When we are doing research for an assignment, we need to refer to many different books to collect information. We do not have time to read these books cover to cover because they are so long and detailed. We need to learn note taking skills so that we can collect the essential information from books we have without wasting time.
The Process
1. Before we begin searching for information we must be very clear about the information we are searching for (i.e. What do we want to know? List this information or outline the information, list the questions you need to answer). Identify KEY WORDS.
2. If a book has a TABLE of CONTENTS – we can use the table to look up which section of the book would be the most useful for us
3. If the book has an INDEX page – we can locate even more specific information
When we locate the relevant pages, we do the following;
a) Look for clues as to what the information is about by reading HEADINGS and SUB-HEADINGS
b) We then read the FIRST LINE of each paragraph because this is the TOPIC SENTENCE for that paragraph (the topic sentence outlines what the paragraph will be about)
c) If the topic sentence if relevant we then read the paragraph. If the paragraph is long, you should read the first 2-3 sentences and then the last 2-3 sentences.
d) If what you have read is all relevant, then you read the whole paragraph
e) You then begin to take notes by SUMMARISING the paragraph in ONE SENTENCE and it must be in your OWN words. You do this by asking ‘What is the main point in this paragraph’? Never copy directly from a text. (plagiarism)
f) You then move onto the rest of the paragraphs on that page and follow the same process.
g) Put each new point on a new line so that your notes are clear
h) Use abbreviations where possible (e.g. QLD –Queensland)
i) Looking at images on the pages can also give you an idea if the information on the page is relevant or not
j) Before returning the book to the library, make sure you write down all the necessary information for the bibliography
1. Imagine you are doing a research project on the benefits of school today.
Select the most important information from the paragraphs below and summarise the content in one short paragraph that is no more than 5 lines long.
School is an important part of a teenager’s life. It provides an education for inquiring minds and it provides an appropriate environment for teenagers to get to know one another and to be able to learn things about themselves. In studies conducted by different organisations, teenagers have expressed many opinions about what they think the most important things about school are. Some identified the fact that school prepares you for your future and your career. Others identified school as the most important stage in their lives because it was where they were able to make friends and develop relationships with other people. Some teenagers who participated in the study said that an important part about school was the fact they had to learn to take responsibility for themselves and their actions because of the homework that needed to be completed and the assignments that needed to be done by specific dates.
School is a changing place. Many schools are expanding and are taking larger numbers of students each year. Many schools are also offering new subjects to their students. Languages such as French and Greek are now available for study. TAFE subjects are also allowing students to experience many more of the ‘hands-on’ activities that they can then take on as a career after school. This expansion has benefited schools and students in many different ways. Students who may not achieve in traditional subjects such as maths and science are now able to achieve in other areas which do suit them, such as the applied subjects. Subject in schools today are also more relevant to life in today’s society. For example, media studies has allowed students to understand how they media, such as television and radio, works and the impact it has on people in society today.