Note-taking

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This section provides advice on reading and note-taking

Reading and note-taking

When you read to learn something, you need to know why you are reading and how to find the information you are looking for.

Taking notes is important - if you read lots of material without making notes, you'll quickly forget what you have read!

What about using one of these techniques?

  • Divide your reading into chunks.  Read a section, a page, a chapter.
  • Use a highlighter, a pen and paper, post-its, notecards. Just choose the one you are most comfortable to identify important ideas or words.
  • Read the section. Don’t take any notes now! Just read it through. Now read through again and highlight the important parts. A good tip is to note down enough so that you will understand the section by looking at your notes in a month’s time – without having to read the whole section again!
  • If something doesn’t make sense, try reading it out loud.  This can sometimes help.
  • If you write down notes, try to write them in your own words.
  • If you don't understand something you read, talk to someone about it. Just talking about a word or idea can help you to understand it.

For more tips and techniques, read this article on Effective note-taking from MindTools. You will need an NHSScotland OpenAthens password if you are if not on the NHS network.