After you read

How to take good notes

While reading a text, you sometimes think: “That was interesting, I did not know that, I need to remember that.” How can you carry these glimpses of insight forward?

Writing keywords, highlighting, and underlining in the text while you read is a technique that can make you a more active reader. But be aware that underlining is easy and not necessarily the same as extracting important information. Formulating key points yourself and organising the material in your own notes is harder—but it pays off more.

Write notes on what you read in a separate document

This will automatically lead you to write better and more informative notes than if you only annotate the text itself.

Write a sentence summarising the main point of each paragraph in the text

That way you get a good overview of how the text unfolds and a solid starting point for writing a summary.

Clarify important subject-specific concepts

Write a short definition of a subject-specific term in the text, followed by a brief reflection on how you arrived at this delimitation based on the text. You may also reflect on some common criteria for definitions. They should:

1. clarify
2. hit the right scope, and
3. be applicable

Create a system for your markings / how you mark in the text

Agree with yourself which symbols you use to mark what. Lines, double lines, circles around particular terms, exclamation marks, or crosses are examples of marks you can use in the text. When you return to the text, it is quicker to spot what matters most.   

Use tools that help you keep track of texts and notes

With Zotero and similar tools you can gather both the texts you read and the notes you write in one place. It also becomes easier to cite your sources when you start writing assignments. If you want to collaborate on collecting sources and sharing notes, you can do that easily in Zotero.

Here you can see how Zotero can make your study life easier:

Writing summaries

Writing summaries in your own words is a very good method for engaging with and understanding a text. When you write a summary, focus on bringing out the main features of the text’s purpose, argumentation, and structure. 

The summary should be faithful to the original text. Present the issues and argumentation in the text on its own terms. The point of writing a summary is not to criticise the views expressed or to foreground your own research questions. Write the summary with the aim of reproducing others’ claims and arguments—in your own words—in such a way that they could say: “Yes, that is what I meant.”

Writing summaries can be demanding, but it is very useful for understanding and remembering what you have read. It also gives you a good basis for using the texts you have read in your own writing (remember citing your sources!) and in academic discussions.

Annotated bibliography

One way to keep an overview of texts you have read is to collect summaries in a list with full references to each text and short summaries. “Annotated” means adding explanatory information. In an annotated bibliography (or literature list) there is also room to include your own assessment of the texts you have read—for example how they are relevant to a research question you are working on.

Study groups

Discussing texts with others is a good way to engage actively with the content. You read more attentively and remember better if you are going to discuss what you have read afterwards. Through discussion you practise using concepts and arguing. At university, people often use the term colloquium groups, from the Latin word for conversation, colloquium.

For group work to be effective, planning matters:

• Agree on what you will discuss and divide responsibilities in advance.
• Take turns presenting texts so everyone practises explaining and commenting on subject matter orally.

You can also discuss “on the spur of the moment”, but a colloquium group without planning and preparation often drifts into directionless chat. That is fine once or twice, but over time it is unsatisfying.

The earlier in your studies you form a colloquium group, the better. Start as a reading and discussion group. When you later begin to write assignments, you can use each other as readers. Few things are as useful as comments from fellow students.