note taking for research papers

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How to take Research Notes

How to take research notes.

Your research notebook is an important piece of information useful for future projects and presentations. Maintaining organized and legible notes allows your research notebook to be a valuable resource to you and your research group. It allows others and yourself to replicate experiments, and it also serves as a useful troubleshooting tool. Besides it being an important part of the research process, taking detailed notes of your research will help you stay organized and allow you to easily review your work.

Here are some common reasons to maintain organized notes:

• Keeps a record of your goals and thoughts during your research experiments.
• Keeps a record of what worked and what didn't in your research experiments.
• Enables others to use your notes as a guide for similar procedures and techniques.
• A helpful tool to reference when writing a paper, submitting a proposal, or giving a presentation.
• Assists you in answering experimental questions.
• Useful to efficiently share experimental approaches, data, and results with others.

Before taking notes:

• Ask your research professor what note-taking method they recommend or prefer.
• Consider what type of media you'll be using to take notes.
• Once you have decided on how you'll be taking notes, be sure to keep all of your notes in one place to remain organized.
• Plan on taking notes regularly (meetings, important dates, procedures, journal/manuscript revisions, etc.).
• This is useful when applying to programs or internships that ask about your research experience.

Note Taking Tips:

Taking notes by hand:.

• Research notebooks don’t belong to you so make sure your notes are legible for others.
• Use post-it notes or tabs to flag important sections.
• Start sorting your notes early so that you don't become backed up and disorganized.
• Only write with a pen as pencils aren’t permanent & sharpies can bleed through.
• Make it a habit to write in your notebook and not directly on sticky notes or paper towels. Rewriting notes can waste time and sometimes lead to inaccurate data or results.

Taking Notes Electronically

• Make sure your device is charged and backed up to store data.
• Invest in note-taking apps or E-Ink tablets
• Create shortcuts to your folders so you have easier access
• Create outlines.
• Keep your notes short and legible.

Note Taking Tips Continued:

Things to avoid.

• Avoid using pencils or markers that may bleed through.
• Avoid erasing entries. Instead, draw a straight line through any mistakes and write the date next to the crossed-out information.
• Avoid writing in cursive.
• Avoid delaying your entries so you don’t fall behind and forget information.

Formatting Tips

• Use bullet points to condense your notes to make them simpler to access or color-code them.
• Tracking your failures and mistakes can improve your work in the future.
• If possible, take notes as you’re experimenting or make time at the end of each workday to get it done.
• Record the date at the start of every day, including all dates spent on research.

Types of media to use when taking notes:

Traditional paper notebook.

• Pros: Able to take quick notes, convenient access to notes, cheaper option
• Cons: Requires a table of contents or tabs as it is not easily searchable, can get damaged easily, needs to be scanned if making a digital copy

Electronic notebook  

• Apple Notes  
• Pros: Easily searchable, note-taking apps available, easy to edit & customize
• Cons: Can be difficult to find notes if they are unorganized, not as easy to take quick notes, can be a more expensive option

Combination of both

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Smart Note-Taking for Research Paper Writing

How to organize research notes using the Zettelkasten Method when writing academic papers

With plenty of note-taking tips and apps available, online and in paper form, it’s become extremely easy to take note of information, ideas, or thoughts. As simple as it is to write down an idea or jot down a quote, the skill of academic research and writing for a thesis paper is on another level entirely. And keeping a record or an archive of all of the information you need can quickly require a very organized system.

The use of index cards seems old-fashioned considering that note-taking apps (psst! Hypernotes ) offer better functionality and are arguably more user-friendly. However, software is only there to help aid our individual workflow and thinking process. That’s why understanding and learning how to properly research, take notes and write academic papers is still a highly valuable skill.

Let’s Start Writing! But Where to Start…

Writing academic papers is a vital skill most students need to learn and practice. Academic papers are usually time-intensive pieces of written content that are a requirement throughout school or at University. Whether a topic is assigned or you have to choose your own, there’s little room for variation in how to begin.

Popular and purposeful in analyzing and evaluating the knowledge of the author as well as assessing if the learning objectives were met, research papers serve as information-packed content. Most of us may not end up working jobs in academic professions or be researchers at institutions, where writing research papers is also part of the job, but we often read such papers. 

Despite the fact that most research papers or dissertations aren’t often read in full, journalists, academics, and other professionals regularly use academic papers as a basis for further literary publications or blog articles. The standard of academic papers ensures the validity of the information and gives the content authority. 

There’s no-nonsense in research papers. To make sure to write convincing and correct content, the research stage is extremely important. And, naturally, when doing any kind of research, we take notes.

Why Take Notes?

There are particular standards defined for writing academic papers . In order to meet these standards, a specific amount of background information and researched literature is required. Taking notes helps keep track of read/consumed literary material as well as keeps a file of any information that may be of importance to the topic. 

The aim of writing isn’t merely to advertise fully formed opinions, but also serves the purpose of developing opinions worth sharing in the first place. 

What is Note-Taking?

Note-taking (sometimes written as notetaking or note-taking ) is the practice of recording information from different sources and platforms. For academic writing, note-taking is the process of obtaining and compiling information that answers and supports the research paper’s questions and topic. Notes can be in one of three forms: summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation.

Note-taking is an excellent process useful for anyone to turn individual thoughts and information into organized ideas ready to be communicated through writing. Notes are, however, only as valuable as the context. Since notes are also a byproduct of the information we consume daily, it’s important to categorize information, develop connections, and establish relationships between pieces of information. 

What Type of Notes Can I Take?

• Explanation of complex theories
• Background information on events or persons of interest
• Definitions of terms
• Quotations of significant value
• Illustrations or graphics

Note-Taking 101

Taking notes or doing research for academic papers shouldn’t be that difficult, considering we take notes all the time. Wrong. Note-taking for research papers isn’t the same as quickly noting down an interesting slogan or cool quote from a video, putting it on a sticky note, and slapping it onto your bedroom or office wall.

Note-taking for research papers requires focus and careful deliberation of which information is important to note down, keep on file, or use and reference in your own writing. Depending on the topic and requirements of your research paper from your University or institution, your notes might include explanations of complex theories, definitions, quotations, and graphics. 

Stages of Research Paper Writing

1. Preparation Stage

Before you start, it’s recommended to draft a plan or an outline of how you wish to begin preparing to write your research paper. Make note of the topic you will be writing on, as well as the stylistic and literary requirements for your paper.

2. Research Stage

In the research stage, finding good and useful literary material for background knowledge is vital. To find particular publications on a topic, you can use Google Scholar or access literary databases and institutions made available to you through your school, university, or institution. 

Make sure to write down the source location of the literary material you find. Always include the reference title, author, page number, and source destination. This saves you time when formatting your paper in the later stages and helps keep the information you collect organized and referenceable.

In the worst-case scenario, you’ll have to do a backward search to find the source of a quote you wrote down without reference to the original literary material. 

3. Writing Stage

When writing, an outline or paper structure is helpful to visually break up the piece into sections. Once you have defined the sections, you can begin writing and referencing the information you have collected in the research stage.

Clearly mark which text pieces and information where you relied on background knowledge, which texts are directly sourced, and which information you summarized or have written in your own words. This is where your paper starts to take shape.  

4. Draft Stage

After organizing all of your collected notes and starting to write your paper, you are already in the draft stage. In the draft stage, the background information collected and the text written in your own words come together. Every piece of information is structured by the subtopics and sections you defined in the previous stages. 

5. Final Stage

Success! Well… almost! In the final stage, you look over your whole paper and check for consistency and any irrelevancies. Read through the entire paper for clarity, grammatical errors , and peace of mind that you have included everything important. 

Make sure you use the correct formatting and referencing method requested by your University or institution for research papers. Don’t forget to save it and then send the paper on its way.

Best Practice Note-Taking Tips

• Find relevant and authoritative literary material through the search bar of literary databases and institutions.
• Practice citation repeatedly! Always keep a record of the reference book title, author, page number, and source location. At best, format the citation in the necessary format from the beginning. 
• Organize your notes according to topic or reference to easily find the information again when in the writing stage. Work invested in the early stages eases the writing and editing process of the later stages.
• Summarize research notes and write in your own words as much as possible. Cite direct quotes and clearly mark copied text in your notes to avoid plagiarism.  

Take Smart Notes

Taking smart notes isn’t as difficult as it seems. It’s simply a matter of principle, defined structure, and consistency. Whether you opt for a paper-based system or use a digital tool to write and organize your notes depends solely on your individual personality, needs, and workflow.

With various productivity apps promoting diverse techniques, a good note-taking system to take smart notes is the Zettelkasten Method . Invented by Niklas Luhmann, a german sociologist and researcher, the Zettelkasten Method is known as the smart note-taking method that popularized personalized knowledge management. 

As a strategic process for thinking and writing, the Zettelkasten Method helps you organize your knowledge while working, studying, or researching. Directly translated as a ‘note box’, Zettelkasten is simply a framework to help organize your ideas, thoughts, and information by relating pieces of knowledge and connecting pieces of information to each other.

Hypernotes is a note-taking app that can be used as a software-based Zettelkasten, with integrated features to make smart note-taking so much easier, such as auto-connecting related notes, and syncing to multiple devices. In each notebook, you can create an archive of your thoughts, ideas, and information. 

Using the tag system to connect like-minded ideas and information to one another and letting Hypernotes do its thing with bi-directional linking, you’ll soon create a web of knowledge about anything you’ve ever taken note of. This feature is extremely helpful to navigate through the enormous amounts of information you’ve written down. Another benefit is that it assists you in categorizing and making connections between your ideas, thoughts, and saved information in a single notebook. Navigate through your notes, ideas, and knowledge easily.

Ready, Set, Go!

Writing academic papers is no simple task. Depending on the requirements, resources available, and your personal research and writing style, techniques, apps, or practice help keep you organized and increase your productivity. 

Whether you use a particular note-taking app like Hypernotes for your research paper writing or opt for a paper-based system, make sure you follow a particular structure. Repeat the steps that help you find the information you need quicker and allow you to reproduce or create knowledge naturally.

Images from NeONBRAND , hana_k and Surface via Unsplash 

A well-written piece is made up of authoritative sources and uses the art of connecting ideas, thoughts, and information together. Good luck to all students and professionals working on research paper writing! We hope these tips help you in organizing the information and aid your workflow in your writing process.

Cheers, Jessica and the Zenkit Team

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13.5 Research Process: Making Notes, Synthesizing Information, and Keeping a Research Log

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Employ the methods and technologies commonly used for research and communication within various fields.
• Practice and apply strategies such as interpretation, synthesis, response, and critique to compose texts that integrate the writer’s ideas with those from appropriate sources.
• Analyze and make informed decisions about intellectual property based on the concepts that motivate them.
• Apply citation conventions systematically.

As you conduct research, you will work with a range of “texts” in various forms, including sources and documents from online databases as well as images, audio, and video files from the Internet. You may also work with archival materials and with transcribed and analyzed primary data. Additionally, you will be taking notes and recording quotations from secondary sources as you find materials that shape your understanding of your topic and, at the same time, provide you with facts and perspectives. You also may download articles as PDFs that you then annotate. Like many other students, you may find it challenging to keep so much material organized, accessible, and easy to work with while you write a major research paper. As it does for many of those students, a research log for your ideas and sources will help you keep track of the scope, purpose, and possibilities of any research project.

A research log is essentially a journal in which you collect information, ask questions, and monitor the results. Even if you are completing the annotated bibliography for Writing Process: Informing and Analyzing , keeping a research log is an effective organizational tool. Like Lily Tran’s research log entry, most entries have three parts: a part for notes on secondary sources, a part for connections to the thesis or main points, and a part for your own notes or questions. Record source notes by date, and allow room to add cross-references to other entries.

Summary of Assignment: Research Log

Your assignment is to create a research log similar to the student model. You will use it for the argumentative research project assigned in Writing Process: Integrating Research to record all secondary source information: your notes, complete publication data, relation to thesis, and other information as indicated in the right-hand column of the sample entry.

Another Lens. A somewhat different approach to maintaining a research log is to customize it to your needs or preferences. You can apply shading or color coding to headers, rows, and/or columns in the three-column format (for colors and shading). Or you can add columns to accommodate more information, analysis, synthesis, or commentary, formatting them as you wish. Consider adding a column for questions only or one for connections to other sources. Finally, consider a different visual format , such as one without columns. Another possibility is to record some of your comments and questions so that you have an aural rather than a written record of these.

Writing Center

At this point, or at any other point during the research and writing process, you may find that your school’s writing center can provide extensive assistance. If you are unfamiliar with the writing center, now is a good time to pay your first visit. Writing centers provide free peer tutoring for all types and phases of writing. Discussing your research with a trained writing center tutor can help you clarify, analyze, and connect ideas as well as provide feedback on works in progress.

