{"id":228,"date":"2019-09-03T08:08:07","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T07:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-skills\/?p=228"},"modified":"2024-04-22T13:23:18","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T12:23:18","slug":"reading-note-taking-tips-2-choosing-a-method-that-works-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2019\/09\/03\/reading-note-taking-tips-2-choosing-a-method-that-works-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading and note-taking tips 2 : Choosing a method that works for you"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are many different ways to take notes. You need to find an approach that works for you.<\/p>\n<p>However, whatever method you use, your notes should always include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>description - summary of the selected section (in your own words)<\/li>\n<li>analysis - what the text means<\/li>\n<li>evaluation - why it matters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You may also wish to add:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>other sources linked to the idea\/argument etc<\/li>\n<li>comments and\/or questions you have to help you develop your research<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>AND...<\/p>\n<p>Always, always include the <strong>bibliographic details.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here are two variations note-taking templates (based on Cornell), that you can use or\u00a0 adapt to suit.<\/p>\n<h5>Reading &amp; note-taking template 1 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-230\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/cornell-2-300x202.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"698\" height=\"471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/cornell-2-300x202.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/cornell-2-319x215.png 319w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/cornell-2.png 756w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 698px) 100vw, 698px\" \/><\/h5>\n<h5>Reading &amp; note-taking template 2<\/h5>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-233\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/notes-300x113.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"658\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/notes-300x113.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/notes-768x290.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/notes-1024x387.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/notes-569x215.jpg 569w, https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/notes.jpg 1072w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 658px) 100vw, 658px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Hopkins, D. and Reid, T., 2018. <i>The Academic Skills Handbook: Your Guid<\/i><i>e to Success in Writing, Thinking and Communicating at University<\/i>. Sage.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many different ways to take notes. You need to find an approach that works for you. However, whatever method you use, your notes should always include: description - summary of the selected section (in your own words) analysis...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":399,"featured_media":229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[94,79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-reading","category-note-taking"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/glasses-272399_1920.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":352,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2020\/09\/29\/taking-notes-in-panopto-lectures-2-choose-your-method\/","url_meta":{"origin":228,"position":0},"title":"Getting the most out of Panopto lectures 2: note-taking","author":"Tom Reid","date":"September 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Choices, choices... There are a few options when it comes to taking notes in lectures, and in the end you should select whichever method you prefer. However, it's worth experimenting as you might surprise yourself and find a new approach that works even better for you. Or you might adapt\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Note-taking&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Note-taking","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/note-taking\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/04\/write-593333_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/04\/write-593333_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/04\/write-593333_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/04\/write-593333_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/04\/write-593333_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/04\/write-593333_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":222,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2019\/10\/03\/reading-note-taking-tip-3-colour-coded-critical-thinking\/","url_meta":{"origin":228,"position":1},"title":"Reading and note-taking tip 3: Colour-coded critical thinking","author":"Tom Reid","date":"October 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"When taking lots of notes, it's easy to get in a muddle and lose track of your research. One way to organise your notes is to colour-code them using highlighter pens. Here's what to do: Photocopy the relevant section of the journal article, textbook, etc (don't write on the original\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic reading&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic reading","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-reading\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/artistic-1238606_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/artistic-1238606_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/artistic-1238606_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/artistic-1238606_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/artistic-1238606_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/artistic-1238606_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":351,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2020\/09\/29\/taking-notes-in-panopto-lectures-1-before-the-lecture\/","url_meta":{"origin":228,"position":2},"title":"Getting the most out of Panopto lectures 1: before the lecture","author":"Tom Reid","date":"September 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Activate your brain! There's not a huge difference between taking notes in online and face to face lectures. The same preparation and process can be applied in both formats. In fact, online delivery may offer a number of advantages that we'll look at later. In this post we'll look at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Note-taking&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Note-taking","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/note-taking\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/03\/university-105709_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/03\/university-105709_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/03\/university-105709_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/03\/university-105709_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/03\/university-105709_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/03\/university-105709_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":226,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2019\/08\/28\/reading-note-taking-tips-1-reading-from-the-inside-out-and-not-outside-in\/","url_meta":{"origin":228,"position":3},"title":"Reading and note-taking tips 1: Reading from the inside out (and not outside in)","author":"Tom Reid","date":"August 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Students often believe that before they begin an assignment, they should read as much as possible around a topic until they feel 'ready' to start writing. This is NOT a good idea, as it is highly likely you will find yourself completely bogged down in a mess of ideas. You\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic reading&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic reading","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/academic-reading\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/puzzle-226743_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/puzzle-226743_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/puzzle-226743_1920.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/puzzle-226743_1920.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/puzzle-226743_1920.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2019\/03\/puzzle-226743_1920.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1487,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2025\/04\/03\/how-to-make-your-coursework-as-great-as-it-can-be\/","url_meta":{"origin":228,"position":4},"title":"How to make your coursework as great as it can be","author":"Justin Alam","date":"April 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Feeling overwhelmed by a pile of assignments all due at the same time? Fear not! We understand this can seem daunting. However, effective management of coursework can really help you to navigate these challenges. This applies whether you\u2019re just starting your course or are already well into your studies. 1.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic skills&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/02\/Blog-post-images-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/02\/Blog-post-images-1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/02\/Blog-post-images-1.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2025\/02\/Blog-post-images-1.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":371,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2020\/12\/02\/top-tips-for-taking-open-book-exams-1-preparation\/","url_meta":{"origin":228,"position":5},"title":"Top tips for taking open book exams 1 - preparation","author":"Kerry Vevers","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"During the exam period, you may be asked to take a home-based online open book exam. Open book exams allow you to consult external sources such as textbooks and your own notes during the exam time. Here are some tips from former Academic Skills Course Leader Tom Reid to help\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academic skills&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academic skills","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/category\/academic-skills\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Student taking an online open book exam","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/12\/online-exam.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/12\/online-exam.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/12\/online-exam.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/12\/online-exam.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/84\/2020\/12\/online-exam.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}