Taking Notes: The Writer’s Helpful Sidekick

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Ribeye Jones had a problem, a serious problem, and he couldn’t decide how to solve it.  A nonconventional student (he was 38 and had just retired from a career with the Marines), he was now in his first year of college, pursuing a degree in Forensic Psychology.  Each of his courses involved some form of research, and while professors, as well as some classmates, told Ribeye the value of taking notes, he thought this to be a waste of time: it would simply add on more hours to crafting his essays, and he envisioned little pieces of paper scattered over his desk.  However, with five essays thus far returned, and each no higher than a C grade, with comment after comment saying “scattered” or “not connected” or the like he was frustrated in how to improve. At a dinner with a former Marine buddy he shared the angst he was going through, and suddenly an epiphany resulted: his friend told him a similar story that kept happening to him with reports he wrote at work, and his employer instructed him to take a course on note-taking.  His suggestions to Ribeye made him see the value and effort in notetaking, with a nice reminder that any time involved would result in a better read. Ribeye discovered what is so important for any who write, in school, in a profession, or elsewhere: note-taking is an important key in developing a stellar writing product.

The idea of taking notes can be foreign to many who write for a few reasons. First, when taught the ins and outs of how to write, taking notes is seldom entered into the equation. Rather, emphasis is usually placed on overall writing construction, and the teaching of good research has more of a focus on correct formatting and placement of sources and databases.  Second, taking notes is often seen – a concern Ribeye mentioned – as extra work and more time. The average student, unfortunately, usually wants a quick ending to any writing assignment. For many, taking notes has that same picture Ribeye mentioned: a helter-skelter mess of notes that needed minutes for each to work. Of course, using notes to build a formidable piece of writing quickly feeds into an important guideline for any who write: a person’s writing ability will always be judged by others – and it is important for it to be judged well.

At Ribeye’s conversation with his Marine friend, ideas were offered as to why note-taking was so important. It seems there were four important reasons to learn and implement note-taking. First, something Ribeye never considered was how note-taking enhances memory retention by helping to better recall information.  Additionally, note-taking improves comprehension of ideas and information by breaking down the main points and ideas of a topic.  There were two final points: note-taking helps to organize thoughts by crafting a structure and hierarchy of information, and it facilitates effective review through summary and reference should they be needed for future tasks.

Ribeye took in what he had learned about note-taking from his Marine friend, going over notes and suggestions on taking notes from professors and classmates, and using the internet. He decided an organized sheet of do’s and don’t’s of notetaking would be of immense help.  This could be useful not only in his school classes but also for his employment in Forensic Psychology. It took Ribeye a few hours to get everything together into one neat little guide, but after he shared it with his Marine friend and received a thumbs up, he knew it would be worth his effort.

Ribeye felt so good about “Ribeye’s Guide to Notetaking” that he posted it on the internet for his classmates to use. Their response was overwhelmingly positive, especially because Ribeye learned many had the same feelings and problems about taking notes. This is what Ribeye developed:

Ribeye’s Guide to Note-taking:

• Identify how the notes are to be used: for an essay?  an exam?  a business task? Knowing this up front will allow for more specific and efficient use of the notes taken.
• Review any assigned reading or prior notes to ensure there is a strong knowledge base to understand any new material and/or the directions of any assignment.
• Ideally, use a pen and paper to take notes: this process allows for more retention.  However, most important is simply to take notes – using a pad or making a folder on the computer.
• Limit distractions and create a clean, open environment.  
• Remember that notes are shorthand, thus create meaningful abbreviations and symbols, along with any completed sentences for main ideas and important details.
• Notes can also include definitions, an outline, bullet points, diagrams, etc.
• Be sure to title the notes: although they may be used for a current item their use might also be valuable for a later task or assignment. Also, be sure to date the notes – if used again it’s important to be sure all information is still correct/current.
• Although notes are meant to pull out the important and salient information, it also is helpful to highlight any info that is especially meaningful.
• Don’t hesitate to write down questions that may result from the notes. These could indicate more research needed on an item, clarification required, or ideas for another assignment.
• Don’t be concerned with perfect writing – what matters is the notes are legible and can be fully understood.
• After the notes have ended jot down any action items that should be taken, e.g., be sure to follow all directions … if a group project … do notes need to be shared … include deadline dates.

So much effort, thought Ribeye, but then he wanted writing that would impress, in school and in the profession he intended to pursue. His first test of any success with his use of note-taking came with the next essay he turned in. Beyond the A grade that thrilled him, Ribeye took much satisfaction in one line written across the essay’s top by his professor:  “Well-structured with a logical flow and no wasted information!” Ribeye smiled with self-satisfaction – and  let out a loud Marine “Oorah!”