The Cornell Method

Taking a structured approach to note-taking is the best way. Put the outline notes by choosing four or five key points of the lecture, followed by in-depth sub-points. One way to review is to use the Cornell Method, which divides the note sheet into three sections:

• Cues: It includes key questions and main points.
• Notes: Which you write during the class using the outline method. 
• Summary: Which you can write after class while reviewing.

The mind map is a visual diagram of abstract concepts.

It works best in subjects like chemistry, history and philosophy, subjects having a neural network like interlocked and complex topics. 

• The page is divided into 3 or 4 sections (top for title and, bottom for summary, 2 columns in the center).  
• 30% of width should be kept in the left column while the remaining 70% for the right column.
• All notes go into the main note-taking column. 
• The smaller column on the left side is for comments, questions or hints about the actual notes. 

All notes that are related to each other are grouped together in a box. 

A dedicated box is assigned for each section of notes which cuts down the time needed for reading and reviewing.

Apps are especially helpful for this method because content on the page can be reordered or resized subsequently.

The goal is to jot down your thoughts as quickly as possible. Format is kept to a minimum: every new thought is written on a new line. 

Pros: Is like free writing for notes.

Cons: lack organization and notes can be hard to understand.

Works for: meetings or lectures that lack organization; when information is presented very quickly.

• Skim the material for bolded text, images, summaries, to produce a list of headlines;
• Each headline is then written in the form of a question;
• Record your “answers” to the reading questions under each corresponding header;
• Once you’ve finished reading the text, write a summary of the material from memory—this is the “recite” part of the process. 
• Finally, review your notes to make sure you’ve completely grasped the concepts.

Works for: dense written material.

German sociologist Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) designed his slip-box made up of index cards. They were thematically unlimited. His simple system produced a prolific output. Over his 30-year career,  Luhmann published 58 books and hundreds of articles while completing his two-volume masterwork, The Society of Society (1997).  He regularly pointed to his slip-box as the source for his fantastic productivity.

• He wrote down any interesting or potentially useful ideas on uniformly sized index cards on one side only.
• Each new index card got a sequential number, starting at 1.
• When a new source was added to that topic or something to supplement it, he would add new index cards with letters added to the number (1a, 1b, 1c, etc.)
• These branching connections were marked in red as close as possible, where the branch began.
• Any of these branches could also have their own branches. (For example 21/3d26g53)
• As he read, he would create new cards, update or add comments to existing ones, create new branches from existing cards, or create new links between cards.

Keep them short, but have enough triggers in the keywords to jumpstart your memory when you look at them again:

• Stick to keywords and very short sentences.
• Write out your notes in your own words.
• Find a note-taking style to fit both your needs and the speakers.
• Write down what matters.

Rereading your notes, highlighting them, underlining them, and even summarizing them  - all take a lot of your time.

Better methods include taking breaks and spreading out your studying (known as distributed practice), and taking practice tests (which isn't really applicable outside of school).

Create a topic of your research assignment along with the subtopics labeled as A, B, C, D etc. Each topic can now be a different pile, separated with the help of sticky notes.

Now sort all your papers according to the piles, and when they are complete, start to label each piece of research with a letter and a number. So Your papers would be labeled like A1, A2, B1, B3 and so on.

Place your piles into separate folders labeled like the subtopics, stapling the sticky notes on the outside of it’s matching folder.

Now you can start writing your paper as you have chronological, topic-wise segregation of all your notes. While writing the paper, do check if the notes are appropriate or can also fit somewhere else. Notes can later be replaced by citations.