2. Aims
Discover useful tips on how to take
effective notes in class. Enhance
your reading, selecting and note-taking
skills. Practice paraphrasing
and summarising techniques so that
you are equipped with the skills
needed to distinguish between your
own words and the words of the
person you are reading.
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3. Reading and note-taking
• Note-taking in class
• Reading (critically)
• Selecting and note-taking
• Reporting the work of others:
Paraphrasing, summarising, and
synthesising
• Distinguishing between your own words
and the words of the person you are
reading
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4. Note-taking in class
• Why takes notes in class?
• How to prepare for note-taking
– Before the course begins
– Before each class
– During the class
– After the class
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5. Note-taking in class
• Before the course begins
– Be prepared!
– Familiarise yourself with the
course/syllabus outline (objectives,
topics, class schedule, assignments,
grading, exams …)
– Find out if/where the lecturer makes
the notes available.
– Team up with a with a classmate/study
group.
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6. Note-taking in class
• Before each class
– Be prepared!
– Familiarise yourself with the concepts
that will be covered in that class.
– Read the assigned reading.
– Check the previous week’s notes.
– Attend all lectures – your notes will be
much more valuable to you than someone
else’s.
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7. Note-taking in class
• During the class
– Develop a method/style that works for
you.
– Strike a balance.
– Use abbreviations and symbols.
– Identify patterns of organisation.
– Listen closely to the introduction and
conclusion.
– Identify key words and ideas (direct
statements, repetition).
– Listen carefully to the tutor’s voice for
clues.
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8. Note-taking in class
• During the class
– Listen carefully and summarise the main
ideas (you cannot write down word-for-word
everything the lecturer says).
– Decide on how much detail to include.
– Mind-mapping
• Headings, numbers, bullets, indentations
• Key words
• Link ideas with lines/diagrams/colours
– Leave space to add things later.
(Rose, 2001:120-121)
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9. Note-taking in class
• After the class
– Review your notes.
– Fill in the blanks shortly after the
lecture.
– Team up with a classmate if you are
missing important information.
– Make sure your notes are complete and
accurate.
– Try and make sense of the notes.
– Discuss the content with a classmate.
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10. Note-taking in class
• After the class
– Integrate notes with the rest of the
course material.
– Make connections between the ideas.
– Write a summary of the main points.
– Engage in further reading.
– Develop a good filing system for your
notes.
– Keep a learning journal.
– Remember: Practice makes perfect!!!!
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11. Reading
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• Scanning
– Titles/sub-title
– Table of contents
– Abstract/Introduction
– Bibliography
– Index
– Reviewer’s comments
• Skimming
• Careful/purposeful reading
• Constructing meaning
12. Reading
• Skim the text to get an overall impression
– Look at the heading/s - How is the text
organised?
– Look at the first and last paragraph.
– If there is a summary, read it.
• Carefully read the topic sentence of each
paragraph, then continue to read the text
• Ask yourself:
– What do I understand?
– What do I know already?
– What do I not understand?
• Read to the end.
• Take notes (concept map/mind map).
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13. Efficient reading
• Purposeful
• Flexible
• Active
• Interactive
– Understand the text
– Construct meaning using
• existing knowledge;
• information acquired in the text;
• making connections between this and
other texts.
• Informed reading (What to do before and
after reading.)
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14. Reading and note-taking
• Focus your reading.
• Record the author’s name, the title of the
book, chapter, article, etc., the date of
publication, the place of publication, and
the page(s) on which the borrowed
information is found.
• Read and understand the text.
• Select the relevant information and the
main ideas.
• Take notes: distinguish between your
words and the words of the author.
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15. Reporting the work of others
Making use of the ideas of other people is
one of the most important aspects of
academic writing because
• it shows awareness of other people’s work;
• it shows that you can use their ideas and
findings;
• it shows you have read and understood the
material you are reading;
• it shows where your contribution fits in;
• it supports the points you are making.
(Gillet, 2005)
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16. Reporting the work of others
• We report another author’s ideas by using
paraphrase, summary, and quotation, and
we use introductory phrases and reporting
verbs to communicate our relationship to
the ideas that we are reporting.
• Compare, for example:
– Brown (1983: 231) claims that a far
more effective approach is ...
– Brown (1983: 231) points out that a far
more effective approach is ...
– A far more effective approach is ...
