Note-taking tips
Note-taking helps you remember what you've read. In fact, a good set of notes can be the foundation for your assignment. Use the tips below to help you get started.
As a general rule it's best to:
- read the text first to get the gist of it, then start taking notes on the second read
- only record information that relates to your assignment question
- use headings in your notes, so they're easier to skim through later
- use dot points instead of full sentences and keep them short – one or two sentences is fine
- use abbreviations or your own symbols for common words.
When you're taking notes:
- summarise sections of the text in a few dot points, without looking at the text
- note important dates, events, people and places and copy the spelling correctly
- collect quotes to use later
- record the bibliographical details of all the references you use in your notes
- look up any words you don't understand and record definitions in your notes.
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Your own ideas are important, so record them in your notes along with the information from your resources.
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Additional resources
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