Quick Launch: Beginning Questions

You may begin your research log with some open pages in which you freewrite, exploring answers to the following questions. Although you generally would do this at the beginning, it is a process to which you likely will return as you find more information about your topic and as your focus changes, as it may during the course of your research.

• What information have I found so far?
• What do I still need to find?
• Where am I most likely to find it?

These are beginning questions. Like Lily Tran, however, you will come across general questions or issues that a quick note or freewrite may help you resolve. The key to this section is to revisit it regularly. Written answers to these and other self-generated questions in your log clarify your tasks as you go along, helping you articulate ideas and examine supporting evidence critically. As you move further into the process, consider answering the following questions in your freewrite:

• What evidence looks as though it best supports my thesis?
• What evidence challenges my working thesis?
• How is my thesis changing from where it started?

Creating the Research Log

As you gather source material for your argumentative research paper, keep in mind that the research is intended to support original thinking. That is, you are not writing an informational report in which you simply supply facts to readers. Instead, you are writing to support a thesis that shows original thinking, and you are collecting and incorporating research into your paper to support that thinking. Therefore, a research log, whether digital or handwritten, is a great way to keep track of your thinking as well as your notes and bibliographic information.

In the model below, Lily Tran records the correct MLA bibliographic citation for the source. Then, she records a note and includes the in-text citation here to avoid having to retrieve this information later. Perhaps most important, Tran records why she noted this information—how it supports her thesis: The human race must turn to sustainable food systems that provide healthy diets with minimal environmental impact, starting now . Finally, she makes a note to herself about an additional visual to include in the final paper to reinforce the point regarding the current pressure on food systems. And she connects the information to other information she finds, thus cross-referencing and establishing a possible synthesis. Use a format similar to that in Table 13.4 to begin your own research log.

Types of Research Notes

Taking good notes will make the research process easier by enabling you to locate and remember sources and use them effectively. While some research projects requiring only a few sources may seem easily tracked, research projects requiring more than a few sources are more effectively managed when you take good bibliographic and informational notes. As you gather evidence for your argumentative research paper, follow the descriptions and the electronic model to record your notes. You can combine these with your research log, or you can use the research log for secondary sources and your own note-taking system for primary sources if a division of this kind is helpful. Either way, be sure to include all necessary information.

Bibliographic Notes

These identify the source you are using. When you locate a useful source, record the information necessary to find that source again. It is important to do this as you find each source, even before taking notes from it. If you create bibliographic notes as you go along, then you can easily arrange them in alphabetical order later to prepare the reference list required at the end of formal academic papers. If your instructor requires you to use MLA formatting for your essay, be sure to record the following information:

• Title of source
• Title of container (larger work in which source is included)
• Other contributors
• Publication date

When using MLA style with online sources, also record the following information:

• Date of original publication
• Date of access
• DOI (A DOI, or digital object identifier, is a series of digits and letters that leads to the location of an online source. Articles in journals are often assigned DOIs to ensure that the source can be located, even if the URL changes. If your source is listed with a DOI, use that instead of a URL.)

It is important to understand which documentation style your instructor will require you to use. Check the Handbook for MLA Documentation and Format and APA Documentation and Format styles . In addition, you can check the style guide information provided by the Purdue Online Writing Lab .

Informational Notes

These notes record the relevant information found in your sources. When writing your essay, you will work from these notes, so be sure they contain all the information you need from every source you intend to use. Also try to focus your notes on your research question so that their relevance is clear when you read them later. To avoid confusion, work with separate entries for each piece of information recorded. At the top of each entry, identify the source through brief bibliographic identification (author and title), and note the page numbers on which the information appears. Also helpful is to add personal notes, including ideas for possible use of the information or cross-references to other information. As noted in Writing Process: Integrating Research , you will be using a variety of formats when borrowing from sources. Below is a quick review of these formats in terms of note-taking processes. By clarifying whether you are quoting directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing during these stages, you can record information accurately and thus take steps to avoid plagiarism.

Direct Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries

A direct quotation is an exact duplication of the author’s words as they appear in the original source. In your notes, put quotation marks around direct quotations so that you remember these words are the author’s, not yours. One advantage of copying exact quotations is that it allows you to decide later whether to include a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. ln general, though, use direct quotations only when the author’s words are particularly lively or persuasive.

A paraphrase is a restatement of the author’s words in your own words. Paraphrase to simplify or clarify the original author’s point. In your notes, use paraphrases when you need to record details but not exact words.

A summary is a brief condensation or distillation of the main point and most important details of the original source. Write a summary in your own words, with facts and ideas accurately represented. A summary is useful when specific details in the source are unimportant or irrelevant to your research question. You may find you can summarize several paragraphs or even an entire article or chapter in just a few sentences without losing useful information. It is a good idea to note when your entry contains a summary to remind you later that it omits detailed information. See Writing Process Integrating Research for more detailed information and examples of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries and when to use them.

Other Systems for Organizing Research Logs and Digital Note-Taking

Students often become frustrated and at times overwhelmed by the quantity of materials to be managed in the research process. If this is your first time working with both primary and secondary sources, finding ways to keep all of the information in one place and well organized is essential.

Because gathering primary evidence may be a relatively new practice, this section is designed to help you navigate the process. As mentioned earlier, information gathered in fieldwork is not cataloged, organized, indexed, or shelved for your convenience. Obtaining it requires diligence, energy, and planning. Online resources can assist you with keeping a research log. Your college library may have subscriptions to tools such as Todoist or EndNote. Consult with a librarian to find out whether you have access to any of these. If not, use something like the template shown in Figure 13.8 , or another like it, as a template for creating your own research notes and organizational tool. You will need to have a record of all field research data as well as the research log for all secondary sources.

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How to Do Research: A Step-By-Step Guide: 4a. Take Notes

• Get Started
• 1a. Select a Topic
• 1b. Develop Research Questions
• 1c. Identify Keywords
• 1d. Find Background Information
• 1e. Refine a Topic
• 2a. Search Strategies
• 2d. Articles
• 2e. Videos & Images
• 2f. Databases
• 2g. Websites
• 2h. Grey Literature
• 2i. Open Access Materials
• 3a. Evaluate Sources
• 3b. Primary vs. Secondary
• 3c. Types of Periodicals
• 4a. Take Notes
• 4b. Outline the Paper
• 4c. Incorporate Source Material
• 5a. Avoid Plagiarism
• 5b. Zotero & MyBib
• 5c. MLA Formatting
• 5d. MLA Citation Examples
• 5e. APA Formatting
• 5f. APA Citation Examples
• 5g. Annotated Bibliographies

Note Taking in Bibliographic Management Tools

We encourage students to use bibliographic citation management tools (such as Zotero, EasyBib and RefWorks) to keep track of their research citations. Each service includes a note-taking function. Find more information about citation management tools here . Whether or not you're using one of these, the tips below will help you.

Tips for Taking Notes Electronically

• Try using a bibliographic citation management tool to keep track of your sources and to take notes.
• As you add sources, put them in the format you're using (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).
• Group sources by publication type (i.e., book, article, website).
• Number each source within the publication type group.
• For websites, include the URL information and the date you accessed each site.
• Next to each idea, include the source number from the Works Cited file and the page number from the source. See the examples below. Note that #A5 and #B2 refer to article source 5 and book source 2 from the Works Cited file.

#A5 p.35: 76.69% of the hyperlinks selected from homepage are for articles and the catalog #B2 p.76: online library guides evolved from the paper pathfinders of the 1960s

• When done taking notes, assign keywords or sub-topic headings to each idea, quote or summary.
• Use the copy and paste feature to group keywords or sub-topic ideas together.
• Back up your master list and note files frequently!

Tips for Taking Notes by Hand

• Use index cards to keep notes and track sources used in your paper.
• Include the citation (i.e., author, title, publisher, date, page numbers, etc.) in the format you're using. It will be easier to organize the sources alphabetically when creating the Works Cited page.
• Number the source cards.
• Use only one side to record a single idea, fact or quote from one source. It will be easier to rearrange them later when it comes time to organize your paper.
• Include a heading or key words at the top of the card. 
• Include the Work Cited source card number.
• Include the page number where you found the information.
• Use abbreviations, acronyms, or incomplete sentences to record information to speed up the notetaking process.
• Write down only the information that answers your research questions.
• Use symbols, diagrams, charts or drawings to simplify and visualize ideas.

Forms of Notetaking

Use one of these notetaking forms to capture information:

• Summarize : Capture the main ideas of the source succinctly by restating them in your own words.
• Paraphrase : Restate the author's ideas in your own words.
• Quote : Copy the quotation exactly as it appears in the original source. Put quotation marks around the text and note the name of the person you are quoting.

Example of a Work Cited Card

Example notecard.

• << Previous: Step 4: Write
• Next: 4b. Outline the Paper >>
• Last Updated: Feb 21, 2024 11:01 AM
• URL: https://libguides.elmira.edu/research

• Writing Home
• Writing Advice Home

Taking Notes from Research Reading

• Printable PDF Version
• Fair-Use Policy

If you take notes efficiently, you can read with more understanding and also save time and frustration when you come to write your paper. These are three main principles

1. Know what kind of ideas you need to record

Focus your approach to the topic before you start detailed research. Then you will read with a purpose in mind, and you will be able to sort out relevant ideas.

• First, review the commonly known facts about your topic, and also become aware of the range of thinking and opinions on it. Review your class notes and textbook and browse in an encyclopaedia or other reference work.
• Try making a preliminary list of the subtopics you would expect to find in your reading. These will guide your attention and may come in handy as labels for notes.
• Choose a component or angle that interests you, perhaps one on which there is already some controversy. Now formulate your research question. It should allow for reasoning as well as gathering of information—not just what the proto-Iroquoians ate, for instance, but how valid the evidence is for early introduction of corn. You may even want to jot down a tentative thesis statement as a preliminary answer to your question. (See Using Thesis Statements .)
• Then you will know what to look for in your research reading: facts and theories that help answer your question, and other people’s opinions about whether specific answers are good ones.

2. Don’t write down too much

Your essay must be an expression of your own thinking, not a patchwork of borrowed ideas. Plan therefore to invest your research time in understanding your sources and integrating them into your own thinking. Your note cards or note sheets will record only ideas that are relevant to your focus on the topic; and they will mostly summarize rather than quote.

• Copy out exact words only when the ideas are memorably phrased or surprisingly expressed—when you might use them as actual quotations in your essay.
• Otherwise, compress ideas in your own words . Paraphrasing word by word is a waste of time. Choose the most important ideas and write them down as labels or headings. Then fill in with a few subpoints that explain or exemplify.
• Don’t depend on underlining and highlighting. Find your own words for notes in the margin (or on “sticky” notes).

3. Label your notes intelligently

Whether you use cards or pages for note-taking, take notes in a way that allows for later use.

• Save bother later by developing the habit of recording bibliographic information in a master list when you begin looking at each source (don’t forget to note book and journal information on photocopies). Then you can quickly identify each note by the author’s name and page number; when you refer to sources in the essay you can fill in details of publication easily from your master list. Keep a format guide handy (see Documentation Formats ).
• Try as far as possible to put notes on separate cards or sheets. This will let you label the topic of each note. Not only will that keep your notetaking focussed, but it will also allow for grouping and synthesizing of ideas later. It is especially satisfying to shuffle notes and see how the conjunctions create new ideas—yours.
• Leave lots of space in your notes for comments of your own—questions and reactions as you read, second thoughts and cross-references when you look back at what you’ve written. These comments can become a virtual first draft of your paper.

Research Guides

Gould library, reading well and taking research notes.

• How to read for college
• How to take research notes
• How to use sources in your writing
• Tools for note taking and annotations
• Mobile apps for notes and annotations
• Assistive technology
• How to cite your sources

Be Prepared: Keep track of which notes are direct quotes, which are summary, and which are your own thoughts. For example, enclose direct quotes in quotation marks, and enclose your own thoughts in brackets. That way you'll never be confused when you're writing.

Be Clear: Make sure you have noted the source and page number!

Be Organized: Keep your notes organized but in a single place so that you can refer back to notes about other readings at the same time.

Be Consistent: You'll want to find specific notes later, and one way to do that is to be consistent in the way you describe things. If you use consistent terms or tags or keywords, you'll be able to find your way back more easily.

Recording what you find

Take full notes

Whether you take notes on cards, in a notebook, or on the computer, it's vital to record information accurately and completely. Otherwise, you won't be able to trust your own notes. Most importantly, distinguish between (1) direct quotation; (2) paraphrases and summaries of the text; and (3) your own thoughts. On a computer, you have many options for making these distinctions, such as parentheses, brackets, italic or bold text, etc.

Know when to quote, paraphrase, and summarize

• Summarize when you only need to remember the main point of the passage, chapter, etc.
• Paraphrase when you are able to able to clearly state a source's point or meaning in your own words.
• Quote exactly when you need the author's exact words or authority as evidience to back up your claim. You may also want to be sure and use the author's exact wording, either because they stated their point so well, or because you want to refute that point and need to demonstrate you aren't misrepresenting the author's words.

