Study Skills and Learning How to Learn · Lesson 4 of 8 · 12 min

Taking good notes

Notes are not the goal; remembering and using the material is. Good notes capture the key ideas clearly and are built to test yourself on later.

What good notes do

Good notes capture the main ideas and concepts you will need later, not every word said.
The Learning Scientists, reviewing note-taking research, conclude that the quality of notes matters more than whether they are handwritten or typed.
Notes are mostly useful after class: they are the raw material for retrieval practice and spaced review.
Write in your own words where you can, and record the exact source and page number when you copy a quotation or fact (you will need this for referencing at university).

The Cornell method, step by step

Divide the page: a narrow cue column on the left (about 6 cm, or 2.5 inches), a wide note-taking column on the right, and a summary area across the bottom (about 5 cm, or 2 inches).
Record: during the lesson, take notes in the right column, leaving gaps where you missed something to fill in later.
Question: soon after class, write questions or key words in the left cue column that the notes answer.
Summarise: at the bottom, write a short summary in your own words. The Cornell guide notes that if you cannot summarise it, you may not understand it yet.
Recite: cover the right column and answer the cue questions aloud from memory. This turns your notes into retrieval practice.
Reflect and review: add connections to other topics, and review the notes weekly.

Handwritten or typed? What the research really says

A 2014 study by Mueller and Oppenheimer, often called 'The pen is mightier than the keyboard', found handwritten note-takers did better on conceptual questions. It was widely shared and led some teachers to ban laptops.
A 2019 replication by Morehead, Dunlosky and Rawson did not reproduce the original result: on a test two days later, note-taking method made no difference.
A 2021 study by Urry and colleagues in Psychological Science, plus a small meta-analysis, found only small, statistically non-significant differences between handwriting and typing.
Typed notes tend to be longer and closer to word for word. Writing more seemed to help, but copying verbatim was linked to lower scores, so aim to capture ideas, not transcripts.
A practical concern with laptops is distraction: messaging and browsing during class can pull your attention, and other people's, away from the lesson.

Practical habits

Before class, glance at the topic so you know what the main ideas are likely to be.
Use headings, numbered points and space. Mark anything you did not understand with a question mark to ask about later.
Turn off notifications if you type notes, or use full-screen mode.
Within 24 hours, tidy the notes, add cue questions, and do a 5-minute recall.
Keep each subject's notes in one place (a folder or one digital notebook per subject) so revision is easy.

Notes from reading

Read the headings and summary first, then read to answer a question rather than to highlight.
After each section, close the book and write the main point from memory, then check.
Highlighting alone was rated low utility in the 2013 Dunlosky review; if you highlight, follow it with recall.
Add a diagram or timeline where it helps (dual coding).

Practise in real life

Tick each one off when you have done it.

Set up one Cornell page for your next lesson, then fill in the cue column and summary the same evening.
Take notes on a 10-minute educational video, half by hand and half typed. Two days later, test yourself on both halves and compare.
Turn last week's notes in one subject into 10 cue questions and answer them without looking.

Remember

Capture main ideas, not every word.
Cornell notes build in questions, a summary and self-testing.
The handwriting versus typing evidence is mixed; note quality matters more.
Avoid verbatim transcripts and digital distractions.
Review notes soon after class and test yourself on them.

Note: The handwriting versus typing debate is not settled. Studies used short lectures or talks and some did not let students review their notes, so results may differ for long, complex courses. We present the research as mixed. Cornell page measurements are from the guide's US-letter layout and converted approximately.

Check yourself

1. In the Cornell system, what goes in the left-hand cue column?

2. What did the 2019 Morehead, Dunlosky and Rawson replication find about handwritten versus typed notes on a test two days later?

3. According to the Learning Scientists, what matters more than the medium of note-taking?

4. What does the Cornell guide say if you cannot write a summary of your notes?

5. In Urry and colleagues' 2021 study, what was linked to lower quiz scores?