The activity of note taking can be considered part of Writing across the Curriculum, Good note-taking can play a huge role in your academic success but not everyone has the note-taking skill necessary to make use of this beneficial practice. The activity of note taking is very crucial; however you can improve your note-taking skills and grades, while learning more with less effort.

1. © 2013 Ali Jili'ow How to take notes in lecture Page 1
Note Taking Skills
Organized by Adult's Training center & Students Affairs office
Prepared & Presented by: Ali Ibrahim Jili'ow
Introduction
The activity of note taking can be considered part of Writing across the Curriculum, Good note-taking can play a
huge role in your academic success but not everyone has the note-taking skill necessary to make use of this
beneficial practice. The activity of note taking is very crucial; however you can improve your note-taking skills and
grades, while learning more with less effort.
What are the functions of note taking?
Note-takers take notes to fulfill two major functions:
1. To record information and
2. To aid reflection.
Note taking is an essential tool in many information-transmission situations. At the university level, which is the level
we are interested in here, note taking allows students to gather information from lectures, books, or any other
situation that they will later have to memorize or use in order to successfully complete their academic program.
How are notes taken?
The average writing speed of a student is around 0.3 to 0.4 words/second, whereas a lecturer speaks at a rate of
around 2 to 3 words/second.
1.0Writing on the board is a very powerful indicator. (Teachers are well advised to choose what they write on the
board carefully, as it’s extremely likely to be included in the note taking!
2. Dictation”: when the teacher acts as if he or she is dictating the information (slow delivery, low vocal register).
Effective note-taking requires:
• Recognizing the main ideas

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• Identifying the information relevant to your task
• Having a system of note-taking that works for you
• Reducing the information to note and diagram format
• Where possible, putting the information in your own words
• Recording the source of the information
Reasons to take notes
Five Important Reasons to Take Notes
1. Notes trigger memories of lecture/reading
2. Your notes are often a source of valuable clues for what information the instructor
Thinks most important (i.e., what will show up on the next test)
3. Taking notes helps you to concentrate in class
4. Notes create a resource for test preparation
5. Your notes often contain information that cannot be found elsewhere (i.e., in your
Textbook).
Other considerations
 Taking notes will help you to extend your attention span
 When reading or listening, your mind may tend to wander off.
 Taking notes helps keep you focused on your subject area and to the task at hand.
 Taking notes will help you to remember what you have heard or read.
 Note taking helps you to organize the ideas you are learning about.
 Part of learning process
 Extends attention span
 Remember what you have learnt
 Helps organize ideas
Now that you understand the reason for taking notes, let’s learn how your note taking can become effective.
It is important to determine which pieces of information in a lecture or reading are important and which pieces are
not. The best way to do this is to be critical when you read or listen. Ask yourself if the information you’re hearing is
IMPORTANT, RELEVANT, and CREDIBLE.
In other words, does the information demonstrate a major point, does it relate to the subject matter, and is it
believable or supported?
.When writing down notes, try to distinguish between facts, opinions, and examples. It is important to write down
relevant facts. Facts are ‘true’ statements that should be supported by research or evidence. It is also important to
write down important, relevant, educated opinions.
.When reading or listening, don’t write out notes word for word. Notes should not be an exact copy of the lecture or
reading. They should be a summary of the main ideas and should be used to help you remember

