Note Taking Methods and Techniques

Systematic note-taking from the source materials is an important part of the research work. It helps to arrange and organise the project report in a detailed manner. Notes must contain all the relevant points from all available sources for the writing of history. After the collection of all the raw material or historical data is over, they have to be properly processed. Various points relating to a particular topic or sub-topic have to be brought together and co-related in a rational way. Before taking notes from a particular source, the researcher has to verify its authenticity of a source. The details of a book like, author, title, publishing house, place of publication, year, etc. must be verified. Various topics or sub-topics have to be divided before taking notes. This will help the researcher to take notes separately for different themes. The knowledge of the documentation of a source is also essential for taking notes systematically.

There are four methods of note-taking: 

• Book method
• File Method
• Card System
• Computer Oriented File and Folder Method

Book Method

In this method, notebooks are to be used to take notes. Taking notes of different topics in one notebook may cause confusion. The researcher then has to separate the notes into topics or sub-topics wise. To avoid this, different notebooks are to be used to take notes on different topics and sub-topics. Thus, in the end, there would be many notebooks on different topics. This method is not satisfactory, because separating the notes on topic or sub-topics wise, will be a difficult task for the researcher. The researcher also has to carry all the notebooks with him at the time of note-taking.

File Method

Here, separate foolscap sheets are to be used to take notes topic-wise or sub-topic-wise, which are then filed separately. The advantage here is that the researcher is now able to detach the notes separately to arrange them in any format. But this method is not enough to solve the issue. The main problem is that one sheet of paper may contain notes from different sources. This will create difficulty for the researcher to give references to the consulted source.

Card System

This is an ideal method for note-taking. This is also known as the slip method. Here cards of equal size are to be used to take notes. The two most important features of this method are the totality and detachability of each card. On each slip only one point is noted; the point is complete in itself. Each slip is detachable and can be placed anywhere. Slips can be arranged topic-wise, sub-topic-wise, section-wise, or in any other format.

• Each card must contain:
• the details of the book
• the name of the chapter or section or sub-section for which the notes taking
• note or a point 
• page number from which the point is noted

After taking notes on cards, the researcher can arrange them into any format suitable for the preparation of the research report.

Computer Oriented File and Folder Method

The use of computers in research, and activity brought new methods to the collection and organisation of data. Collecting data through the file and folder methods is getting dominant in the age of computers. In this method, separate word files are to be used in taking notes in typed format. Like the card system, it uses one file to store the data about one particular theme. Again the different files of a particular topic can be grouped into one folder. This helps the researcher to prepare his research report in any format suitable for his research. It is an ideal method if the research work carries a number of diagrams, charts, statistical tables, pictures, and other such data. This also helps the researcher to easily prepare his research report because most of the notes are now available in typed format. For better use of the computer-oriented file and folder method, the researcher has to do the following:

• Use separate files to take notes on different topics or sub-topic.
• Name files and folders appropriately to easily identify them and avoid duplication.
• Set a hierarchy of folders by designing a folder structure with broad topics at the highest level and then use sub-folders within these.
• Ensure that your files, whether they are on your local drive, or on a network drive, are backed up.

The proper knowledge of computer applications and standard methods of file and folder organisation is necessary for using this method. Further, the total dependency on computers in organising the research may lead to a mere ‘cut and paste’ of data.