Get the context right

Don't just record the author's words or ideas; be sure and capture the context and meaning that surrounds those ideas as well. It can be easy to take a short quote from an author that completely misrepresents his or her actual intentions if you fail to take the context into account. You should also be sure to note when the author is paraphrasing or summarizing another author's point of view--don't accidentally represent those ideas as the ideas of the author.

Example of reading notes

Here is an example of reading notes taken in Evernote, with citation and page numbers noted as well as quotation marks for direct quotes and brackets around the reader's own thoughts.

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Graduate Research: Note-Taking and Organization

• Getting Organized

Taking Notes

• Reference Managers

Taking Notes for Research Papers

How to Take Notes

First of all, make sure that you record all necessary and appropriate information: author, title, publisher, place of publication, volume, the span of pages, date. It's probably easiest to keep this basic information about each source on individual 3x5 or 4x6 notecards. This way when you come to creating the "Works Cited" or "References" at the end of your paper, you can easily alphabetize your cards to create the list. Also, keep a running list of page numbers as you take notes so that you can identify the exact location of each piece of noted information. Remember, you will have to refer to these sources accurately, sometimes using page numbers within your paper and, depending on the type of source, using page numbers as part of your list of sources at the end of the paper.

Many people recommend taking all your notes on notecards. The advantage of notecards is that if you write very specific notes or only one idea on one side of the card, you can then spread them out on a table and rearrange them as you are structuring your paper. They're also small and neat and can help you stay organized.

Some people find notecards too small and frustrating to work with when taking notes and use a notebook instead. They leave plenty of space between notes and only write on one side of the page. Later, they either cut up their notes and arrange them as they would the cards, or they color code their notes to help them arrange information for sections or paragraphs of their paper.

What to Put into Notes

When you take notes, your job is not to write everything down, nor is it a good idea to give in to the temptation of photocopying pages or articles.

Notetaking is the process of extracting only the information that answers your research question or supports your working thesis directly. Notes can be in one of three forms: summary, paraphrase, or direct quotation. (It's a good idea to come up with a system-- you might simply label each card or note "s" "p" or "q"--as a way of keeping track of the kind of notes you took from a source.) Also, a direct quotation reproduces the source's words and punctuation exactly, so you add quotation marks around the sentence(s) to show this. Remember it is essential to record the exact page numbers of the specific notes since you will need them later for your documentation.

Work carefully to make sure you have recorded the source of your notes and the basic information you will need when citing your source, to save yourself a great deal of time and frustration--otherwise you will have to make extra trips to the library when writing your final draft.

How to Use Idea Cards

While doing your research, you will be making connections and synthesizing what you are learning. Some people find it useful to make "idea cards" or notes in which they write out the ideas and perceptions they are developing about their topic.

How to Work with Notes

• After you take notes, re-read them.
• Then re-organize them by putting similar information together. Working with your notes involves re-grouping them by topic instead of by source. Re-group your notes by re-shuffling your index cards or by color-coding or using symbols to code notes in a notebook.
• Review the topics of your newly-grouped notes. If the topics do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly, you may need to do additional research or re-think your original research.
• During this process, you may find that you have taken notes that do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly. Don't be afraid to throw them away.

It may have struck you that you just read a lot of "re" words: re-read, re-organize, re-group, re-shuffle, re-think. That's right; working with your notes essentially means going back and reviewing how this "new" information fits with your thoughts about the topic or issue of the research.

Grouping your notes should enable you to outline the major sections and then the paragraph of your research paper.

Credit: Online Writing Center, SUNY Empire State College

Organize Your Notes

• After you take notes, re-read them. 
• Working with your notes involves re-grouping them by topic instead of by source. Re-group your notes by re-shuffling your index cards or by color-coding or using symbols to code notes in a notebook. 
• Review the topics of your newly-grouped notes. If the topics do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly, you may need to do additional research or re-think your original research. 
• During this process, you may find that you have taken notes that do not answer your research question or support your working thesis directly. Don't be afraid to throw them away. 

Working with your notes involves a lot of repetition: re-reading, re-organizing, re-grouping, and even re-thinking how "new" information fits with your thoughts about the topic or issue of the research. Ultimately, grouping your notes will allow you to outline the major sections and paragraphs of your research paper.

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Think about how you take notes during class. Do you use a specific system? Do you feel that system is working for you? What could be improved? How might taking notes during a lecture, section, or seminar be different online versus in the classroom? 

Adjust how you take notes during synchronous vs. asynchronous learning (slightly) . 

First, let’s distinguish between  synchronous  and  asynchronous  instruction. Synchronous classes are live with the instructor and students together, and asynchronous instruction is material recorded by the professor for viewing by students at another time. Sometimes asynchronous instruction may include a recording of a live Zoom session with the instructor and students. 

With this distinction in mind,  here are some tips on how to take notes during both types of instruction:

Taking notes during live classes (synchronous instruction).

Taking notes when watching recorded classes (asynchronous instruction)., check in with yourself., if available, annotate lecture slides during lecture., consider writing notes by hand., review your notes., write down questions..

Below are some common and effective note-taking techniques: 

Cornell Notes

If you are looking for help with using some of the tips and techniques described above, come to the ARC’s note-taking workshop, offered several times every semester.

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Note making for dissertations: First steps into writing

Note making (as opposed to note taking) is an active practice of recording relevant parts of reading for your research as well as your reflections and critiques of those studies. Note making, therefore, is a pre-writing exercise that helps you to organise your thoughts prior to writing. In this module, we will cover:

• The difference between note taking and note making
• Seven tips for good note making
• Strategies for structuring your notes and asking critical questions
• Different styles of note making

To complete this section, you will need:

• Approximately 20-30 minutes.
• Access to the internet. All the resources used here are available freely.
• Some equipment for jotting down your thoughts, a pen and paper will do, or your phone or another electronic device.

Note taking v note making

When you think about note taking, what comes to mind? Perhaps trying to record everything said in a lecture? Perhaps trying to write down everything included in readings required for a course?

• Note taking is a passive process. When you take notes, you are often trying to record everything that you are reading or listening to. However, you may have noticed that this takes a lot of effort and often results in too many notes to be useful.  
• Note making , on the other hand, is an active practice, based on the needs and priorities of your project. Note making is an opportunity for you to ask critical questions of your readings and to synthesise ideas as they pertain to your research questions. Making notes is a pre-writing exercise that develops your academic voice and makes writing significantly easier.

Seven tips for effective note making

Note making is an active process based on the needs of your research. This video contains seven tips to help you make brilliant notes from articles and books to make the most of the time you spend reading and writing.

• Transcript of Seven Tips for Effective Notemaking

Question prompts for strategic note making

You might consider structuring your notes to answer the following questions. Remember that note making is based on your needs, so not all of these questions will apply in all cases. You might try answering these questions using the note making styles discussed in the next section.

• Question prompts for strategic note making
• Background question prompts
• Critical question prompts
• Synthesis question prompts

Answer these six questions to frame your reading and provide context.

• What is the context in which the text was written? What came before it? Are there competing ideas?
• Who is the intended audience?
• What is the author’s purpose?
• How is the writing organised?
• What are the author’s methods?
• What is the author’s key argument and conclusions?

Answer these six questions to determine your critical perspectivess and develop your academic voice.

• What are the most interesting/compelling ideas (to you) in this study?
• Why do you find them interesting? How do they relate to your study?
• What questions do you have about the study?
• What could it cover better? How could it have defended its research better?
• What are the implications of the study? (Look not just to the conclusions but also to definitions and models)
• Are there any gaps in the study? (Look not just at conclusions but definitions, literature review, methodology)

Answer these five questions to compare aspects of various studies (such as for a literature review. 

• What are the similarities and differences in the literature?
• Critically analyse the strengths, limitations, debates and themes that emerg from the literature.
• What would you suggest for future research or practice?
• Where are the gaps in the literature? What is missing? Why?
• What new questions should be asked in this area of study?

Styles of note making

• Linear notes . Great for recording thoughts about your readings. [video]
• Mind mapping : Great for thinking through complex topics. [video]

Further sites that discuss techniques for note making:

• Note-taking techniques
• Common note-taking methods
• Strategies for effective note making  

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9 Organizing Research: Taking and Keeping Effective Notes

Once you’ve located the right primary and secondary sources, it’s time to glean all the information you can from them. In this chapter, you’ll first get some tips on taking and organizing notes. The second part addresses how to approach the sort of intermediary assignments (such as book reviews) that are often part of a history course.

Honing your own strategy for organizing your primary and secondary research is a pathway to less stress and better paper success. Moreover, if you can find the method that helps you best organize your notes, these methods can be applied to research you do for any of your classes.

Before the personal computing revolution, most historians labored through archives and primary documents and wrote down their notes on index cards, and then found innovative ways to organize them for their purposes. When doing secondary research, historians often utilized (and many still do) pen and paper for taking notes on secondary sources. With the advent of digital photography and useful note-taking tools like OneNote, some of these older methods have been phased out – though some persist. And, most importantly, once you start using some of the newer techniques below, you may find that you are a little “old school,” and might opt to integrate some of the older techniques with newer technology.

Whether you choose to use a low-tech method of taking and organizing your notes or an app that will help you organize your research, here are a few pointers for good note-taking.

Principles of note-taking

• If you are going low-tech, choose a method that prevents a loss of any notes. Perhaps use one spiral notebook, or an accordion folder, that will keep everything for your project in one space. If you end up taking notes away from your notebook or folder, replace them—or tape them onto blank pages if you are using a notebook—as soon as possible.
• If you are going high-tech, pick one application and stick with it. Using a cloud-based app, including one that you can download to your smart phone, will allow you to keep adding to your notes even if you find yourself with time to take notes unexpectedly.
• When taking notes, whether you’re using 3X5 note cards or using an app described below, write down the author and a shortened title for the publication, along with the page number on EVERY card. We can’t emphasize this point enough; writing down the bibliographic information the first time and repeatedly will save you loads of time later when you are writing your paper and must cite all key information.
• Include keywords or “tags” that capture why you thought to take down this information in a consistent place on each note card (and when using the apps described below). If you are writing a paper about why Martin Luther King, Jr., became a successful Civil Rights movement leader, for example, you may have a few theories as you read his speeches or how those around him described his leadership. Those theories—religious beliefs, choice of lieutenants, understanding of Gandhi—might become the tags you put on each note card.
• Note-taking applications can help organize tags for you, but if you are going low tech, a good idea is to put tags on the left side of a note card, and bibliographic info on the right side.

Organizing research- applications that can help

Using images in research.

• If you are in an archive: make your first picture one that includes the formal collection name, the box number, the folder name and call numbe r and anything else that would help you relocate this information if you or someone else needed to. Do this BEFORE you start taking photos of what is in the folder.
• If you are photographing a book or something you may need to return to the library: take a picture of all the front matter (the title page, the page behind the title with all the publication information, maybe even the table of contents).

Once you have recorded where you find it, resist the urge to rename these photographs. By renaming them, they may be re-ordered and you might forget where you found them. Instead, use tags for your own purposes, and carefully name and date the folder into which the photographs were automatically sorted. There is one free, open-source program, Tropy , which is designed to help organize photos taken in archives, as well as tag, annotate, and organize them. It was developed and is supported by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. It is free to download, and you can find it here: https://tropy.org/ ; it is not, however, cloud-based, so you should back up your photos. In other cases, if an archive doesn’t allow photography (this is highly unlikely if you’ve made the trip to the archive), you might have a laptop on hand so that you can transcribe crucial documents.

Using note or project-organizing apps

When you have the time to sit down and begin taking notes on your primary sources, you can annotate your photos in Tropy. Alternatively, OneNote, which is cloud-based, can serve as a way to organize your research. OneNote allows you to create separate “Notebooks” for various projects, but this doesn’t preclude you from searching for terms or tags across projects if the need ever arises. Within each project you can start new tabs, say, for each different collection that you have documents from, or you can start new tabs for different themes that you are investigating. Just as in Tropy, as you go through taking notes on your documents you can create your own “tags” and place them wherever you want in the notes.

Another powerful, free tool to help organize research, especially secondary research though not exclusively, is Zotero found @ https://www.zotero.org/ . Once downloaded, you can begin to save sources (and their URL) that you find on the internet to Zotero. You can create main folders for each major project that you have and then subfolders for various themes if you would like. Just like the other software mentioned, you can create notes and tags about each source, and Zotero can also be used to create bibliographies in the precise format that you will be using. Obviously, this function is super useful when doing a long-term, expansive project like a thesis or dissertation.

How History is Made: A Student’s Guide to Reading, Writing, and Thinking in the Discipline Copyright © 2022 by Stephanie Cole; Kimberly Breuer; Scott W. Palmer; and Brandon Blakeslee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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10.6: Reading and Note Taking for Research Papers

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• Athena Kashyap & Erika Dyquisto
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Now that you have chosen your sources, it is time to start reading and note taking in an in-depth way.

