ Seals, sea lions, and walruses are large, bulky mammals with rudimentary tails.
▶ They prey upon fish, squid and other mollusks, crustaceans, and, occasionally,
other seals. They are preyed upon in turn by polar bears, killerwhales, and sharks.
But like this…

▶ Classification: -Mammals
-Sea lions, seals, walruses = order Pinnipedia (feather foot)

▶ Description: -Large and bulky

- have hair
-simple tail, limb bones like mammals

▶ Diet: -Eat meat (fish, mollusks, squid, crustaceans, seals) -Eaten by

sharks, killer whales, polar bears
While taking notes...

● Don’t write down information from the text word-

for-word, or copy and paste. This prevents you
from processing information and may lead to
plagiarism.
● Don't paste someone else's writing and replace
single words; this is also equal to plagiarism.
THE CORNELL NOTE
TAKING SYSTEM
 (Cornell Notes)
Title of Article
Recall Column Record Column

--2 Inches-- --6 Inches--

Reduce ideas after Record the lecture/article

class into a few information as fully as possible.
words and/or
Questions.
Summary:

--2 1/2 Inches--

 Step #2: Record
Record in Class
• During the lecture, write as many facts as you can.
– Use shorthand to get the full idea.
– Leave spaces between ideas so you can fill in more
later.
 Step #3: Summarize
Summarize after class
• As soon after class as possible, summarize these
ideas and facts in as few words as possible in the
Summarize Column.
– Helps show relationships between points & strengthens
memory.
– Prepares you for exams gradually & ahead of time.
 Step #4: Recall
• Recalling what you wrote in your notes, write a
few questions and important points in the Recall
column of your notes to quiz yourself on the
material.
– Write your questions as close as possible to the
beginning of the section in your notes
you are quizzing yourself on.
– Write a question for each new idea
presented in your notes.
 Step #4: Recall, Continued
• The questions you write in the Recall column will
become your best method for checking what you
have learned!
 Step #5: Recite
Recite from the Recall Column.
• Cover the Record Column.
• Using only the words in the Recall Column, say over the
facts as fully as you can in your own words!
• Then, uncover your notes and check what you
have said against the facts.
– This will help transfer ideas to your
long-term memory!
 Step #6: Reflect
• Reflect on possible test questions and mark
unclear points.
• Helps in making sense of your notes by finding
relationships and order in the material.
• Try to put ideas in categories & tie old material
to the new.
• Think about which points will appear on tests
& highlight any unclear points so you can ask
questions about them before the next lecture.
 Step #7: Review
Review to improve your memory.
• If you will spend ten (10) minutes every week or so in a
quick review of these old notes, you will retain most of
what you have learned and you will relate the facts and
ideas to present lectures or readings.
 Notetaking Tips
∙ Keep a separate section of your notebook or binder for
each course.

∙ Notes for each lecture should begin on a new page.

∙ Date your lecture notes and number all pages.

∙ Never use a sentence when you can use a phrase, or a

phrase when you can use a word.
 Notetaking Tips, Cont.
∙ Use indentations to distinguish between major and minor
points.

∙ Put most notes in your own words. However, the

following should be noted exactly:
• Formulas , Definitions, and Specific facts
∙ Use abbreviations and symbols wherever possible. Note
down unfamiliar vocabulary and unclear areas.

∙ If you should miss something completely, leave a blank

space and get it later.
 Notetaking Tips, Cont.
∙ Develop a code system of note-marking to indicate
questions, comments, important points, due dates of
assignments, etc.

∙ Make sure you can understand what you have written and
if needed, make corrections.

∙ Clear up misunderstandings or fill in missing information

by consulting the lecturer, TA, classmates, the texts, or
additional readings
The End!