Notes from books

Sources

Always make an accurate record of the book you are using.

Author-Title-Publisher-Date-Page

Articles from journals are treated in the same way.

Author - Article title - Journal - Date - Page(s)

Put these details first, at the head of the page.

References

This information is used when quoting from a text.

You should always provide an accurate reference to your sources.

The information may also be used in a bibliography.

It's also the development of good academic practice.

Time

The record will also save time during subsequent library searches.

This often happens when working on longer essays, projects, or dissertations.

Strategy

Your approach will depend upon your reading purpose.

When searching for information, use skim or search reading.

When absorbing and digesting more thoroughly, read with conscious purpose. See SQ3R

Decide in advance exactly what you require.

Copying

Don't copy out long sections. This is not a good use of time.

If you think a passage is interesting, make a summary in your own words.

If you need a long passage for future reference, take a photocopy.

Brief quotes

If a few words strike you as worth quoting, then make a note of them.

Always make a record of the page on which they occur.

This gives you an accurate reference, and it could save time later.

Main points

Deciding what to record will depend on your experience of the subject.

Try to identify and name the main issues.

Make a note of any key terms or phrases which are repeated in the material.

Try to make a summary of the author's argument.

Note anything which seems like a recurrent theme.

Relate your notes to each other.

Discriminate

Make a clear distinction between principal issues and detailed examples.

These might even be listed separately.

It is not always easy to see the distinction between the two.

Making the effort will help develop your analytic skills.

Marginal notes

You might wish to make marginal notes on the page of the book itself.

Only do this if the book is your own.

Do not make notes in library books - for two good reasons.

• As soon as you return the book to the library, your notes disappear.
• It is also bad manners to write in library books.

Leave others with a clean text, as you would wish for yourself.