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Note-taking 101: Feature Story

Note-Taking 101: The Ultimate Guide for Freshers

By Maya Rowley 

Note-taking is an essential part of formal education that is too often taken for granted as a basic skill that students should already be comfortable with. However, few of us are taught how to effectively take notes at an undergraduate level, and science students in particular can be overwhelmed by the density of information presented in their lectures. Many of us learn inefficient or even ineffective note-taking habits during secondary school and carry them into university unknowingly. Before the new academic year, whether you want to re-learn the basics or explore new methods of note-taking, use this guide to make sure your foundations for learning are firm!

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Before the Lecture 

Being somewhat familiar with the topic beforehand will help make the note-taking experience much smoother and less stressful. Even skimming through relevant textbook pages or the lecture slides can help prime your brain and make you more prepared for the lecture. If you want to go the extra mile, make a list of key words and questions you have on the topic, which you can expand on during or after the lecture. 

Note-taking 101: Text
Cat falling asleep after studying Richard Feynman famous physics textbook._edited.jpg
Note-taking 101: Image

Less is More 

Despite what some may believe, the purpose of note taking is not to transcribe every point the lecturer goes over. Not only is writing down everything discussed tiring, it’s also largely pointless. Not all of the information will be necessary to remember; sometimes it’s there simply to explain or elaborate. Perfectionists are particularly prone to this tendency of trying to get down every detail, and learning to distinguish the most important parts of the lecture is a valuable skill best learnt early on. Each lecture will have a list of learning objectives that can be accessed via the powerpoint or the module handbook on KEATs. This tells you what you need to learn and, crucially, what you will be tested on in your exams. Use these objectives to guide what you record from your lectures, and only take note of extra information if it will help you better understand and contextualise those key points.  

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Break it Down 

Avoid the temptation to write down what your lecturer is saying word for word. Instead, processing the information presented, then summarising it in your own words allows for greater comprehension and retention of the topic. This can take some practice to get used to, especially given the speed at which some lectures go, but remember you can always go back and correct or add to your notes afterwards. Using symbols and abbreviations like arrows, w/ and + can also help get your thoughts down faster. 

Note-taking 101: Text
Image by eleni koureas
Note-taking 101: Image

Note-taking Methods 

There are many ways to structure your notes. Why not use the start of this year to experiment with some new methods and see if any appeal to you? Here are some of the most popular: 


  • Outline method: Use the key points of the lecture as subheadings on the leftmost side of the page. Any subsequent points that come under that subtopic are written below, with an indentation. Thus, the more detail you add, the farther to the right you move your writing. This method is useful in breaking down a complex topic but can be tricky to format during the lecture.  

  • Cornell method: Write your notes as normal on the right of the page, leaving gaps between each section. After the lecture, in a margin on the left-hand side, write down â€˜cues’ for each subtopic. This can be a few key words or a question but they must act as a prompt for you to use later to test your knowledge. At the bottom of the page, leave a space to summarise everything. This method is useful to practice your active recall and you can even use the learning objectives as the ‘cues’ to ensure your notes are relevant. 

  • Mind mapping: Format your notes as branches coming off of a general concept, with the broader points towards the centre and the smaller details around the outside. Presenting information in a visual way can help display the links between different topics and how they relate to each other. However, again, this may be difficult to format during the lecture.  

  • Writing on the powerpoint slides: Either print out or download your lecture slides and note-take on or aside them. This can help reduce the temptation to write down every point as most of what is mentioned by the lecturer will already be in front of you. However, not having to write down the key points means you may not retain that information as well.  


You may find sticking to just one of these methods to be too rigid or impractical. Feel free to mix and adapt these methods to make them suit your learning style.  

Note-taking 101: Text
Image by Glenn Carstens-Peters
Note-taking 101: Image

Not Just a Pretty Page 

Making your notes aesthetically pleasing can serve for more than just a good Instagram pic- you should be going back to these notes multiple times throughout the year, and having the information displayed in a clear, appealing way can make later revision easier and less daunting. Easy ways of making your notes look nicer include using multiple colours, highlighting, underlining and adding pictures and diagrams. Colour coding by topic can be useful in making your notes look more organised. Highlighting key words and phrases is a common way to make important points stand out but don’t overdo it or, counterproductively, nothing will stand out! Leaving plenty of space between each topic also goes a long way in making your notes more digestible and easier on the eye. So, whether you’re a fan of glittery gel pens or prefer the minimalist look, taking some time to pretty your notes can be well worth your while.  

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Image by Dee @ Copper and Wild
Note-taking 101: Image

Digital or Physical? 

Nowadays, lecture halls are filled with the sound of clattering keyboards and tapping of styluses on screens. Whether you want to note-take the traditional way, type on a laptop, or write on a digital tablet is up to personal preference and what devices you have available to you. All can be effective ways of getting information down. Here we discuss their pros and cons: 

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  • Pen on paper: Although this may be seen as a slower, less efficient mode of note-taking, the physical act of writing has been shown to lead to greater comprehension and retention compared to typing in various studies. In fact, because it is slower, writing by hand is a more deliberate and thought-intensive way to take notes as the student is forced to process the information in real time in order to decide the most relevant points to write down. A notebook and pen are also lighter to carry than digital devices and there is no worry of technical malfunctions or the dreaded low battery message. However, it can be more difficult to edit retrospectively and physical notes can be lost or damaged more easily.  


  • Typing: The fast and convenient way of taking notes. If you are a quick typist, you may be able to get more information down, however, there may be more temptation to transcribe the lecture verbatim. Having a digital document after the lecture can be incredibly useful during revision, due to various functions including searching for certain phrases, inserting links, images and other media, and ease of editing. Uploading your notes to OneDrive (free for KCL students) also reduces the risk of losing your hard work. However, as mentioned earlier, you retain less of the information.  


  • Writing on a touch screen: This middle ground gives you the benefits of increased retention from hand writing as well as having digitised notes. There may be some trial and error if you are new to writing on a screen, but once you have mastered the technology, it can offer many different ways to optimise your note-taking experience. Many platforms, such as OneNote (free for KCL students) and GoodNotes can convert your handwriting into text which can then be edited however you like. Although this function may not be 100% faithful in replicating the original notes (especially if your handwriting is on the messier side!), it does provide the best of both worlds. 


If you don’t have access to a laptop and would like to, King’s libraries offer a laptop loan service. It may also be worth checking if you are eligible for the King’s Hardship Fund to purchase one. 

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After the Lecture 

The note-taking process doesn’t end when your lecture does! You may want to expand your notes into full sentences, correct any mistakes, add extra information, insert diagrams, etc. The trick to actually looking back on and revising using your notes later on is to make them appealing and easy to use for yourself. Ideally, do this as soon as possible while the knowledge is still fresh in your brain. 


When reviewing your notes for exam revision, active recall is your best friend. Cover a part of your notes, write down everything you can remember of that concept, then check your notes to correct and fill in the gaps.  

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Image by Surface
Note-taking 101: Image

Final Notes 

Don’t worry if you aren’t happy with your notes for the first few lectures- with time and practice, you’ll find what works best for you. Finally, don’t compare yourself with other students too much. These notes are first and foremost for yourself and if they are informative and useful to you, then they have achieved their goal. 


Happy studying!  

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