Notetaking while reading

[shockwave]

Maybe this isn't the best place for this, but I was wondering how everyone else took notes while reading and studying?  Do you underline, highlight, etc?  Or take notes on a comp?  Do you take down important sentences phrases or concepts?

 

I was just wondering because I feel I might be taking TOO many notes.  Some of my books will have like 3 different sections highlighted or underlined on just one page and there is seldomly a page where I don't find anything to highlight or underline.  But I do feel all of my note taking is applicable to some aspect of my research!

[DarwinAG]

It depends on what I am reading or taking notes on. If it's a foundantional article or a critical review then I take lots of notes or even make an outline of the article. If it's an empirical article and I am already familiar with the literature, then it depends if I am primarily focusing on their methods, results, or discussion.

You really have to be selective with the amount of effort you put into an article. You should not read everything with the same effort. It's inefficient and you will get bog down with details that you do not normally need.

I generally highlight key constructs or definitions. I yellow highlight key observations. I blue highlight very important conclusions. I write down or type the key definitions, observations and conclusions. If I am starting new literature, I summarize the entire article.

If you're highlighting everything in a paragraph, then you're probably not being selective enough. You should be able to identify the topic sentence and provie the supporting arguments for that.

But you should do what works for you. Learning should be personalized and if you're particular approach and style is working for you stick with it.

[ohgoodness]

I often find it a must when actively reading something. Pen in hand, notebook by side and then read and mark + put down own comments in side. Then I transfer the notes + 2 sentence summary into my zotero. But this is only when I read very actively, such as key texts or things from authors I usually love. Notetaking is a great way to active your mind and be ready for your task.

I usually try and read 2-3 texts actively a week and then 10ish otherwise. I have a 40+ oneway commute to school/work and I always read a chapter or an article during that time. That is passive reading and does not require notetaking.

[firstsight]

I find that it is terribly inefficient for me to attempt note-taking while reading journal articles. Others that have this skill, my hat is off to you: but I absolutely have to read something through first, comprehend it, absorb it, come to my own conclusions and only then go back for notes. I agree with Darwin up there in one part; I tend to outline things more than highlight in-article (I'll highlight something on a brief pass-through after reading more as a /look here, this needs to be included/ than anything else). What do my outlines look like? Depends on how in-depth the research is. A sentence for purpose, bullet-point methods (# participants, specifics of treatment, operational definition for IV/DV - all with page numbers), a few sentences for results, maybe five or six for discussion. Typically fits in a page

 

If it's for an exam and coming from a textbook (or assigned non-journal reading), I tend to be freer with the highlights. In the end, I think it comes down to what works for you. I remember classmates heckling me for highlighting entire passages for an advanced criminology theory class... but I consistently scored 100+ after curve and extra credit on tests where everyone else seemed to be averaging out around a B-. In my own experience, fields that have a stronger interdisciplinary nature require a broader sense of context.

 

So yeah: it comes down to what works. As long as you aren't needlessly wasting time and you're retaining the salient points, right? (Though it never hurts to try things that are more efficient, I suppose!)