Managing Source Information

As you determine which sources you will rely on most, it is important to establish a system for keeping track of your sources and taking notes. There are several ways to go about it, and no one system is necessarily superior. What matters is that you keep materials in order; record bibliographical information you will need later; and take detailed, organized notes.

Keeping Track of Your Sources

Think ahead to a moment a few weeks from now, when you’ve written your research paper and are almost ready to submit it for a grade. There is just one task left—writing your list of sources.

As you begin typing your list, you realize you need to include the publication information for a book you cited frequently. Unfortunately, you already returned it to the library several days ago. You do not remember the URLs for some of the websites you used—information that also must be included in your bibliography. With a sinking feeling, you realize that finding this information and preparing your bibliography will require hours of work.

This stressful scenario can be avoided. Taking time to organize source information now will ensure that you are not scrambling to find it at the last minute. Throughout your research, record bibliographical information for each source as soon as you begin using it. You may use pen-and-paper methods, such as a notebook or note cards, or maintain an electronic list. (If you prefer the latter option, many office software packages include embedded programs for recording bibliographic information and there are a number of online programs to help you format your bibliographic entries.)

The following table, 10.6 -- “Details for Commonly Used Source Types,” shows the specific details you should record for commonly used source types. Use these details to develop a working bibliography—a preliminary list of sources that you will later use to develop the references section of your paper. You may wish to record information using the formatting system of the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Modern Language Association (MLA), which will save a step later on. For most composition classes, professors will require MLA format.

Table 10.6 -- Details for Commonly Used Source Types

Create a working bibliography using the format that is most convenient for you. List at least five sources you plan to use. Continue to add sources to your working bibliography throughout the research process. If you decide not to use a source, you can delete it.

You may want to keep a special folder in your computers file system to hold research you've found for your paper so that you can find it all easily.

Taking Notes Efficiently

Good researchers stay focused and organized as they gather information from sources. Before you begin taking notes, take a moment to step back and think about your goal as a researcher—to find information that will help you answer your research question. When you write your paper, you will present your conclusions about the topic supported by research. That goal will determine what information you record and how you organize it.

Writers sometimes get caught up in taking extensive notes, so much so that they lose sight of how their notes relate to the questions and ideas they started out with. Remember that you do not need to write down every detail from your reading. In fact, it is better to take notes on the main ideas and annotate based on your thoughts. If you find an especially interesting quote, but it isn't a main idea -- just highlight it and write down your thoughts about it -- again, just like a conversation. These might help you develop your analysis and explanation when drafting your paper. Focus mainly on finding and recording main ideas and important points that will help you answer your research questions.

The following strategies will help you take and organize notes efficiently.

Use Themed Headings and Color Coding to Organize Ideas

If you created a mind map or KWL+ chart during any part of the early phase of thinking about your research paper, you may have already pre-identified some themes that you might focus on while you are reading. Inevitably you will find other repeating opinions or thoughts about the topic. You might also find some that stand out on their own as an innovative way of looking at the topic. For instance, when Miguel researches his question about low-carbohydrate diets, he will likely find opinions about energy needs, the standard American diet (SAD), and synthesis of fats and carbohydrates while burning calories. He also will likely find various people's personal experiences with such diets. He did not expect to find information about the carbohydrate needs of people going through various disease process, such as fighting cancer, however. When Miguel found in a couple of different article that the carbohydrate needs of people with certain diseases were different from the average person, he identified a new theme and an unexpected viewpoint. He added this to the subtopics he planned to cover.

As you read, you will inevitably find some recurring subtopics, opinions, or themes regarding your research question. If you have a large number of sources. and they are printed or in an e-reader with annotation tools, it can be helpful to identify and color code for these themes, especially if you are a visual learner. You can do this by matching a color of a sticky note or flag or e-highlighter for each theme you identify. Then, as you read, along with your written annotations, you can place a flag, sticky note or highlight in the appropriate color on that page for that theme. Usually, research papers are organized by subtopic or theme, so as you develop each section later on, you can more easily find the relevant points each writer makes about the topic or theme. This will help avoid the "patchwork" problem that occurs when you just try to works with one author at a time rather than one theme at a time. You will also more easily be able to find your reactions and thoughts about each topic.

Central Question:

Why Is No One Doing Anything about Violence Against Native American Women?

Native American women’s voices

Strange Law Enforcement Boundaries

Bad Statistics

Colonization

Psychology of Trauma

Choose a color for each theme/major topic in your notes. As you read and annotate, place a sticky note in the relevant color wherever you see that an author is writing about that theme/major topic. If you are using an e-reader, highlight the quote or section of the text with that highlighter color.

Maintain Complete, Accurate Notes

Regardless of the format used, any notes you take should include enough information to help you organize ideas and locate them instantly in the original text if you need to review them. Make sure your notes include the following elements:

• Heading summing up the main topic covered
• Author’s name, a source code, or an abbreviated source title
• Page number
• Full URL of any pages buried deep in a website

Throughout the process of taking notes, be scrupulous about making sure you have correctly attributed each idea to its source. Always include source information so you know exactly which ideas came from which sources. Use quotation marks to set off any words for phrases taken directly from the original text. If you add your own responses and ideas, make sure they are distinct from ideas you quoted or paraphrased.

Make sure your notes accurately reflect the content of the original text. Make sure quoted material is copied verbatim with no mistakes. If you omit words from a quotation, use ellipses to show the omission and make sure the omission does not change the author’s meaning. Paraphrase ideas carefully, and check your paraphrased notes against the original text to make sure that you have restated the author’s ideas accurately in your own words.

You may also want to start a document where you begin to organize your notes by topic or theme (not by author). In your document, using bold headers so you can easily find them later when typing in notes, type in the themes or topics that you have identified. Then, after you read a source, place the quote or paraphrase you identified while reading, along with the important source information mentioned in the bulleted list, above, in that section. If you wrote down an annotation with your thoughts along with the quote, make sure you get that into your document (you may or may not use it later).

Here is an example of what that document may look like during the process:

Indigenous women in the U.S. and Canada have been experiencing an extraordinary amount of violence and murder for years, but only recently has their plight been receiving some media and government attention.

Brown, Alleen. “Indigenous Women Have Been Disappearing for Generations. Politicians Are Finally Starting to Notice.” The Intercept. 2018, May 31. Retrieved from theintercept.com/2018/05/31/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women/.

It is difficult to gather information because of the patchwork of laws and authority from various jurisdictions (the tribal authorities, local police, state police, and the FBI and Canadian federal police).

Healy, Jack. “In Indian County, A Crisis of Missing Women. And a New One When They’re Found.” New York Times. 2019, Dec. 25. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/us/native-women-girls-missing.html .

Also, when record-keeping does happen, many Indigenous women are miscategorized and, thus, are not recognized as Native in the statistics

“Activists describe the crisis as a legacy of generations of government policies of forced removal, land seizures and violence inflicted on Indigenous people. Hundreds of the missing never return, and families said they have struggled to find counseling and treatment for those who do. Some are trying to cope with the trauma of being trafficked. Some are confronting addiction or grappling with violence they suffered on the streets. Some had fled abuse at home and do not have a safe place to welcome them back” (Healy).

So there a number of questions here – who is luring women and girls (or just taking them) to be trafficked and why has so little attention been paid to this problem? Part of this issue is the more than 500-plus-year legacy of brutal colonization.

Alvarez, A. and Bachman, R. Violence: The Enduring Problem. 2017. Sage.

Could such treatment of Indigenous women (no matter who the culprits are) be a matter of learned behavior that is passed down through generations (Alvarez and Bachman)? It seems that’s partly possible because otherwise how would outside people know whether to go to kidnap women on a reservation?

After you have annotated your texts(s), create a document in a word processing program with color-coded headers for each of the themes or sub-topics you have identified. Place the relevant quotes or paraphrases under each header with the source and page number, and write down your thoughts about that quote or paraphrase

Know When to Summarize, Paraphrase, or Directly Quote a Source

Your notes will fall under three categories—summary notes, paraphrased information, and direct quotations from your sources. Effective researchers make choices about which types of notes are most appropriate for their purposes.

• Summary notes sum up the main ideas in a source in a few sentences or a short paragraph. A summary is considerably shorter than the original text and captures only the major ideas. Use summary notes when you do not need to record specific details but you intend to refer to broad concepts the author discusses.
• Paraphrased notes restate a fact or idea from a source using your own words and sentence structure.
• Direct quotations use the exact wording used by the original source and enclose the quoted material in quotation marks. It is a good strategy to copy direct quotations when an author expresses an idea in an especially lively or memorable way. However, do not rely exclusively on direct quotations in your note taking.

Most of your notes should be paraphrased from the original source. Paraphrasing as you take notes is usually a better strategy than copying direct quotations, because it forces you to think through the information in your source and understand it well enough to restate it. Also, the majority of the information in most research writing is paraphrased, so it is a good skill to practice. In short, paraphrasing helps you stay engaged with the material instead of simply copying and pasting. It will also allow you to synthesize the ideas more easily later when you begin planning and drafting your paper. (For detailed guidelines on summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting, see " Summarizing " and " Working with Sources ").

Use a System That Works for You

There are several formats you can use to take notes. No technique is necessarily better than the others—it is more important to choose a format you are comfortable using. Choosing the format that works best for you will ensure your notes are organized, complete, and accurate. Consider implementing one of these formats when you begin taking notes:

• Annotate directly on your sources. This method involves making handwritten notes in the margins of sources that you have printed or photocopied and or taking notes on an e-reader. This works well with the color-coding strategy mentioned above, but does require a two-step process to then get the notes organized so that the ideas can be synthesized.
• Use index cards. This traditional format involves writing each note on a separate index card. It takes more time than copying and pasting into an electronic document, which encourages you to be selective in choosing which ideas to record. Recording notes on separate cards makes it easy to later organize your notes according to major topics. Some writers color-code their cards to make them still more organized.
• Use note-taking software. Word-processing and office software packages often include different types of note-taking software. Although you may need to set aside some time to learn the software, this method combines the speed of typing with the same degree of organization associated with handwritten note cards.
• Create a word processing document. This strategy is less comprehensive than note-taking software but, as explained above in "Maintain Complete, Accurate Notes," it will allow you to more easily make the transition between recording and organizing your notes.
• Maintain a research notebook. Instead of using index cards or electronic note cards, you may wish to keep a notebook, allotting a few pages (or one file) for each of your sources. This method makes it easy to create a separate column or section of the document where you add your responses to the information you encounter in your research. This is basically the low-tech version of the strategy previously mentioned.

Annotated Bibliographies

Although they can be quite a bit of work, annotated bibliographies help you ensure that you understand the general gist of what you are reading and think about whether and how a source will be useful for you. It is the beginning step of synthesizing your ideas.

The annotated bibliography should have at least the number of entries that are required by your instructor's research assignment. They should all be suitable and trustworthy, as discussed in section 5.5 . These are the sources you will use in your research paper although it is possible that your final paper will have some sources that aren't included here and that you end up not using some sources that you do list here. This is because of the recursive nature of the research process.

Each entry of an annotated bibliography should have the following components:

• A bibliographic (Works Cited) entry formatted according to MLA or APA (depending on what is required in your class).
• A short paragraph (three to five sentences) summarizing the source in your own words. When using a research paper as a source, d o not use an abstract as your summary. Write the paragraph in your own words.
• A short paragraph stating your opinion about the source -- is it well written and credible? Do the ideas seem logically and fully expressed? Is there enough support to back up the author's assertions? This critique paragraph (again, about three to four sentences) takes into account the items you considered when determining whether the source was credible, but in a way that relates more to the details of the source.
• One final short paragraph (two to three sentences) about how the source will help you write your paper. Will you use it in any particular section or for any particular purpose?

The entries in your annotated bibliography should appear in the same order you would include them on a Works Cited page -- alphabetized by author. On your final Works Cited page with your final paper, however, you should not include any of the paragraphs that appear in the annotated bibliography; just include the bibliographic entry. In addition, the Works Cited page on your final paper should only include those sources that you actually ended up using in your final paper.

Example Annotated Bibliography Entry

Contributors and attributions.

• Adapted from Writing for Success . Provided by: The Saylor Foundation. License: CC-NC-SA 3.0 .

Best Note-Taking App In 2023 For Researchers: Academic & Industry

In the fast-paced world of 2023, where information is king, finding the best note-taking app has become a crucial quest for researchers and professionals alike. Whether you need to streamline your research papers, collaborate with others, or manage projects with precision, the right note-taking tool can make all the difference.

From the cross-platform capabilities of Evernote to the streamlined simplicity of Bear, this comprehensive guide explores the top note-taking apps, their strengths, and even their quirks. What are the best note-taking apps in 2023?

