Effective note-taking

[Justified Saint]

I was curious as to how others like to take notes when reading. I have found that in-text annotations usually aren't too helpful unless the reading is for a class and it has been assigned ahead of time. So I always find myself experimenting with different ways of note-taking and thus it can become very frustrating and distracting at times. Anyone else have this problem?

[Justified Saint]

Bump

[Fides_et_Ratio]

Oh, I have trouble ALL the time. I HATE taking notes, and am absolutely horrible at it. For classes, I usually write long verbatim sentences from the prof. and when trying to "take notes" from books I usually write out actual quotes.

My idea of note-taking usually involves underlining... I hate notes.

[phatcatholic]

when i'm taking notes from a book i'm reading, i do two things:

1. i'll write the general idea experessed, w/ a pg. number where i can read about it in more detail.
2. on the pages of the book, i'll put a bracket in the margin around the relevant passages. it looks like this --> [

i hope that helps

pax christi,
phatcatholic

[blovedwolfofgod]

I use a highlighter. If I use one, it helps me retain information because while Im reading, I will usually have to read the key sentnces multiple times in order to know what to highlight and then when I actually do highlight them.

[puellapaschalis]

For me, taking a pen to a book is something akin to sacrelige. I've only done it once, because it was a really really good book and I wanted to always be able to flip through and find that passage. But in general - ooooh, no, I couldn't do that.

Love and prayers,

PP

[Fides_et_Ratio]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1028438' date='Jul 21 2006, 09:15 PM']
For me, taking a pen to a book is something akin to sacrelige. I've only done it once, because it was a really really good book and I wanted to always be able to flip through and find that passage. But in general - ooooh, no, I couldn't do that.

Love and prayers,

PP
[/quote]
Ditto.

I don't let people borrow my books. And if by some miracle someone talks me into it, they get an hour long lecture on how to treat a book before I let them touch it.

[Justified Saint]

"Dog-earing" books is especially sacrelegious. If books had feelings it would amount to a cruel form of torture.

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='Justified Saint' post='1029633' date='Jul 24 2006, 01:42 AM']
"Dog-earing" books is especially sacrelegious. If books had feelings it would amount to a cruel form of torture.
[/quote]

I used to do that....

Love and prayers,

PP

[Tindomiel]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1028438' date='Jul 21 2006, 08:15 PM']
For me, taking a pen to a book is something akin to sacrelige. I've only done it once, because it was a really really good book and I wanted to always be able to flip through and find that passage. But in general - ooooh, no, I couldn't do that.

Love and prayers,

PP
[/quote]
I only write in books that have been used for classes by previous students and thus already have many notes in the margins. But yeah, scribbling thoughts into perfectly unblemished books is cruel and unusual.

[Ziggamafu]

I use one or two highlighters, underline the stuff that really grabs my attention, and sometimes write brief comments to myself in the margins. For me, the key is that notes in the book exist only to remind me of ideas or questions that I have as I read along (or perhaps anything that is very striking to me). The notes that are used for serious study and/or memorization of the material are those that I write in my notebooks and journals...still, when I write, it always seems to be more about me than the author - like I'm trying to figure out where my beliefs fall into what I'm reading; if I agree or disagree. This usually leads to reading other books on the same topic.

[Tindomiel]

I actually do have a Bible that I use specifically for in-book notes too.

I usually take notes on a text from a pocket sized notebook I keep in my purse specifically for that purpose.

[puellapaschalis]

Maybe I place too high a value on my books. Or at last a value that isn't appropriate to them. Maybe they're [i]there[/i] to be scribbled in with notes....

Oh but the pain!

Love and prayers,

PP

[Tindomiel]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1031011' date='Jul 26 2006, 06:24 AM']
Maybe I place too high a value on my books. Or at last a value that isn't appropriate to them. Maybe they're [i]there[/i] to be scribbled in with notes....

Oh but the pain!

Love and prayers,

PP
[/quote]
No you aren't!!! No previously unwritten-in book deserves such treatment. And I only make note in one copy of the Bible.

Save the books!

[Noel's angel]

I underline or bracket [like so...] important points in pencil and make a few notes, just a few words as reminders of my thoughts. Then, when I'm finished, I write notes in a notebook and erase the pencil marks. As long as you write relatively lightly, you can't see anything once you've erased it.