This document provides tips for taking effective lecture notes. It emphasizes evaluating notes based on content and organization. Before class, students should review previous notes and materials. During class, they should take detailed notes without writing every word, and review notes within 24 hours. Common note taking systems include outlining, paragraphs, mapping/clustering, and the Cornell system. The document recommends adapting the strategy that works best for the individual and course.

1. Efficiently and Effectively

2.  Evaluate your notes based on
1. Content – how well you accurately recorded
information
 This can be judged by how well you perform on
quizzes or exams…if you are missing a lot of the
information needed to answer questions on a quiz or
exam then perhaps you are not taking effective notes
2. Organization – how well you organize the
information
 If you write down everything without organizing the
information, you may find you have a jumble of
unrelated facts and ideas. The more organized your
notes are, the more easily you will be able to study
from them.

3.  Before Class:
 Read or survey the material that will be covered in
the upcoming lecture
 Review notes from previous class sessions
 Get the notes from any class session you’ve missed
 Meet with your instructor to clarify concepts from
the last lecture

4.  During Class
 Date and title each set of notes and keep notes from different classes
separate
 Sit where you can hear and see clearly without distractions
 Don’t crowd your notes leave blanks to fill in missed items and to
expand your notes later
 Concentrate! Stay involved in the class and ask questions. Join class
discussions
 Take a lot of notes, but don’t try to write every word
 Use abbreviations and symbols to save time
 Write legibly so that you can read your own writing
 Mark ideas that the instructor emphasizes with an arrow, star, or
underlining
 Pay attention to signal words or key phrases that indicate something
important is to follow
 Add examples your professor provides in order to clarify abstract
ideas…these can be used to jog your memory later
 Learn as much as you can in class because this will help you better
understand and complete outside assignments

5.  After Class
 Review notes within 24 hours of class
 Fill in abbreviations, add omitted points, and correct
errors
 Use information from your text or ask your
instructor or a classmate to help you fill in gaps in
your notes
 Use margin space to write key words or phrases –
then study by covering your notes and testing
yourself on that information using the key words as
cues
 Review your notes several times throughout the
week

6.  No one correct way to take notes exists…there
are a variety of methods for taking lecture
notes. You need to use and adapt the strategy
that works best for you and the type of course
lecture. Four common Note Taking Systems
are:
1. The Outline Method
2. The Block or Paragraph Method
3. The Mapping or Clustering Method
4. The Cornell Note Taking System

7.  Organize your lecture content based on an
informal outline
 This works because it is a familiar form of note
taking
 This works well when the lecturer is well organized
and proceeds in an orderly manner from main points
to supporting points
 This is effective as long as students are not distracted
by the rules of formal outlining and spend too much
time thinking about how they should label the next
point in their notes or students are not equating
outlining with just writing down key words because
one word outlines contain too little of the lecture
content

8. Sample Outline Method

9.  A very simple system:
 Write the first main topic in heading form or
question form starting at the lefthand margin of your
notebook
 Indent a few spaces and then begin to write your
notes in block or paragraph form
 Listen for what the lecturer has to say about the topic
and write down as many of the details as you can
 Remember you do not have to write in complete
sentences
 Concentrate on meaningful phrases

10. Sample Paragraph Note Taking
Model

11.  In this method notes are recorded in
a chart or in a graphic format
 The placement of material shows how
each point is connected to the others
 Not appropriate for all lecture
information

12. Sample Clustering Method

13.  Click on the following link to find out more
about the Cornell Note Taking System
Cornell Note
Taking System

14.  Van Blerkom, Dianna L. College Study Skill:
Becoming a Strategic Learner. 7th ed. Belmont,
CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2011. Print.