(Brown, 1983: 231)
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17. Reporting the work of others
• If you use another’s words, ideas, or
method of organisation, you must credit
that author by citing the source in the
text of your writing and referencing it at
the end of your essay/report. This is true
whether you quote a source, paraphrase it,
or summarise it.
• You must not use another person's words
or ideas as if they were your own: this is
Plagiarism and plagiarism is regarded as a
very serious offence (Gillet, 1995: Online).
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18. Reporting the work of others
• It is very important when you do this
to make sure you use your own words,
unless you are quoting. You must
make it clear when the words or
ideas that you are using are your own
and when they are taken from
another writer.
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19. Referencing
• Why do we document sources accurately?
• Doing so allows readers to find materials
that you’ve used.
• Doing so enhances your credibility as a
writer.
• Doing so protects you against charges of
plagiarism.
[From the Department of English,
Illinois State University, ‘Course Guide
for English 101: Language & Composition
1’, (1997: 109)]
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20. Quotation
• Quoting a person means writing down the
words of that person exactly as you find
them and enclosing those words between
inverted commas:
“There is no such thing as a free lunch”
(Gibbons 2008).
• The context for the quote should be part
of the introduction to the quote:
Gibbons (2008) tells us that the current
food crisis illustrates that “there is no
such thing as a free lunch”.
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21. Direct quotation
• Direct quotation of whole sentences or
just one or two words (exact words)
• Quoted information is enclosed by double-inverted
commas (“…”).
• The text quoted is sacrosanct.
– Do not change spelling (i.e. American to
British) or punctuation.
– Do not correct spelling and punctuation.
– Sic enclosed in square brackets, [sic], is
inserted into the quote, after the error,
to indicate to the reader that the error
was not yours.
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22. Paraphrase
“Paraphrasing is writing the ideas of
another person in your own words.
You need to change the words and
the structure but keep the meaning
the same” (Gillet, 1995: Online).
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23. Paraphrase
Example:
• Original Text:
Memory is the capacity for storing and
retrieving information.
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• Paraphrase:
Memory is the facility for keeping and
recovering data.
(Gillet, 1995: Online)
24. Paraphrase
“…the UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation's (FAO) high-level summit
on world food security, climate change
and bio-energy… blames weather
conditions in major grain-producing
regions (mainly Australia and Canada) for
the spike in prices. It also fingers
population growth, higher oil prices,
changing dietary habits as well as demand
for bio-fuels” (Gibbons 2008).
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25. Changing words
The UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation's (FAO) high-level summit
on world food security, climate change
and bio-energy… implicates changing
climactic norms in agricultural centres
(chiefly Australia and Canada) for sharp
price increases. It also identifies
increases in populations, elevations in the
price of oil, modifications in what people
eat as well as an insistence a supply of
bio-fuels be made available (Gibbons
2008).
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26. Summary
“A summary is a shortened version of
a text. It contains the main points in
the text and is written in your own
words. It is a mixture of reducing a
long text to a short text and
selecting relevant information. A
good summary shows that you have
understood the text” (Gillet, 1995:
Online).
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27. Summary
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Example:
• Original text:
People whose professional activity lies
in the field of politics are not, on the
whole, conspicuous for their respect
for factual accuracy.
• Summary:
Politicians often lie.
(Gillet, 1995: Online)
28. Peer review
• Did the writer cover the main points?
• Does the summary give a good, brief
overview of what the article is about?
• Is it written in complete sentences?
• Is it accurate?
• Was it sourced? How?
• Can you introduce your summary with
one of the phrases covered earlier?
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29. Citing and referencing sources
• The ideas or the words of those that you
have read are generally recorded twice:
– First, in your text (a parenthetical
citation).
– Second, at the end (in a reference page,
marked References, or Works Cited).
• The parenthetical citation in your text
refers to more detailed information given
in the References page at the end of your
essay.
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30. Citing and referencing sources
• Example:
– Swales has recently withdrawn slightly
from his original conception of the
discourse community, arguing that "the
'true' discourse community may be
rarer and more esoteric than I once
thought” (1993, p. 695).
• Reference
– Swales, J. (1993) ‘Genre and
engagement’, Revue Belge de Philologie
et d'Histoire, 71, 687-98.
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31. References
• Gibbons, J. (2008) ‘Sustainable production
can end food shortages’, The Irish Times,
05 Jun, available:
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2008/[accessed 05 June, 2008].
