This document provides tips for taking effective notes for a senior thesis project or life after high school. It recommends that students take their own notes rather than copying directly from sources. Students should first read to understand the big picture before taking notes, and focus on information relevant to their essential question. The document outlines a process of reading a section without taking notes to understand the main ideas, then jotting down specific details to recall like names, dates and definitions. It advises citing sources early and often, with quotes making up no more than 20% of the paper. Notes and citations should be recorded at the same time to save work later.

1. Essentials skills for the Senior Thesis and life after high school.

2.  Taking notes means taking notes, NOT
copying and pasting.
 If copying and pasting were the same
thing as taking notes, we’d call it
copying and pasting.

3.  If you’re not entirely sure which direction
your paper will head, spend some time
reading to get the big picture first.
 Once you have a sense of both sides of the
argument, then begin to take notes.
 Don’t waste your time with anything that
doesn’t answer your essential question.

4. Read, think, write, repeat.

5.  READ a section of your text
 Don’t take notes yet!
▪ This will be tempting, but if you do so, you’ll
jeopardize your understanding of the material
and note too much or too little.
 Instead, figure out the main idea.
▪ Is there an argument?
▪ What’s the main point of the article?

6. • Ask yourself if the section of text includes
information you’ll need later on.
• If the answer is yes:
▪ Without looking at the text, write down
the main ideas.
▪ Internalize the information and avoid
plagiarism.

7.  Once you’ve got the gist of the section, then
you can jot down specifics that you’re not
likely to recall on your own:
 Names (and titles) of speakers
 Dates
 Places
 Definitions
 Specific examples

8.  After a little practice, you’ll know how much
you can read and remember at one time.
 The extra time you spend here will result in
BIG payoffs later on.
 You’ll understand the material better.
 Writing will be easier, because you will know so
much more.

9. 80/20 Rule, Cite Early and Often

10.  Only when necessary
 You can’t say it better yourself
 The quote is part of the point (e.g. “Read
my lips, no new taxes.”)
 80/20 rule:
▪ 80% of your paper should be written in your own words.
▪ No more than 20% should be in the form of direct
quotes.

11.  Record your citation information at the
same time that you are taking notes.
 This will save you hours of work later on!

12.  Landsberger, Joseph F. "Study Guides and Strategies."
Reading Texts: Note Taking, Marking and Underlining. Study
Guides and Strategies. Web. 02 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.studygs.net/marking.htm>.
 Wax, Dustin. "Advice for Students: Taking Notes That Work."
Your Daily Digest on Productivity and Life Improvements.
Stepcase. Web. 02 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/advice-for-
students-taking-notes-that-work.html>.