Taking Notes - Why is it important to get it right? 

The ability to make clear and concise notes is one of the most important skills you will need throughout your studies. As you make notes, you start to gain a deeper understanding of the subject and capture the essential points of the topic.

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During your course, you will make notes from a variety of information sources including books, journal articles, video and electronic databases. You will also make notes in your lectures and other teaching sessions such as tutorials and seminars.

Why take notes?

It will help you if you reflect on why you take notes in lectures. Consideration of these reasons will help you to decide if it is important for you to take notes in a particular situation at a particular time. 

Notes are: 

• A memory aid for revision

• A reminder of the main points of a lecture, tutorial or seminar 

• An important source of material for an essay or seminar

Note-taking: 

• Aids concentration 

• Builds up an understanding of the topic

• Promotes questions and debate

How to take effective notes

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Thomas Frank, author at Info College Geek, gives a crash course on how to take effective notes to retain information. He talks about:

• How we take in information - the science behind why we can't take in everything we write down.

• Is writing better or typing? - the pros and cons of both.

• Different methods to take notes - There are different ways of taking notes and what works well for one person might not suit another. Your notes must be useful to you. You should use a method that suits you and that you will be able to interpret later on.

• Taking cues -  how to pick up on cues as to what to write down.