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Note-making, Summarising and Sub-titling

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1. Note-making:

Note-making is a useful skill. It forms an important part of our academic as well as work life. It involves drawing important/main information out of large chunks of given information and transforming the information into points.

Characteristics of good notes are:

(a) Notes are written in a precise manner indicating the main points of the text.

(b) Only short phrases are used. No sentences are to be used.

(c)  Notes represent logically divided and sub-divided information. For example:

 Main sections:        1, 2, 3, etc.

 Sub-sections:          (i), (ii), (iii) or 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.

 Sub-sub sections:    (a), (b), (c) or 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, etc.

(d) The information is listed in ‘note form’.

(e) Abbreviations and symbols are freely used in note-making. Articles, conjunctions and prepositions must not be used.

(f) Notes must be comprehensible and must make sense when read again.

There are a number of steps involved in the process of Note-making. They are:

Step 1:

Read the text. Underline the important information/main words or phrases of the text.

Step 2:

Re-read the text. As you read, ask yourself questions and answers them based on the reading of the text. The questions should cover the following points:

(a) What is the text about?

(b) What is the main/central idea of the text?

(c) What are the associated ideas, if any?

(d) What are the subordinate ideas, if any?

Step 3:

Use the answers to the above questions to write the main points.

•    These points are to be written without the full forms of the verbs.

•    Two or three ideas that are related can be included in one point.

•     Colons and long dashes are used while making notes.

Step 4:

Read the points and number them. This step can easily be carried out mentally while going through Steps 2 and 3.

Step 5:

Go through the facts and finally number them again (based on divisions and sub-divisions).These points must be logically divided into headings and sub-headings.

2. Summarising:

Summarising means drawing out the main ideas from a piece of text and writing them using one’s own words. It involves selection and paraphrasing of all the essential information. A summary is usually one-third the length of the original text. Summarising is different from note-making as it is not as precise and shortened as note-making. The points are expanded into full sentences and are linked using connectors. Using one word in place of many is recommended.

 Steps involved in the process of summarising

Step 1:

Underline the important details.

Step 2:

Write down the details, contracting the verbs.

Step 3:

Avoid examples, explanations and repetitive details.

Note:

i) Phrases in apposition must be used.

ii) Present participles may be used.

iii) Using the main verb later in the sentence reduces the number of words.

3. Sub-titling:

Sub-titling is used to express the main idea of each section of a long piece of writing. In a few words, it provides an idea about the sub-topics described in the text. Subtitles help in making the long reading text easy to read and comprehend, breaking the monotony. 
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