Note-making - a vital step in essay writing

Notes are for your personal use so you should create your own style. Your teachers will not read or mark them, but you need to make sure you can still understand your notes months after reading the original book or article.

a) To avoid the risk of plagiarism you must use your own words and not copy phrases from the original.

b) The quantity of notes you make depends on your task: you may only need a few points, or a lot of detail.

c) Always record the source of your notes. This will save time when you have to write the list of references.

d) Notes are often written quickly, so keep them simple. Do not write sentences. Leave out articles (a/ the) and prepositions (of/ to).

e) If you write lists, it is important to have clear headings (underlined) and numbering systems (a, b, c, or 1, 2, 3,) to organise the information. Do not crowd your notes.

f) Use symbols (+, >, =) to save time.

g)  Use abbreviations (e.g. = for example). You need to make up your own abbreviations for your subject area. But do not abbreviate too much, or you may find your notes hard to understand in the future!

But remember, taking notes is not a substitute for writing your essay! Don't delay starting to write for too long!