Some of the best note-taking apps for researchers in 2023 include:

• Apple Notes

Microsoft OneNote

Google keep.

Join us as we delve into the world of digital notebooks, markdown formats, PDF exports, and more, in our quest to uncover the best note-taking app for your needs.

Slite – Perfect For Project Management

Slite is a note-taking app designed for team collaboration, Slite is primarily pitched as a knowledge base platform, aiming to centralize a team’s collective knowledge. In the context of research, this application could be invaluable.

Researchers often collaborate with others, sharing insights, annotations, and edits on research papers. Slite, being a digital notebook, caters to this collaborative environment. It allows researchers to organize their research, create notes, and collaborate on notes in real-time.

This note-taking software is especially efficient for onboarding processes, streamlining how new team members integrate into ongoing projects.

One of Slite’s strength is its AI assistant, a unique feature potentially integrated with Open AI.

It enables users to utilize a command bar to swiftly search across their team’s knowledge base.

For example, when a researcher queries, “Where is our analysis on XYZ?”, the AI can quickly pinpoint the relevant document, streamlining the note-taking experience.

Slite also has a great feature, called ‘Projects’. Here, researchers can organize their notes, refining specific processes integral to their research routine.

For instance, if a research project involves a sequential method, each step can be outlined and assigned, making the research process more transparent for all involved.

However, every app has its limitations. Slite’s free version caps users at 50 documents and discussions, which may be restrictive for expansive research projects. 

Apple Notes – Best Note-Taking App For Apple Users

In 2023, with a plethora of note-taking apps available, Apple Notes continues to make a mark as an inherent tool on Apple devices.

Originally launched with iOS 1.0, this note-taking application has matured over the years, introducing features that make it a potent contender among best note-taking apps.

Apple Notes employs a folder system, distinguishing between regular folders and smart folders – a nifty addition that auto-sorts notes based on tags.

Researchers, who often deal with a wealth of information, will appreciate its advanced search capabilities. 

The optical character recognition feature allows them to search terms within handwritten notes or scanned documents , ensuring no vital research notes go unnoticed. The app’s organization extends to sorting notes by edit date, a boon for researchers to keep track of latest edits.

Researchers can easily collaborate on notes, adjusting permissions to either view or edit. With the unique feature of Quick Notes, jotting down spontaneous ideas or research papers’ insights becomes instantaneous.

Apple Notes is not perfect however. Importing content, especially from non-Apple devices, feels cumbersome. Also, the app’s export function is limited; converting notes to PDFs sometimes results in a blurred output due to raster ink usage.

In the ecosystem of apps in 2023, Apple Notes, especially for users engrossed in the Apple world, remains a top-tier note-taking app. 

Evernote – Best Note-Taking App For Power Users

Evernote is a popular digital notebook that allows users to seamlessly take notes and sync them across devices.

For the modern researcher, the app’s cross-platform note-taking capability ensures that capturing sudden bursts of inspiration is never a miss, whether you’re on a mobile app, web app, or desktop.

A significant strength of Evernote lies in its versatility. It’s not just about text; users can capture a myriad of note formats, from:

• Attachments
• Audio notes.

The optical character recognition feature deserves a special mention, enabling the app to identify words even in handwritten notes. 

Evernote’s task system acts as both a note-taking tool and project management software, helping users track their daily objectives. One user, who relies on Evernote to manage ADHD, lauds its easy task system which syncs in real-time across devices.

Evernote’s organizational prowess is very notable, offering notebooks and a search feature that can even pull words from uploaded documents.

One issue with Evernote is that it can be too powerful, and be overwhelming for some. While the app offers various functionalities, some users might wish for a more flexible note-taking format with a more intuitive interface.

In the rapidly evolving world of digital tools, Microsoft’s OneNote emerges as a powerful note-taking app. Touted by many as the best note-taking app for multi-platform users, OneNote is a digital notebook that offers seamless sync capabilities across iOS, Windows or Android devices.

OneNote’s strength lies in its adaptability. For researchers, OneNote is not just a digital notebook but a comprehensive note-taking tool.

The app offers functionalities like the ‘Researcher’, which is invaluable for those writing research papers. It allows users to pull information from credible sources and even automatically formats citations—a feature that streamlines the academic writing process. 

The cross-platform nature of the app is showcased by its sync with other devices, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or a two-in-one PC. One can take notes on one device and seamlessly access them on another, a capability that even rivals like Apple Notes and Google Keep are striving for.

One major issue with OneNote is its format sometimes exhibits unpredictability, with text boxes appearing haphazardly, which can be confusing.

While the app offers extensive features, some, like the math helper, are tucked behind a subscription fee, unlike the free plan in Evernote or Google Docs.

Additionally, while it’s a robust note-taking app, OneNote might not replace project management tools or the collaborative capabilities of Google Drive entirely.

In comparison to 2023’s other note-taking tools, OneNote’s capacity to import PDFs, export notes, and collaborate with others is commendable. Its ability to rival standalone apps like Evernote and Apple Notes demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to refining this digital notebook. 

Bear – Simple Digital Notebook

The Bear app stands out for its simplicity and aesthetic appeal. Unlike other best note-taking apps like Evernote or OneNote, Bear offers a streamlined experience, resonating with researchers who prioritize minimalistic interfaces.

Bear was developed by a team from Parma, Italy, in 2016, and has since become a beloved note-taking tool among Apple users.

For a researcher, taking notes without distractions is essential, and Bear’s markdown format hits the mark, with the added perk of advanced markup options, such as inline code blocks.

This digital notebook doesn’t overcomplicate the process but ensures the user has all they need for effective research.

One of Bear’s prominent strengths is its dedication to user data privacy. Unlike some note-taking apps, Bear’s default setting stores notes locally on devices, thus minimizing data leakage risks.

Plus, for those wary of the dreaded app lock-in, Bear supports the export of notes to numerous file formats, ensuring that switching to a different note-taking app or platform is hassle-free.

One criticism about Bear is it’s use of hashtags instead of folders, which some users find less intuitive.

Moreover, its exclusive availability on Apple devices limits its reach, although a web app version is reportedly in the works.

Bear’s free version is notably generous, offering all features with the exception of cross-device sync, which is reserved for the Pro plan. It’s a competitively priced app that offers quality service, making it a contender in the list of best note-taking apps for 2023. 

In the landscape of note-taking apps in 2023, Google Keep emerges as a significant contender. As a note-taking app, it’s designed for swift capture of ideas, essential for researchers who often need to jot down sudden insights.

One of its primary strengths is its simplicity, focusing on quickly capturing notes and making them accessible across devices. It integrates seamlessly with the broader Google ecosystem, which means if you’re working within Gmail or Google Docs, your notes are just a sidebar away.

For the uninitiated, Google Keep is more than just a digital notebook. For researchers, the voice memo feature stands out, converting voice recordings directly into text, thus making it a valuable tool when conducting interviews or vocalizing thoughts.

Google Keep also offers collaboration features, allowing users to share and collaborate on notes with others in real-time. This is handy when working on joint research papers or group projects.

Unlike Evernote, a popular note-taking app, Google Keep doesn’t excel at archiving vast volumes of notes or organizing them into intricate notebook structures. Instead, it relies on labels for categorization, which might not suffice for detailed research notes organization.

While Google Keep’s camera feature aids in capturing images, it lags behind when compared to Evernote’s sophisticated document capture capabilities.

Researchers should also be aware of the location-based reminders, a feature unique to Google Keep.

Imagine setting a reminder to review certain research notes when you arrive at your university or research facility. This sort of integration between physical location and digital reminders can be invaluable.

Google Keep does offer a robust suite of features for the researcher seeking a free, integrated, and straightforward note-taking tool. Its mobile app ensures that you can take notes on the go, and its collaborate with others feature makes teamwork smoother. 

In the ever-evolving realm of note-taking apps, Notion stands out in 2023 as a comprehensive tool that promises more than mere note-keeping. Notion surpasses the functionalities of its competitors such as Evernote, Google Keep, and even Microsoft’s OneNote.

The platform has been recognized as the best note-taking app that goes beyond digital notebook functionality to a broader project management space.

For researchers, Notion acts as a digital playground. Unlike traditional note-taking apps, Notion offers the capability to create dashboards customized to individual workflow preferences. It’s not just about taking notes; users can also:

• Embed Loom videos
• Integrate calendars
• Generate templates for repetitive tasks
• and many more.

Researchers can efficiently organize their research notes, develop content calendars for publishing, and even design databases. The cross-platform note-taking experience ensures consistency, whether accessed via web app or mobile app.

Notion’s ability to collaborate on notes is unmatched. Sharing specific pages, embedding various content formats, and the ease to sync your notes across devices make the process seamless.

For instance, databases can be shared, filtered, and viewed in different formats, like a Trello-style board or a conventional calendar.

Notion’s flexibility, its biggest strength, can also be its most significant weakness. The sheer range of possibilities can overwhelm new users, and without a streamlined approach, one can end up complicating tasks.

Its expansive nature requires time to master, with a potential risk of becoming a productivity drain instead of a booster.

Obsidian has risen as a formidable contender for the best note-taking app title. Operating as a digital notebook, Obsidian stands out from the multitude, including popular names such as Evernote, OneNote, Google Keep, and Apple Notes.

So, what makes Obsidian unique? Unlike many note-taking apps that store notes in the cloud, Obsidian keeps your notes in a local folder, providing users control over their data.

This note-taking app also adopts a markdown format, which is not just for those familiar with coding but is a user-friendly way to take notes.

With a cross-platform note-taking feature, Obsidian allows users to access your notes across various devices seamlessly.

A distinguishing feature is its ability to create and visualize links between notes, enhancing the note-taking experience and making it easier to organize your research.

This interconnected web can be an invaluable asset, especially for researchers who wish to see connections between different research notes or topics.

While Obsidian thrives in note linkage and local storage, it might present a steeper learning curve for those accustomed to more straightforward apps like Google Docs or Apple Notes.

Another issue is the absence of a free version. This may deter some, but Obsidian’s robust features could justify its price tag for dedicated users.

In comparison to apps like Roam Research, which also emphasizes interconnected note-taking, Obsidian’s strength lies in its local-first approach.

Still, if collaboration is a key aspect of your research process, you might find apps that prioritize real-time collaboration, such as Microsoft’s OneNote, more suitable.

Glasp – Take Notes Differently

In the expansive realm of note-taking apps in 2023, Glasp emerges as a unique web app designed specifically for researchers and avid online readers. With the app’s Chrome extension, users can effortlessly highlight and capture text from web sources.

Here are some features of Glasp:

• Social Web Highlighter : Glasp’s focus on highlighting and sharing web content makes it stand out. Users can create profiles based on the web content they clip, similar to how social media platforms like Facebook work. This adds a social element to the note-taking process, enabling collaboration and sharing of insights.
• Integration with Other Note Apps : Glasp’s compatibility with other popular note-taking apps is a significant advantage. This allows users to export their clippings or highlights to various note-taking platforms, ensuring flexibility and the ability to organize their research across multiple apps seamlessly.
• Cross-Platform Note-Taking : The cross-platform note-taking feature is essential for users who use different devices or platforms for their work. It ensures that notes and clippings can be synchronized and accessed from anywhere, enhancing productivity and convenience.
• Heatmap Feature : The heatmap feature is an interesting addition, as it helps users visualize their note-taking habits over time. This can be valuable for improving the research process, identifying areas of interest, and staying organized.

Glasp is however, in beta, which can be a reason for caution for some. Researchers accustomed to using more established platforms like OneNote or Roam Research may find the transition challenging. Additionally, while the app offers various note-taking tools, Glasp’s main strength lies in its unique blend of note-taking and social sharing.

Wrapping Up – Best Note Taking Apps In 2023

As the note-taking app landscape continues to evolve, each app offers its own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right note-taking app for yourself ultimately depends on your specific needs, preferences, and workflows. 

So, whether you’re looking to streamline your research papers, collaborate with others, or manage projects, there’s a note-taking app out there in 2023 to cater to your requirements. Choose wisely, and may your note-taking journey be both efficient and productive.

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

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16 Best Note-Taking App For Academics

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Say goodbye to cluttered & chaotic notes! Discover the best note-taking apps for academics and elevate your academic game

Fellow scholars, are you ready to say goodbye to the days of frantically searching through stacks of paper notes for that one crucial point? Are you tired of trying to decipher your own handwriting after a long lecture? Are you ready to upgrade your note-taking game and become a master of organization? 

Look no further, because we’ve got the ultimate guide to finding the best note-taking app for academics. Say hello to streamlined, organized, and efficient note-taking, and goodbye to cluttered and chaotic notes. It’s time to take control of your academic journey and level up your note-taking game!

Why you can believe us? We have researched, refined, and rejected many ideas for this topic. For example, we have excluded some voice-to-text tools such as “VoiceNote II”. Reasons for exclusion range from usability issues to user experience. 