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Guidelines for Note-Taking
1. Concentrate on the lecture or on the reading material.
2. Take notes consistently.
3. Take notes selectively. Do NOT try to write down every word. Remember that the
Average lecturer speaks approximately 125-140 words per minute, and the average note taker
Writes at a rate of about 25 words per minute
4. Translate ideas into your own words.
5. Organize notes into some sort of logical form.
6. Be brief. Write down only the major points and important information.
7. Write legibly. Notes are useless if you cannot read them later!
8. Don't be concerned with spelling and grammar.
Note taking skills
Effective note-taking skill from lectures and readings is an essential skill for university study. Good note taking allows
a permanent record of relevant points that you can integrate with your own writing, and that can be used for exam
revision. Taking reliable and accurate notes also reduces the risk of plagiarism so
 Read & listen critically
 Is it important the information?
 Is it relevant?
 Is it credible?
 Distinguish Facts/Opinions/Examples
 Note facts & opinions
 Summarize lecture/reading – not word for word
 Use shortcuts when writing
 Change font/color/size for important parts
 Write clearly
Tips for taking notes from lectures
It is important that you understand why you are attending the lecture. Prepare for a lecture and think about what
you are hoping to achieve. Think about the lecture topic in relation to your other methods of study and information
input and think about what you would like to learn or have explained more clearly.
Organizing and storing your notes
As soon as it is possible, outside the lecture or away from the reading, reread your notes and re-write them if
necessary into a clearer format. Here are some more tips on organizing and storing your notes.
Write your notes on large pieces of paper, A4 size is best and be sure to leave a wide margin down one side for
future notes or to add comments or references to other notes or reading materials.
Organize and file your notes in folders or in a similar system

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Note-taking Strategies
Many of the strategies for reading note-taking also apply to listening note-taking. However, unlike reading, you can’t
stop a lecture and review as you listen (unless you listen to a taped lecture). Therefore preparation prior to listening
can greatly
Improve comprehension. When you take notes:
• Have a clear purpose.
• Recognize main ideas.
• Select what is relevant. You do not need to write down everything that is said.
• Have a system for recording information that works for you.
Strategies to Increase Comprehension and Improve Note-Taking
• Revise the previous lecture or tutorial
• Pre-read about the topic
• Check the pronunciation of any new words
Why take lecture notes?
1. Taking notes aids your comprehension and retention.
2. Lecture notes should represent a concise and complete outline of the most
Important points and ideas, especially those considered most important by your professor
3. Lecture notes can clarify ideas not fully understood in the text
Note taking is not just something that you do as you sit in a class. To become an effective note taker, you must use
strategies before, during, and after a lecture.
During the lecture
• Be on time and sit near the front
• Distinguish between main points, elaboration, examples, and repetition.
• Listening for structural cues (signpost/transition words, introduction, body and summary stages)
• Looking for non verbal cues (facial expression, hand and body signals)
• Looking for visual cues (copy the content of any visual aids, note references to names and sources)
• Listening for phonological cues (voice change in volume, speed, emotion and emphasis) which often indicates
important information
After lecture
• Revise lecture notes within 24 hours.
• Reviewing makes remembering lectures much easier.
• Write a short summary of the lecture (1 paragraph) in your own words
Use Symbols and Abbreviations when taking notes
The use of symbols and abbreviations is useful for note taking in lectures, when speed is essential. When you use
symbols and abbreviations, develop a system; use commonly used or personal symbols and abbreviations.

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Common abbreviations
Many are derived from Latin.
• c.f. (confer) = compare
• e.g (exempla grate) = for example
• NB (nota benne) =note well
• no. (numero) = number
• etc. (et cetera)= and so on
Symbols
Symbols for note-taking are as follows:
a) = equals/ is equal to/ is the same as
b) ≠ is not equal to/ is not the same as
c) ≡ is equivalent to
d) ∴ therefore, thus, so
e) + And, more, plus
f) More than, greater than
g) < Less than
h) # for number
i) x For times
j) For greater than, more, larger
k) < For less than, smaller, fewer than
l) w/ for with
m) W/o for without
n) w/in for within
Conclusion
Note taking is an important academic task that helps you to remember what you have learnt and helps you to review
materials for re-use in revision and assignments. It is important that you are critical when note taking and that you
only write or draw what you will need later on, and that you record the information in a format that is easy to
understand.
Effective note taking should reduce your study time, should increase your retention of knowledge, and should
provide you with a summarised list of resources for your future projects.