• UEfAP.com (2008) ‘Academic Writing:
Citing Sources’, Using English for
Academic Purposes: A Guide for
International Students [online], available:
http://www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm
[accessed 05 June, 2008].
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Editor's Notes
What is involved in lectures
The nature of spoken language – repetition/intonation
You cannot take everything down so you need to develop a style that will work for you.
Come on time, get a seat where you can see/hear properly.
These are your notes and it is important that you can make sense of them after the class.
Make sure you put the lecturer’s name, module and date on the top of your notes oages.
Writer’s cramp vs. writing very little
There isn’t time to write everything down (do not write full sentences).
Notes should be brief.
Do not panic if you get lost.
Leave a blank and pick up at the next point.
The lecturer may refer back to the part you missed at another point. You can always clarify information after the lecture.
The task does not end after the class. You need to walk away, review your notes and make sense of the material.
Fill in the blanks with a friend
How did you feel about it?
What did you find difficult.
Team up with a buddy to fill the blanks.
How will you get through all the reading
Reading an academic text book is very different to reading a novel.
Allow yourself time to read.
People read at different rates.
Scanning to find the appropriate book/chapter
Skimming to get the gist
Carefully reading important paragraphs
Use the knowledge you already have to construct the meaning
1. Scan texts looking for relevant sources. Skim through these sources, read the introductions and conclusion perhaps, to be sure they are relevant to your thesis or question. When you think you have identified relevant sources, read the relevant sections carefully and make notes on them.
2. Make notes on these books and articles. Use your own words. Do not copy unless you think you will want to quote word for word. You will need to paraphrase and summarise what you read. Fully record the bibliographical details of the materials you use.
3. Produce your notes. Remember to record full bibliographical details of the books and articles you have read.
http://www.uefap.co.uk/writing/writfram.htm
To read critically is to make judgements about how a text is argued. This is a highly reflective skill requiring you to "stand back" and gain some distance from the text you are reading. (You might have to read a text through once to get a basic grasp of content before you launch into an intensive critical reading.) THE KEY IS THIS:
don't read looking only or primarily for information
do read looking for ways of thinking about the subject matter
When you are reading, highlighting, or taking notes, avoid extracting and compiling lists of evidence, lists of facts and examples. Avoid approaching a text by asking "What information can I get out of it?" Rather ask "How does this text work? How is it argued? How is the evidence (the facts, examples, etc.) used and interpreted? How does the text reach its conclusions? http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/critrdg.html
If there is a summary at the end of the chapter, use this as a guide to reading the chapter
Skim through the relevant sections to get an overall impression
Things may become clearer as you read through
For example, if you are into sport, you go straight to the sports page of the newspaper.
Essential skill.
It is important that we make it clear from whom and where the ideas we are discussing originated and what is our point of view or stance in relation to those ideas.
Ask students to express the difference between the three. Elicit responses. Allow them to predict, then give an informed take on the three.
The first one is Brown's opinion with no indication about your opinion.
The second one is Brown's opinion, which you agree with,
and the third is your opinion, which is supported by Brown.
This would be a good time also to present the handout, ‘Language used to introduce your own, or other’s, ideas / …
Recording the location of the words and ideas of others is a good academic habit. Even if a student has no intention of ever progressing past a Bachelor degree program, they must respect the conventions of the institution. Academics document sources as a way of paying homage to those whose ideas and words were worth remembering. They also do it because the convention allows easier access to the conversation for those who follow. Finally, it allows those who might challenge your work to evaluate for themselves the quality of your sources.
That you are documenting your sources establishes that you are careful enough to use information that has some basis in published research or scholarship and shows that you were curious enough and careful enough to discover what others had to say about your topic. You have attempted to join into the discourse on your subject of interest.
Use of a thesaurus
Ask ss to paraphrase; handout dictionaries and thesauruses
Can’t change UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) high-level summit on world food security, climate change and bio-energy. Can find synonyms for verbs, blames and fingers. And can maybe find different ways of expressing: weather conditions, major grain-producing regions, mainly, spike, population growth, higher oil prices, changing dietary habits, demand for biofuels.
Weather conditions: types of weather; climactic norms, etc.
Major grain-producing regions: agricultural centres
Spike in prices: sharp price rises
Population growth: increase in population; rise in population; increase in population
Higher oil prices; elevated oil prices; elevations in the price of oil
Changing dietary habits: changes in diet; dietary changes; modifications in what people eat; modifications in eating routines
Demand for biofuels: insistence on a supply of biofuels.