Table of Contents

Key Types of Note-taking Apps 

• All-in-One note-taking apps: apps that offer a wide range of features such as text, audio, image, and handwriting recognition, organization tools, and collaboration options, such as Evernote, OneNote, and Zoho.
• Digital Notebook apps: apps that emulate the traditional notebook experience, allowing you to write and draw notes using a stylus or your finger, such as Notability, GoodNotes, and OneNote.
• Simplistic note-taking apps: apps that focus on minimalism, providing a simple interface and core functionality for note-taking, such as Bear, Simplenote, and Joplin.
• Audio-centric note-taking apps: apps that are primarily focused on audio recording and note-taking, such as Otter , SoundNote, or GoTranscript if you want to oursource the work.
• Conceptual note-taking apps: apps that allow you to create diagrams, flowcharts, or visual notes to break down complex ideas and concepts, such as MindNode, XMind, and SimpleMind.

3 Best All-in-One Note-Taking Apps

Evernote – organize your notes.

Evernote is a user-friendly note-taking app that allows users to easily create, organize, and access notes, lists, and documents. It offers flexibility in note creation, and has a range of organizational tools, such as notebooks and tags. 

The app also has a user-friendly interface and a search function that helps users quickly find the notes they need. Users can access the basic features for free, but a paid subscription is required for advanced features.

Availability: Available on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Web

• Cross-platform compatibility
• Note syncing across devices
• Ability to organize notes with tags and notebooks
• OCR (optical character recognition) for text in images
• Collaboration tools for shared notebooks
• Many integrations with other apps and services
• Free version has a monthly upload limit
• Some features, such as offline access and password-protected notes, are only available in the paid version
• Some users have reported stability issues with the app
• Evernote Basic (free) – 60 MB monthly upload limit
• Evernote Premium ($7.99/month or $69.99/year) – 10 GB monthly upload limit (Additional features such as offline access, password-protected notes, and customer support)
• Evernote Business ($14.99/user/month or $12.49/user/month with annual billing) – Same features as Premium, plus collaboration tools for teams

OneNote – Organize Your Thoughts, Discoveries, And Ideas

OneNote is a digital notebook application developed by Microsoft. It allows users to create and organize notes, drawings, audio notes, and files in a digital notebook. 

OneNote features include the ability to organize notes into notebooks and sections, add tags for easy searching, insert and annotate images, and collaborate on notes with others. The user experience is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, with a simple interface and a variety of formatting options. 

Availability: Available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and can also be accessed via a web browser. 

• Offers a wide range of formatting options for notes, including text, images, audio, and video
• Has a flexible note-taking format that allows users to organize notes in multiple ways, such as by notebook, section, or page
• It has built-in OCR (optical character recognition) that allows users to search for text within images
• Offers robust collaboration features, allowing users to share notes and work together on projects
• Some users may find the interface to be cluttered or overwhelming
• Some users may experience performance issues, particularly when working with large notebooks
• OneNote is available as part of the Microsoft Office Suite, which requires a subscription to Office 365
• The subscription starts at $69.99 per year for a Personal subscription which includes OneNote and other Microsoft Office apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
• It’s also available as a free version with limited features

Zoho – Note Taking App – Add Text, Images, Audio, Checklist

Zoho is a suite of business and productivity apps that aims to provide a seamless user experience. The apps within the Zoho suite are designed to work together and share data, allowing users to easily move between them. 

The interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate, with intuitive features and tools. The apps are also customizable, allowing users to tailor them to their specific needs and preferences. Overall, the user experience with Zoho is designed to be efficient, effective, and enjoyable.

Availability: Available on both iOS and Android.

• Zoho is a suite of business and productivity apps that work together seamlessly, allowing users to move between them easily
• The apps are designed to be user-friendly and easy to navigate, with intuitive features and tools
• The apps are customizable, allowing users to tailor them to their specific needs and preferences
• It offers a wide range of applications which includes email hosting, project management, invoicing, and customer relationship management
• Zoho provides a free plan for most of its apps and a free trial for its paid plans
• Some users may find that certain apps within the Zoho suite lack certain features or functionalities compared to other standalone apps
• Some users may experience performance issues, particularly when working with large data sets
• Zoho offers a free plan for most of its apps, with limited features
• For paid plans, it starts from $8 per user per month
• The pricing varies based on the app, number of users, and the features you need
• They also offer a free trial for their paid plans, which allows users to test out the apps before committing to a subscription

3 Top Digital Notebook Apps For Students

Notability – unleash your ideas, your way.

Notability is an app designed to enhance the user’s note-taking experience. It allows users to create, edit, and organize notes using a variety of tools such as text, handwriting, audio recording, and image insertion. The app also offers syncing capabilities with cloud services such as iCloud and Google Drive, allowing users to access their notes from multiple devices. 

Notability’s user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, making it a popular choice for students, professionals, and anyone in need of a powerful note-taking app. Overall, the app is designed to help users stay organized and productive.

Availability: Available for iPad, Mac, and iPhone.

• It allows users to take notes and annotate PDFs using a variety of tools, including typing, handwriting, highlighting, and drawing
• Supports audio recording and playback, making it useful for recording lectures and meetings
• Allows for easy organization and searching of notes, with the ability to create folders and tags
• Has a wide range of export options, including PDF, RTF, and PNG
• Allows us to share and collaborate with others
• Not available on Windows or Linux platforms
• May be difficult to use with a stylus other than Apple Pencil
• Some users have reported issues with the app crashing or freezing
• Costs $9.99 in the App Store and Google Play store

GoodNotes – Access Your Digital Notes Wherever You Work

GoodNotes is an app that provides a seamless and intuitive user experience for taking notes and annotating PDFs. It offers a variety of tools for typing, handwriting, highlighting, and drawing, as well as support for audio recording and playback. The app’s user interface is clean and easy to navigate, with options for organizing and searching notes through the use of folders and tags. 

Additionally, GoodNotes allows users to easily import and export documents in a variety of formats, including PDF, RTF, and PNG. Overall, GoodNotes offers a comprehensive and efficient solution for note-taking and document annotation.

Availability: Available for iPad, iPhone, and Mac.

• User-friendly interface: Has a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy to navigate and use
• Handwriting recognition: Can convert your handwriting to text, making it easy to search for notes and edit them later
• Customizable templates: Offers a variety of customizable templates that allow you to organize your notes and make them look professional
• Multitasking capabilities: Allows you to have multiple pages open at the same time
• Cloud syncing: Allowing you to access your notes from any device, as long as you are logged in
• A paid app and can be expensive for some users
• Limited free features: Some features, such as cloud syncing, are only available to paid users
• Occasional glitches: Some users have reported occasional glitches, such as the app crashing or notes not syncing properly
• GoodNotes app is available for $7.99 in the App Store, $7.99 in Google Play Store, and $7.99 in Microsoft Store

Google Keep – Free Note Taking App For Personal Use

Google Keep is a note-taking and task management app developed by Google. It allows users to create and organize notes, lists, and photos, set reminders, and collaborate with others on shared notes. The app has a simple and intuitive user interface, with a card-based design for notes and a color-coding system for organization. 

Users can easily create new notes by typing or dictating, and can quickly access their existing notes through the app’s search function or by browsing through categories. Overall, Google Keep provides a streamlined and efficient experience for managing personal notes and tasks.

Availability: A PC- or Mac- based browser web application and is available on the Android mobile platform.

• A simple and easy-to-use app for taking notes and creating to-do lists
• Allows you to create different types of notes, including text, voice, and image notes
• It has a feature called “Reminders” that allows you to set reminders for specific notes
• Can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, as it is a cloud-based service
• Integrated with other Google apps such as Google Calendar and Google Docs, allowing for seamless organization and productivity
• It does not have as many advanced features as some other note-taking apps, such as Evernote
• It does not have a built-in feature for organizing notes into folders
• It does not support tables, making it less suitable for creating structured documents
• Google Keep is a free app and does not require a subscription. However, it does require a Google account to use

3 Simplistic Note-Taking Apps For Academics

 bear – private markdown editor for iphone, ipad and mac.

Bear is a note-taking app for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS that focuses on a clean, simple user experience. It allows users to quickly and easily create notes using a variety of formatting options, including headings, lists, and images. Notes can be organized into notebooks and tagged for easy searching. 

The app also includes a variety of productivity features such as to-do lists and the ability to link apple notes together. Overall, Bear aims to provide a minimalistic and distraction-free way for users to capture and organize their thoughts and ideas.

Availability: Available on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

• Clean and simple user interface
• Variety of formatting options
• Organize notes into notebooks and tags for easy searching
• Productivity features like to-do lists and the ability to link notes together
• Limited platform availability (only available for Apple devices)
• Some advanced features require a paid subscription
• Limited collaboration features, not best suited for team work
• Bear App is a free download from the App Store, but it also has a subscription service called Bear Pro, which costs $1.49/month or $14.99/year
• Users can also unlock all the Bear Pro features via the one-time purchase of Bear Pro Power Pack, which is priced at $39.99

Simplenote – Simplest Way To Keep Notes

Simplenote is a minimalist note-taking app designed for ease of use and quick note-taking. It features a clean, uncluttered interface that allows users to easily create, edit, and organize notes. 

The app also offers features such as tagging, version history, and cross-platform syncing, making it a great choice for users who want a simple and efficient note-taking experience.

Availability: Available on Android, iOS, Windows, Linux, and MacOS devices.

• Minimalist and easy-to-use interface
• Fast note-taking and editing
• Tagging and organization options
• Cross-platform syncing
• Version history
• Available for multiple platforms
• Limited formatting options compared to other note-taking apps
• No support for images or other media
• No collaboration features
• Simplenote is a free app, with no in-app purchases or premium features 
• Offers a paid service called Simplenote Premium, which includes features such as unlimited version history, additional organization options, and more 
• The pricing for Simplenote Premium is $20 per year

Joplin – Capture Your Thoughts And Securely Access Them

Joplin is a free and open-source note-taking and to-do application that offers a clean and simple user interface. It allows users to create, edit, and organize notes and tasks, as well as sync them across multiple devices. Users can also organize notes in notebooks and tags, and can search through their notes with a full-text search feature. 

Joplin also supports markdown formatting and includes a built-in web clipper for saving web pages as notes. Overall, Joplin aims to provide a streamlined and efficient note-taking experience for its users.

Availability: Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

• An open-source note-taking and to-do app that allows users to store and organize notes, tasks, and other information
• Available for multiple platforms including Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android
• Synchronize with various cloud services, such as Nextcloud, Dropbox, OneDrive, and WebDAV
• Supports markdown formatting and allows users to attach files and images to notes
• Has encryption support for added security
• It may not have as many features as some other note-taking apps
• It is not as widely used as other apps, so there may be less community support
• It has not been updated in recent time
• Joplin is completely free and open-source, it does not have any pricing

4 Apps that Turn Audio to Notes

Soundnote – take notes on your ipad and mac.

SoundNote is a note-taking app that allows users to take notes while recording audio. The app syncs the notes with the audio recording, so users can go back and listen to the recording while reviewing their notes. The user interface is intuitive and easy to use, making it a great tool for students or professionals who want to take notes during lectures or meetings. 

The app also allows for easy sharing and exporting of notes and recordings. Overall, SoundNote offers a seamless and efficient user experience for capturing and reviewing audio recordings and notes.

Availability: Available for Android, iOS and Windows.

• Synchronizes audio recordings with written notes in real-time
• Allows users to go back and listen to audio recordings while reviewing notes
• Has a simple and easy-to-use interface
• Provides a detailed tutorial for new users
• Has the ability to export notes as PDFs
• Only available for iOS devices
• Limited formatting options for notes
• Does not have cloud syncing capabilities
• SoundNote is a paid app and costs $4.99 to download on the App Store

GoTranscript – Best Human-Centric Transcription Services 

If you are looking for someone to transcribe your recording, you may consider this option. 

GoTranscript is the go-to resource for Ph.D. students and researchers seeking accurate, reliable transcription and translation services worldwide! We have also written GoTranscript as a transcription tool here . 

With a team of highly skilled transcribers and translators ready to work around the clock, GoTranscript offers unbeatable speed in addition to generous discounts specially designed for businesses as well as student customers – making it an ideal choice no matter your needs or budget requirements!

You may also get our reader discount here for ALL orders through this link .

• All human – with 20,000 staff, so the accuracy as it relates to understanding context is likely to be better than non-human ones
• Affordable prices – GoTranscript offers discounts for students and businesses, making their services more affordable for everyone.
• Quality services – GoTranscript has a team of experienced transcribers and translators dedicated to providing quality services.
• Variety of languages – GoTranscript offers transcription and translation services in a variety of languages, making them an excellent option for researchers and students who need translations into or from multiple languages.
• Customers cannot schedule video or phone check-ins with GoTranscript, nor can they receive a free live chat from their website.
• Few customers (<5%) have experienced delays with the fast delivery service; most are quite happy with the fast delivery
• Very few (1 out of the 3,000+ reviews) have issues with uploading speed.

