Outlining Method Of Note Taking

The outline method is consistently ranked as one of the best note-taking methods by researchers and students worldwide.
Outlining is a method that's remarkably well-suited for online learning equally it benefits from methodical, cocky-paced categorization of data.
Taking notes with the outline method involves half dozen unproblematic steps, all of which will exist explained in this guide.

The outline method of notation-taking is an indispensable role of many high-achieving students' skillsets. High-achieving students don't rely on their "intellectual giftedness". Instead, they focus on developing effective study skills that enable them to succeed every time.

This arrangement of taking notes is one of the simplest, even so most effective methods out there. Every bit long as you lot follow the unproblematic steps laid out in this guide, y'all'll be well on your style to mastering the method and taking the most effective notes possible.

Here's everything y'all'll larn in this commodity.

What is the outline method of notation-taking?

The outline method is one of the most popular note-taking methods for college students. Through outlining, students organize their lecture information in a structured and logical manner, creating a comprehensive profile of the lecture subject.

The outline note-taking method, similar to the Cornell method, has been around for decades. While the outlining method does non revolutionize the act of taking notes, it has been proven to exist more optimized than conventional methods.

The method is considered well-rounded and suitable for nearly subjects. But, it's not best suited for some STEM subjects such as physics or math. Outlining also requires yous to place a articulate informational construction to the data. That is why the method does non e'er piece of work well with fast-paced and unstructured lectures. Go on this in mind when planning your outlining.

What do researchers say near outlining?

Educational psychologist Kenneth A. Kiewra from the University of Nebraska is peradventure the all-time researcher to listen to when analyzing the outline method of notation-taking. Betwixt 1984 and 1995, he has written over 20 research papers on note-taking, many of which used the outline method equally a fundamental betoken.

In his 1995 study, he described the two biggest benefits of outline annotation-taking as follows. I'll be paraphrasing here, but hopefully, I'll become the gist of his points across.

The first benefit of outlining is that the outline structure makes superordinate-subordinate relations within topics credible. This, in turn, facilitates local coherence.

The 2nd advantage of the outline method is that the act of outlining your topics and subtopics makes data retrieval easier and helps you build internal connections. This helps with global coherence and knowledge memory equally all your notes are systematized into topics.

Kiewra was also one of the commencement researchers to observe that just handing out detailed notes to students mail-lecture can achieve remarkable results. Simply that'southward a topic for another time (if you want more of Kiewra's thinking, he builds on these ideas in his contempo book on studying in college).

What makes the outlining organization and then effective?

What's unique about the outline method is that information technology's hierarchical past nature. This means that as well recording lecture content, the outlining arrangement likewise allows students to record the relationships between bits of information.

Having a clear outline format to your notes helps you to:

Identify all clustering points;
Turn the main points of the content into study questions;
Reduce your notes without having to rewrite them;

It has been shown through inquiry that outline notation-takers record significantly more information from online lectures than conventional note-takers. While conventional notation-takers manage to record up to 30% of lecture materials, outline and matrix note-takers are able to record approximately 40%.

This shows that unlike the Cornell annotation-taking method (for which enquiry results have been mixed), the outline method of note-taking is an effective and scientific discipline-backed method of taking notes. It'southward a system that can sometimes exist outshined by the matrix note-taking method, but both methods do have their rightful place amongst the best note-taking methods.

As a fully-online learner, I utilize a variation of the outline method myself on a daily basis. However, instead of taking my notes longhand (with a physical pen and paper), I have mine in a digital format. I am aware of the vast benefits of writing longhand – simply I have my own personalized system that works wonders for me. Outlining is a major component of the organisation I use and I'll exist covering this personal notation-taking system in a future article.

How does the outline method work?

Through the usage of indentation and infinite relationships, outlining provides students with a clear hierarchy of data.

Put simply, the outline method works with the following key characteristics:

The master topics are recorded on the left side of the document;
The subtopics are added with an indent to the correct of the main topics;
Any supporting thoughts or facts are added with another indent to the right of the subtopics;
All farther details are added with more indentation.

Developing content outlines like this creates a logical structure to the notes where the level of information importance is demonstrated by its horizontal positioning in the certificate. If it's on the far-right side, it's a smaller subtopic or fact. On the other mitt, if it's on the far-left side, it's a major topic of importance with many smaller components.

The indents are ordinarily created with bullet points, dashes, numbers, or arrows. Strategic use of these symbols helps reduce the content downwardly even further, thus resulting in short but information-rich notes that are easy to review before an exam.

How to take outline notes

Gather notation-taking materials

The outline method does not crave an expensive set of tools and chances are you already take all the materials you need. Merely here'southward a quick rundown merely in example.

