The Lighthouse

1. Have a clear purpose: Before reading any text make sure you know what you want to get out of it. This could include things like understanding a theory or argument or finding a definition. Having a clear purpose will help you take more focused notes.
2. Skim read the article: Read the introduction, the first line of each paragraph and the conclusion. This will give you an overall understanding of the main points of the text, which will make it easier to understand when you read it in-depth and easier to identify which are the points you need to note down.
3. Put it in your own words. Thinking about what you are reading and trying to summarise it in your own words will help you understand and remember it better than just copying out the text word for word.
4. Think about how the different points in the article relate to one another and organise your notes accordingly. There are lots of different ways to organise notes and it doesn’t matter which you choose as long as they make sense to you, two methods are linear notes and mind mapping.

For more information see:

• http://owll.massey.ac.nz/study-skills/reading-styles.php
• http://owll.massey.ac.nz/study-skills/note-taking.php