Note-taking for Analysis and Structure

By now, no doubt, you will have realised that for each of these different levels of processing (analysis/structure, and criticism/evaluation) there is the most effective note-taking strategy. Of course, this should come as no surprise. It endorses what we’ve said a number of times already, that flexibility and choosing the most effective strategy is the key to good essay writing. Nevertheless, there will always be a text or an article which seems to fall between the two strategies, neither of which alone seems to do the job we want to do. On these occasions I find myself taking the highly structured linear notes first, and then creating a set of pattern notes to give me a broad overview of the issues involved. In this way you can get around the problem of seeing nothing but detail – of not being able to see the wood for the trees. As we’ve already discovered, our aim here is to identify and extract the hierarchy of ideas, a process which involves selecting and rejecting material according to its relevance and importance. Although by now this sounds obvious, it’s surprising how many students neglect it or just do it badly. As with most study skills, few of us are ever shown how best to structure our thoughts on paper. Yet there are simple systems we can all learn.