Multiple factors affect the pricing, e.g., length, verbatim requirement, turnaround time, and the number of speakers.

• For a 60-minute recording, not full verbatim, in 5 days, with three and more speakers, no heavy accent, and no caption, the cost is $69 – about $1.15 per word. If you need a caption, the cost becomes $93 for the same 60 mins recording, or $1.55 per min .
• Assuming you have a recording with a strong accent, the cost jumps to $87 or $1.45 per min. If you need a caption, the cost becomes $111 for the same 60 mins recording, or $1.85 per min .

Otter – Voice Meeting Notes & Real-Time Transcription

Otter is the perfect companion for capturing and organizing audio/video recordings! Intuitive design makes it easy to take notes, search content and collaborate with others. With its AI-driven transcription capabilities in real time, Otter ensures that users don’t miss a beat – whether their conversations are personal or professional.

Reference: See our review on Otter.ai, along with other transcription tools .

The days of recording a voice, playing it back at home, and taking notes are long gone. Thousands of students have discovered the usefulness of Otter Voice Meeting Notes to help take notes during lectures, transcribe research interviews, capture thoughts from group study sessions

Availability: Available for Android and iOS and also via a web browser. Otter.ai is offering special deals to students and researchers. Grab it here . 

• Real-time transcription and note-taking, allowing users to easily capture and organize important information from meetings, interviews, and other audio and video recordings
• Search and collaboration features that make it easy to find and share specific parts of recordings with others
• Can be integrated with other apps like Zoom and Slack
• Available on multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and web
• Some users may find the transcription accuracy to be less than perfect, particularly in noisy environments or with heavy accents
• Some features are only available with a paid subscription
• Otter offers a free plan with 600 minutes of transcription per month, and access to basic features such as note-taking, searching and sharing recordings
• Otter Pro plan, which costs $9.99/month or $8.33/month with an annual subscription, gives you additional benefits like unlimited transcription, the ability to transcribe multiple languages, and the ability to export transcripts in multiple formats
• Otter for Teams is also available, which includes additional features like team collaboration and administrative controls 
• The pricing for teams is customizable and depend on the number of team members, it starts from $12/user/month

Rev – Best-known Transcription Brand

Rev.com is a popular tool for transcribing interviews and audio data. Time stamps, speaker identification, and automatic punctuation are just a few of the great features Rev offers.

With the help of AI and humans, they are able to achieve 99% accuracy. One thing we like about it is that Rev doesn’t charge you more for 12-hour delivery, whether you have multiple speakers and no extra cost for strong accents. And it can offer you a strong price at $1.25 per minute.

Try it for free here .

You can also record and transcribe iPhone calls with Rev’s free iPhone call recorder. It is available for both incoming and outgoing calls. Excellent for phone interviews and meetings.

Bonus tips: You can check out Rev Transcription Library and see it for yourself.

• Accurate: High accuracy of ~99% using a combo of AI and human 
• Fast: A transcript lands in your inbox within 12 hours after you upload an audio or video file.
• Professional: 60,000+ professionals at your service 24/7 with 99%+ accuracy guaranteed.
• Competitive Pricing: no extra for 12-hour delivery, multiple speakers, or strong accents
• Security and confidentiality agreements are in place
• The conversion of the qualitative research process can be slow, which can be frustrating when you need to work quickly.
• The cost can be prohibitive for some researchers. 
• Each minute costs $1.25, so a 60-minute interview will cost $75. 
• For “extra-fast” delivery, it costs $2.25 per minute. A 60-minute interview would cost $135.00 to have returned in 3 hours.
• It has a free 45-minute trial and $0.25 per minute afterward

3 Best Conceptual Note-Taking Apps For Students

Mindnode – mind map & brainstorm ideas.

MindNode is a mind mapping app that provides an intuitive and user-friendly experience for organizing and visualizing ideas and information. Users can create and customize mind maps with various nodes and connections, allowing them to easily see connections and relationships between different pieces of information. 

The app also includes features such as the ability to add images, notes, and links, as well as the ability to export and share maps with others. Overall, MindNode is designed to help users effectively brainstorm and organize their thoughts and ideas.

Availability: Available on Mac & iOS.

• Intuitive and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and organize mind maps
• Provides a wide range of formatting options, including different node shapes, colors, and styles
• Allows for easy collaboration and sharing of mind maps with others
• Offers seamless integration with other apps, such as Evernote and Omnifocus
• Limited free version with in-app purchases to unlock all features
• Some users have reported that the app can be slow to respond at times
• MindNode offers a free version with limited functionality 
• The full version can be purchased for $14.99 on the Mac App Store, $9.99 on the iOS App Store and $9.99 on the iPadOS App Store

XMind – Your Favorite Mind Mapping Tool

XMind is a mind mapping and brainstorming software that allows users to visually organize their ideas and information in a hierarchical structure. It features a user-friendly interface and a variety of tools for creating diagrams, flowcharts, and concept maps. 

Users can easily add text, images, and multimedia to their diagrams, as well as customize the appearance of their diagrams with different themes and formatting options. Additionally, XMind offers a range of collaboration and sharing features, making it easy for users to work on diagrams together and share their ideas with others. 

Overall, XMind provides a powerful and intuitive tool for organizing and communicating ideas.

Availability: Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

• User-friendly interface that is easy to navigate
• Powerful brainstorming and mind mapping features
• Built-in templates and themes to help users get started quickly
• Ability to collaborate with others in real-time and share maps
• May not be as feature-rich as some other mind mapping software
• Some advanced features are only available in the paid version
• Limited compatibility with other mind mapping software
• Limited export options
• Free plan with monthly subscription of $5.99 and yearly subscription of $59.99

SimpleMind – Organize Your Thoughts

SimpleMind is a mind mapping app that allows users to visually organize their thoughts and ideas. It has a user-friendly interface, making it easy to create and edit mind maps. The app allows users to add text, images, and links to their maps, as well as customize the layout and colors. 

Users can also collaborate on maps in real-time and share them with others. Overall, SimpleMind provides a streamlined and efficient way to brainstorm and organize ideas.

Availability: Available for iOS, Windows, Mac and Android.

• A mind mapping tool that allows users to visually organize their ideas and thoughts
• The app is available for multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac
• The app offers a variety of formatting options and the ability to add images and multimedia to mind maps
• Users can also collaborate on mind maps in real-time with other SimpleMind users
• The app offers a free version with basic features as well as a pro version with additional functionality
• Some users have reported bugs and issues with the app’s functionality
• The pro version of the app can be relatively expensive compared to other mind mapping tools
• Some users have reported that the app can be difficult to navigate and use at first
• iOS: The app is available for a one-time purchase of $14.99 for the Pro version and $4.99 for the basic version
• Android: The app is available as a free version with in-app purchases or a one-time purchase of $14.99 for the Pro version
• Windows and Mac: The app is available for a one-time purchase of $49 for the Pro version and $29 for the basic version

Note-Taking App Features to Look For

When looking for the note-taking apps for academics, there are a few key features to consider:

• Organization : Look for an app that allows you to easily categorize, tag, and group your notes, as well as search for specific notes or keywords.
• Collaboration : If you’ll be working on group projects or assignments, look for an app that allows you to share and collaborate on notes with classmates or colleagues.
• Handwriting recognition : Research suggests that taking notes by hand can lead to better retention and comprehension of information. Some note-taking apps offer the ability to write notes by hand and convert them to text.
• Cross-device syncing : An app that allows you to access your notes from multiple devices, such as your computer, tablet, and phone, can be very helpful.
• Automatic backup : Look for an app that automatically backs up your notes to the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about losing your notes if your device is lost or damaged.
• Audio recording : Some apps offer the ability to record lectures and syncing them with the notes taken, which can be very useful in case you missed something during the lecture.
• Highlighting and annotation tools : Look for an app that offers tools like highlighting, underlining, and commenting, which can help you better analyze and understand the information you’re studying.
• Integrations : Look for an app that can integrate with other tools you use such as calendar, to-do list, and other productivity apps.

Benefits of Note-Taking Apps 

• Increased organization: A note-taking app allows you to easily organize and categorize your notes, making it easier to find and reference specific information.
• Improved collaboration: Many note-taking apps offer the ability to share and collaborate on notes with classmates or colleagues, making it easier to work together on projects and assignments.
• Enhanced productivity: According to a study by the University of California, using a note-taking app can increase productivity by up to 20%.
• Better retention: Research shows that taking notes by hand can lead to better retention and comprehension of information, as opposed to typing. Some note-taking apps offer the ability to write notes by hand and convert them to text.
• Convenience: With a note-taking app, you can access your notes from anywhere, whether you’re on your computer, tablet, or phone.
• Automatic backup: Many note-taking apps automatically backup your notes to the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about losing your notes if your device is lost or damaged.
• Better searchability: Most of the note-taking apps comes with built-in search functionality, making it easy to find specific notes or keywords in your notes.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, there are many great note-taking apps available for academics. 

Whether you’re looking for an all-in-one app with a variety of tools, a digital notebook experience, a simple and minimalistic approach, voice to note features, or a way to visually organize complex concepts, there is an app on this list that will meet your needs. 

We would love to hear about your experience with these apps. Have you found success with any of the options on this list? Do you have any favorites that didn’t make the cut but deserve a shout-out? Share your thoughts in the comments below and help fellow academics discover their next go-to note-taking app.

3 thoughts on “16 Best Note-Taking App For Academics”

Your article was excellent, and I appreciate you providing it. I gained a lot of knowledge from it. Write more about this subject, please. Thankyou

Thank you for the kind words.

Where does Liquidtext and MarginNote3 fit in your matrix? They are both sophisticated apps and worth evaluating.

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Note-taking and Handouts in The Digital Age

Most educators consider note-taking a critical component of formal classroom learning. Advancements in technology such as tablet computers, mobile applications, and recorded lectures are altering classroom dynamics and affecting the way students compose and review class notes. These tools may improve a student’s ability to take notes, but they also may hinder learning. In an era of dynamic technology developments, it is important for educators to routinely examine and evaluate influences on formal and informal learning environments. This paper discusses key background literature on student note-taking, identifies recent trends and potential implications of mobile technologies on classroom note-taking and student learning, and discusses future directions for note-taking in the context of digitally enabled lifelong learning.

INTRODUCTION

Note-taking is an important aspect of formal classroom learning, 1 and students who take more course lecture notes in general are higher achievers. 2,3 However, a number of confounding variables affect student note-taking and, hence, student learning. These include instructional variables such as lecture structure, knowledge of forthcoming tests, perceived relevance of the lecture, and existence of and/or types of handouts provided. 4-6 Because of these variables, research is mixed with regard to the best types of note-taking and whether the “process” of taking notes is actually the critical factor. 3,5-7 Note-taking is a personalized task, and when individual differences with regard to note-taking ability also are considered, interpretation of the literature becomes even more complex. 8-10

In addition to these historically studied variables, emerging factors also affect student note-taking. The introduction of tablet computers, note-taking applications (apps), and other education technology in the classroom are altering the way students take notes and consume and process information during class. These technological advances add to the perplexity of how to best guide faculty members and students about note-taking.

In this paper, we briefly discuss key background literature on student note-taking, introduce recent trends and potential implications of mobile technologies on classroom note-taking and student learning, and offer alternative perspectives on handouts and note-taking.

NOTE-TAKING VARIABLES

The study of student note-taking spans years, covering a range of variables and perspectives. The ultimate goal of research on note-taking is to provide insight into what best aids and predicts student learning. Unfortunately, variables involved with note-taking and student learning prevents strong conclusions. In this section, we present primary variables pertaining to student note-taking, with an emphasis on factors relevant to today’s contemporary digital environments.

Presentation Styles

Considerable debate exists regarding which types of lecture presentation styles are best for student learning. While PowerPoint is one of the easiest, most ubiquitous presentation applications, not all academics agree it is best for classroom communication. 11 Some faculty members still prefer the “chalk-and-talk” method or today’s contemporary version (eg, document cameras and smart boards), in which important information is written in front of the classroom and ideas are expanded on verbally. This lecture format is touted as improving communication and encouraging good note-taking skills. 12 Each teaching platform has its own positives and negatives, with student format preference differing . 12-14 Each format alters how students take notes, and affects the speed and pace of doing so. Regardless of the format, students perceive handouts to follow in class and to use as a reference as beneficial. 14

Handout Styles

Handouts are useful aids for student note-taking and learning. 15 Thus, a key question educators struggle with is not whether to provide handouts, but how much information they should contain and in what format they should be. Some of the debate revolves around whether students learn better by transcribing lectures in their own words or by having instructor-prepared handouts so they can concentrate more on what is actually being said.

