Of course, people take notes in different ways - some on print-outs of the lecture slides, or blank notebooks, or Microsoft Word. Which you use depends on why you're taking notes: usually to make sense of a lecture, prepare for an exam, or help write an assessment. In each case, base your notes on the preparation you've already done, and build on your understanding of the course/topic so far.
Notes can summarise what you're being given, but they're equally a place to respond, comment, have ideas and raise questions to follow up later. Whatever your purpose, notes are useful mainly because they force you to understand the lecture/reading for yourself.
Notes can be taken in various ways, depending on why you're taking them and how you plan to use them. Some of the most common are
| Bullets | Write your notes a few words at a time, with a bullet in front of each one. This is the most popular, and automatic for many people. It's quick and easy, but can't easily show (a) which parts are important or (b) how the different things fit together. | |
| Mindmap | Write the topic in the middle of the page, then add details, comments and aspects in boxes sprouting out from the topic or from one another. This is good for showing the connections between things, analysing topics to see how they work. It's also a good way to brainstorm for assignments. | |
| Cornell | Divide the page into four parts. At the top, write the source's reference. On the right, take notes in a bullet-list style. On the left, boil those notes down to their most crucial topics and headings. At the bottom, use those two sections to summarise the whole thing in a few sentences. This is especially good for bringing readings together for essays and bibliographies. | |
| Matrix | Set up a 2D table, the topics along the top and aspects, readings, etc. along the side. This is especially useful for comparison, by reading quickly across rows and columns to see contrasts and parallels. It's also good for showing what is/isn't covered in the reading or lecture. |
Of course, these aren't entirely separate - you can combine the different forms inside one another to get their different advantages together. Try a couple of different ways and see what works best for you.
Start lecture notes with the course, week and topic at the top of the page.
Using any preparation you've done (especially pre-reading the slides), know what you want from the lecture and decide which system of notes is most useful. Often, you can make that decision based on the lecture's first five minutes (based on the topic overview and objectives).
Writing is slower than talking, so don't try to get everything. Set priorities as you listen, and focus your notes on what's important.
Any effort you put into writing distracts you from the speaker, so lecture note-taking is all about getting the point quickly and efficiently: use abbreviations, shortened words, emojis and personal codes. Definitely don't write full sentences - everything should be single words and short phrases. And no-one cares about spelling or neatness.
After the lecture, get your notes into order, typing them up into coherent sentences (in your own words) and neatening up any diagrams or tables. Make sure it's done in a way you'll still understand in a month's time.
Almost all courses are cumulative (each week builds on the week before it), so compare each new set of notes to last week's notes as you're getting them into order. Note any connections that stand out to you - often they're as important as the content itself.
Start your notes with the reading's reference. It saves a lot of trouble later.
Then, know what you want from the text. If you want exact pieces of information, or answers to set questions, scan the text to find just those things. In most cases, though, you'll read to understand a whole argument or analysis. In those cases, don't just copy our bits that sound quotable. Instead, skim-read the text for an overview, and use that to focus more carefully on the relevant parts. This is where you can highlight or underline to remember which parts to focus on - but these highlights and underlines aren't notes in themselves.
Then (on the third, close, reading) start taking notes. Take them in single words and short phrases, just enough to remember the point or content. Depending on what you want from the text, this can take any of the forms described above (bullets, mindmap, Cornell, matrix, or a combination).
Whether from lectures or readings, you'll accumulate a lot of notes quickly. Always file them in a clear system, so you can find what you want quickly.
If you're taking notes on a laptop, that means organising your folders. For example, you might have one folder for each course... then, in that, one folder each for Course Outline, assessments and each week's material... then, in that, copies of the slides, readings and your own notes.
If you're taking notes in hard copy, that means page markers (such as coloured plastic or cardboard flaps) to keep each course/week separate, and/or a ring binder that lets you place each new set of notes in the right location. Some people even use a separate exercise book for each course. Again, let this depend on what you find clearest and most reliable.