Note-Taking
Unless you have one spacious memory palace, you鈥檙e going to be taking a lot of notes. For those of us who weren鈥檛 stenographers in a former life, this most essential of tasks can be surprisingly challenging. How do I capture what I need in a way that鈥檚 reasonably organized and at least semi-legible?
- For note-taking in classes, our "Mastering Note-Taking and Time Management" workshop will show you how attending a class or lecture can become an active experience that doubles as a study and research session; it will teach you how to "lean forward" in class and wisely invest your valuable time. Workshops are offered in the first four weeks of each quarter; you can sign up during workshop season through . Alternatively, view the video version.
- As you take notes on sources, it's critical to keep track of where the information comes from (so you can attribute it properly in your text) and whether the words you're recording are the author's or your own (so you know what needs to be quoted鈥攁nd what doesn't); our pages on avoiding plagiarism and on source blending鈥攕ummarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting鈥攚ill equip you with the information you need to take traceable and transparent notes.
For more tips on taking notes about sources, please see the following links:
Note-Taking Links
- GWC quick clip (16:01): "Mastering Note-Taking"
- Handout: "," University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Writing Center
- Handout: "," UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center
- Website: 鈥�,鈥� University of Toronto
- Video (20:32) offering very useful techniques for all graduate work: 鈥�,鈥� Tara Brabazon, Office of Graduate Research, Flinders University