Concerns pertaining to instructor-provided notes as handouts primarily focus on issues of decreased student attendance and a reliance on external aids for learning. A student’s ability to translate classroom information and reproduce it in personally meaningful written notes is a critical part of the learning process. 16 Kiewra et al showed that students who recorded information during class performed better on examinations and had improved retention of information compared to those who did not. 17

When assessing different teaching modalities with pharmacy students learning cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Khan at al found that students who performed best on a post-lecture quiz were those who were told they would not be given handouts and as a result, took their own notes (they were then presented with PowerPoint lecture notes after the lecture). The authors concluded the process of taking notes contributed to the learning process, helping those specific students perform better than their peers. 18 These studies mirror others in which the active process of taking notes appears to aid student learning. 12,17,19

The opposing viewpoint to providing limited handouts is that lecture note-taking is cognitively demanding and students may have difficulty recording all vital information points and/or may record them inaccurately. This may be a reflection of student note-taking ability and/or instructor presentation of material, such as inaudible or fast-paced speech. The issue is one of cognitive load, 20 in which student working memory may be insufficient at effectively listening to the lecture, processing the information, and then encoding it into a notes format, particularly if the pace is too fast or the material is too complex. 9

For instructional decisions regarding handouts, instructors must balance the value of students transcribing their own notes with the inherent limitations of cognitive load. One strategy is to provide students with only an outline of the lecture material as opposed to the entire set of instructor slides and/or notes. In this format, students are provided cognitive scaffolding from which they can engage in the process of listening and distill only the details. Moreover, students provided with outlines of notes outperform students taking notes on their own. 15,16

Prescribed Note-taking Methods

Although slightly beyond the scope of this paper, in addition to the effect of instructor presentation and handout styles on note-taking, there is a body of research regarding specific standardized student note-taking strategies. While more popular decades ago when lectures were the dominant form of content delivery, when instructor handouts were less prevalent, and when information memorization was emphasized, a number of note-taking methods have been developed in order to guide students toward the most effective ways of recording lecture material. These methods provide specific instructions on how to record lecture notes and include the Formal Outline Procedure, the Cornell Method, the Bartush Active Method, and the Verbatim Split Method. 21,22

Training students in systematic note-taking approaches can be helpful to students in encoding and studying large amounts of learning content. Despite their success, these methods are largely ignored as perspectives regarding content delivery are shifting and classroom dynamics changing. Little research has been conducted on these methods in recent years, but may once again have potential merit in the context of flipped classroom formats, in which students may need to take notes on out-of-class recorded lectures in preparation for active-learning-based, in-class activities. 23

DIGITAL NOTE-TAKING

The introduction of mobile computing devices in classrooms ushered in a new set of note-taking issues. Speed, legibility, and searchability are 3 positive attributes of digital note-taking. 8 Because of these advantages, some students may prefer digital note-taking vs traditional handwritten notes. However, changes wrought from these advances in technology are not all positive.

Possibly the biggest concern with student use of laptops in class is computer-aided distraction. 24 The lure of multi-tasking on those devices can significantly hinder student comprehension of classroom lectures. Other concerns arise in the efficacy of typed notes. Muller and Oppenheimer concluded that students who took notes on a laptop did not remember conceptual material as well as those who took handwritten notes, though they performed equally well when questioned about factual information. 25 One hypothesis for this difference is the inclination for those who type their notes on a laptop to include longer notes and to take down information verbatim rather than through rephrasing. Other studies support these findings; Piolat et al showed students taking handwritten notes demonstrated better performance than students who typed digital notes on both factual and conceptual questions. 20 As a result, Fink reported banning all forms of digital note-taking, citing that, without the digital devices, students remained attentive and performed well in the course. 26

Introduction of Tablet Computers

Tablet computers have further hastened the transition toward digital note-taking. One benefit of tablets for note-taking is the ability to hand write notes, add drawings, and highlight text while still retaining the digital format. Given the complex and diagram-driven content of courses in the pharmacy curriculum, a digital format that allows typing and drawing can be advantageous. In addition, tablet computers may reduce or eliminate the cost of printing, reduce the amount of paper one has to carry, decrease the need to transport a heavier and more cumbersome laptop, and support the organization of notes. 27

Although little research exists on student use of tablets for learning, Mang and Wardley indicated that students using tablets are much less likely to access distractions such as e-mail, Facebook, messengers, or YouTube during class compared to those using a laptop. 27 Tablet computers are also appealing from an institutional perspective because they provide a relatively inexpensive way to incorporate digital-based learning. Several universities, most notably Notre Dame, Pepperdine, and Stanford, have started programmatic efforts designed specifically to encourage iPad use in classrooms. 28

Note-taking applications

Coinciding with the introduction of tablets and smartphones was the development of mobile applications (apps), which provide easy access to a variety of functions. Literature concerning the use of mobile or tablet application in the classroom is sparse. Most information available comes from technology-centered magazines or online app reviews. The mobile app market changes rapidly, and Internet searches for note-taking/study apps reveal considerable options in functionality and price.

Informal discussions with students revealed that personal choices for app use and/or selection depend largely on classmate recommendations. Recommendations of mobile apps to aid in student success have also been presented at pharmacy student forums. Recommendations, based on student utility and reviews, included StudyBlue Flashcards (a flashcard application for studying), Evernote Peek (a note-taking and flashcard style app), Dropbox (an application used for document storage and collaboration) and note-taking applications Evernote, Notability, and Penultimate. 29

Based on research regarding cognitive functions of note-taking, a variety of factors make note-taking apps appealing. In order for learning apps to be effective, they must accommodate an active note-taking process and enable efficient review of those notes. 30 An application that simply allows students to copy and paste prewritten notes without including their own definitions or elaborations is much less effective than one that encourages personally written language. While verbatim notes may be more accurate, the benefit of “process” is absent, and therefore, lessens the effects of the learning experience. Apps that permit students to draw upon, edit, summarize, and highlight handouts in a manner that allows cognitive involvement in the note-taking process are most beneficial to learning. 30

Formal use of apps for note-taking and learning is in its infancy. One example of an app-based initiative comes from Abilene Christian Academy, which issues each of its students an iPod Touch or iPhone to use during their education. 31 The primary focus of using these devices are the apps available to enhance student learning. Chemistry professors find apps particularly useful, as they allow students to visualize complex molecules and identify chemicals and their names. 31 In addition to an enhanced visual and tactile learning process, apps also can improve note-taking by allowing more complex images and other media to be integrated into students’ written guides. Use of these devices in the classroom helps train students to use a variety of applications and tools crucial for careers in the digital age. Moreover, tablet and smartphone apps are now common in the clinical environment, 32 with some large medical centers advocating the use of apps and supplying facility-owned iPads so its staff can securely view electronic health records. 33 Studies of medical providers show that up to 85% of its study population (surgeons, fellows, and residents) own and use a smartphone in practice; more than half of those studied use applications in their daily practice. 34 Use of such apps has vastly improved the ability for health care providers to access credible information, view patient charts, and complete all functions in a timely manner. 32 Some apps have been evaluated and recommended for use in practice; the scope of these apps range from providing information about medications (eg, PEPID, Lexicomp, Epocrates), to time management and productivity (eg, Wunderlist, Dropbox, GoodReader). 35

Most faculty members establish their own philosophies regarding handouts and note-taking. However, it may be time to consider new student-centered approaches that provide learners with the best and most efficient way of learning while in the classroom and after they graduate. Delivery style and methods can affect how students receive, process, and record notes. Our use of technology in the classroom (ie, PowerPoint slides) may be below its potential, and faculty members may want to consider uses of instructional technology beyond efficient content delivery.

Observations of students in classrooms reveal varyious note-taking strategies, some of which involve students serving their own learning needs by modifying what faculty members give them. There is much to learn about student note-taking behaviors. The caveat is that instructors should not rely solely on learner preferences pertaining to handouts and/or note-taking to guide decision-making. Considerable research in the area of metacognition revealed that some individuals are unable to accurately assess their own level of comprehension or skill guiding their preferences. While these individuals may perceive a certain style or method as best for them, in reality those may be false perceptions because of an incorrect assessment of their own abilities. 36

As educators continue to migrate away from traditional content-delivery modalities in classrooms toward more student-centered approaches of using face-to-face time for in-depth thinking, engaging, and applying information, classroom note-taking may change. Student accountability for managing their own learning processes may increase, thereby altering student approaches to studying. Lecture transcription may become less of an issue as instructors utilize technology to create offline lessons, recorded lectures, e-learning materials, etc.

Because digital learning materials are available at will, the need to further document them will be reduced. Some students may choose to forego notes altogether, perceiving that e-learning materials replace any need for taking notes. However, those students may need instruction regarding the cognitive benefits of note-taking, which extend beyond mere access to information for study purposes. Other students may continue recording notes as they always have, believing (correctly or incorrectly) that approach benefits them. Still others may adopt different technology-enabled methods. In courses utilizing a flipped classroom approach or in ones that emphasize active learning, it is likely that students will discover new apps and platforms that accommodate their needs before faculty members do. Educators, however, have a leadership role in shaping student practices that lead to their development as a professional. The difficult question is, thus, how educators can guide students regarding note-taking.

Existing research on student note-taking does provide a foundation, but this is an age in which some aspects of the former paradigm no longer apply. Student note-taking is evolving because a myriad of technological advances are triggering an information explosion, changing how information is managed and, to some degree, changing teaching practices. Therefore, the evolution toward a new, evidence-based comprehension of student note-taking in digital and mobile environments is important. Without an understanding of these tools and the socio-cognitive processes associated with them, we risk underutilizing powerful tools and/or making recommendations that students may not follow. One consideration is whether there are specific digital tools that aid student note-taking and learning and, if so, how instructors can best accommodate those tools. In a rapidly changing, mobile-technology environment, this question requires constant vigilance.

Another consideration is how an approach to handouts affects student note-taking, attention and, ultimately, learning retention. This instructional consideration often is unintentionally ignored. Anecdotally, some instructors comment that students do not pay attention in class and resort to memorizing copies of the PowerPoint slides. Conversely, if instructors do not provide handouts, students then complain about the lack of handouts and spend the entire class transcribing everything. In each of these cases, instructor decisions may strongly influence respective student actions. Variables such as teaching methods, assessment methods, instructor persona, and student culture contribute to these student behaviors, but a broad-based discussion of these is beyond the scope of this paper.

If handouts are the lone variable, however, one consideration consistent with research is to furnish “skeletal” notes/outlines. This type of handout provides students with a cognitive scaffolding, alleviating the need to transcribe everything, yet still forcing them to pay attention and engage in the process of note-taking. An additional consideration, referring back to our need for research on digital note-taking tools, is to provide notes in a format conducive to student manipulation on digital devices.

The handout format types most likely used by faculty members (eg, PowerPoint slides, Microsoft Word documents, and pdf formats) all have different advantages and limitations, which may indirectly contribute to different note-taking styles and methods. The style, breadth, depth, and visual layout of student notes may vary depending on whether students use paper, laptops, or tablets. This is one of the reasons new research is essential, particularly in light of recent findings regarding cognitive differences between typing and handwriting. 25

Finally, as digital environments increasingly affect higher education, we should consider the evolving interplay between note-taking, information management, and lifelong learning. The first decades of the digital age has introduced society to a variety of paradigm shifts including how we view the concepts of information storage and retrieval. Educators may need to rethink what it means to take notes and how those notes carry forward into future careers.

In a paper-based society, it was challenging, but not impossible, for students to carry all their notes with them. In addition, this made it potentially more challenging to sort through notes to review a particular concept. Now, not only can learning materials be stored on a phone or tablet, but students can find a phrase or concept in seconds. Cognitive and conceptual links can be made within and across courses. Admittedly, this is a drastic shift in thinking, but new ways of teaching (eg, flipped classrooms), new focal points for learning (eg, personal lifelong learning), and new ways of storing and accessing information (eg, mobile computing devices and apps) provide a foundation from which we can explore different models for note-taking and handouts.

Although handouts and notes are a seemingly minor point in the teaching process, we must still take an evidence-based approach to guide teaching and learning practices in this regard. While neither faculty members nor students appear to prefer one format over another, the best handouts allow ample space for students to reformat information into their own words and may even be somewhat “sparse” to encourage active listening and note-taking. Yet, the purpose of and types of note-taking may be evolving. Note-taking should not become an art lost to the ages of recorded class lectures and pre-filled handouts. Without the valuable skills of listening and recording, students might fail to become “competent practitioners (who are able to) listen, read, organize, integrate, and utilize information in the care of their patients.” 37 Students should use the note-taking medium that best engages their willingness and ability to learn. 38 Learners must discover the delicate balance of practical use, ease, and efficacy for their note-taking strategies. In this technology-literate society and rapidly-changing learning environments, faculty members need to guide students toward managing their current and future learning needs. Research regarding learning outcomes with today’s digital note-taking tools is needed, particularly as the possible existence of a physio-cognitive connection between writing and learning is considered. This research could help provide evidence-based recommendations to students and instructors regarding which formats and techniques work best for learning.