To use the outline annotation-taking method, you'll need:

Notebook. Whatever notebook or notebook newspaper will do. Personally, I discover spiral notebooks to be the most comfortable to use. If you use individual notebook papers for your notes, brand sure to go a ring binder to agree all the papers together.

Pen or pencil. In one case once again, any pen or pencil will do the job just fine.

Working expanse. If you lot're taking notes during a lecture, yous don't have much choice in this regard. However, if y'all're taking outline notes for online college, you have more than options to choose from. Endeavour to find a comfortable and quiet working space and free yourself from distractions. Deep focus requires the correct study infinite and endeavor your best to create and maintain the right environment for yourself.

Now, it's time to put these materials to use.

Outline the chief topics

To commencement off, you'll need to outline the main topics from the material. These primary topics volition be written to the left side of the document without any indentation.

Ideally, y'all'll have a small number of main topics – even just a single main topic is okay. This is the first of many information arrangement decisions you'll be making. And, due to the space indentation arrangement of the outline format, these starting time steps tin be some of the most critical.

The main topics should be relatively broad in context but likewise specific enough to enable the evolution of articulate subtopics. It all depends on the textile you're working with. Effort not to outline too many main topics, as the format tends to lose its' effectiveness if information technology'due south too thinly spread out from the beginning. You lot should exit enough room to exist able to drill deep down into a particular master topic.

In the case we'll be using, retrieved from research by Robinson and Katayama, the main topic of the lecture is "Parasomnias." It's a well-chosen main topic as information technology enables the logical development of subtopics and supporting data.

Outline the subtopics

Now, it's time to outline the subtopics. These subtopics are written beneath the main topics with an indentation to the correct and with some infinite between each subtopic to let the insertion of supporting arguments. Numbers, letters, bullet points, and dashes are unremarkably used for subtopics to further illustrate their placing within the outline organization.

You'll probable stop up with quite many subtopics in your outlines and if you lot're taking notes during a lecture, you lot'll ever be adding new subtopics every bit you go.

Standing with the example we chose in the previous step, the outlined subtopics for "Parasomnias" were identified every bit sleep terrors, sleepwalking, and nightmares. They were indented through lettering to the correct, resulting in a articulate logical structure to the notes.

At this stage, the outlined notes should await something like this:

Insert supporting thoughts and facts

Now that you lot've got your main topics and subtopics outlined, the merely thing left to do is to showtime filling in the blanks. This means adding further thoughts, facts, features, and categorizes into the subtopics – always with an indentation to the correct.

Normally, in an academic setting, you should not equate thoughts and facts, but in this example, both thoughts and facts are perfectly viable supporting notes. In fact, analyzing your own thoughts and noting them is often much better than but copying dry facts written by someone else.

Using the same instance as higher up, supporting information on the subtopics (specific forms of parasomnias) could be categorized into seven parts. These seven sections were then added below the subtopics with a numbered indentation to the right.

By at present, the outline notes are already starting to take shape and await like this:

At this signal, it's likewise worth pointing out that this example would also be well-suited for the charting method of note-taking. That is because the seven supporting categories are the same for all subtopics and information in this form works well in a table format.

Add farther details and examples

At present's the time to add any concluding supporting details into the notes. Effort to encompass all the data you demand without writing massive paragraphs. In some cases, where the information does not require dissimilar levels of details (in terms of space relationships), this footstep can exist mixed into the previous step. After all, if the supporting thoughts and facts are enough to cover everything, there is no need for further details or examples.

If you do need further details, however, instead of copying lengthy paragraphs word-by-give-and-take, try to:

write brusque telegraphic sentences;
depict illustrations;
cover real-life examples.

Here's what a completed outline notation looks like with all details added into it:

Accept attention to the short sentences used here. By using brusk sentences, abbreviations, and symbols, you tin reduce your notes. This volition exist very helpful to you during the note review process.

Review and recite your notes

Past now, you have finished the note-taking process. But, own't no rest for the wicked.

Due to the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, information technology'south always best to start the reciting and reviewing stage as soon as possible. Studies have shown that reviewing your notes within the 24-hour bespeak achieves the all-time results. If yous neglect your notes for a whole calendar week after taking them, you'll lose out on a lot of retention and memorization.

Now, start this step by reviewing and reciting whatever information independent inside your notes. Any endeavour put into making the outlines well-structured and like shooting fish in a barrel to follow will pay off tenfold in this step. This stage is also a take chances to develop your outlining skills farther. If y'all find that your notes were poorly outlined, y'all can keep that in mind and make improvements for the adjacent time.

And, once you're done with this stride – you're all done! Congratulations! Yous've now completed the entire outline note-taking process.