Taking notes for essays is one of the stages that many students do not take seriously or even skip. Meanwhile, taking essay notes can be called one of the elements that finally make a solid basis for a good essay.

What does note-taking actually mean and why is it important? In a few words, taking notes means writing down everything that might be useful for your paper while you do research.

Usually, to prepare an excellent essay, students use several sources. It is pretty obvious that you cannot keep all necessary info in mind. Thus, it is better not to rely on your memory and start taking essay notes once you get down to researching the chosen/assigned topic.

If you are not experienced enough in taking essay notes, let us explain you the essentials, because note-taking requires some skills.

Different types of essay notes

First, you should know that there are two types of essay notes:

1. You take notes while reading a text in the form of summaries or paraphrases of what you have read.
2. You note down some ideas of yours, questions that arouse while reading.

How to take essay notes

Ideally, it is recommended to make and use note cards – an old but an effective system of taking notes. On each note card, write down one idea and bibliographical information.

Certainly, you can take essay notes in any other way that you find convenient. However, keep in mind that bibliographical info is absolutely necessary and you will have to provide it in your work.
Recommendations on taking essay notes

Here are several quick tips on how to take essay notes:This post originally appeared on http://essayblog.org/essay/essay-writers