Note-Taking While Researching Module (CASC 142): Getting Started

Let's take a moment to reflect on your understanding of note-taking. Take out a piece of paper or open Notepad, Word, or a Google Doc and write down answers to the following questions about your current notetaking method(s). 

• What method(s) have you used up to this point for taking notes?
• How successful have these methods been for you? Why do you think that's true?
• Are there barriers you face when taking notes?
• Do you take notes in class? Do you take notes when reading for class? How have those differed? Do some methods work better for one vs. the other?

Interacting with research articles can be tricky, and it definitely differs from listening to a lecture. When you've completed this page, you will continue through this guide and listen to a lecture, summarizing it. Then you will interact with some written ideas, discovering various ways in which notetaking can be effective. When you are doing research, reading articles is part of the process. However, the most important part of this reading is interacting with the ideas within. Faculty and instructors want you to remember:

• research is about building dialogue between lots of different voices, which means it is not only acceptable, but encouraged to disagree on some points
• it is in fact NOT a good sign to find a source that says exactly what you want to say, because then there is no reason for you to say it
• research is not a straight line, but an iterative process and working through the uncertainty to find your own voice within the scholarly conversation is the desired outcome

Up Next: You will watch a video clip and use the summary notetaking method.