Study Skills and Report writing for Scientists.
tutor:
Mike Horne FGS
for the
Centre for Life Long Learning
University of
Hull
Warning - I am a Scientist; I am dyslexic; I don't
write essays; I do write reports.
Note taking -
Let me again be blunt - if
you learn to take good notes then it all becomes a whole lot easier. This is a
very individual skill - idiosyncratic (to use a long word that it is hard for
dyslexics like me to spell and understand).
Why should we take notes?
- it is part of the
learning process - we are doing something with the information - we are
actively processing it not just passively receiving it.
- it creates an archive
that we can refer to in the future.
- if we have exams it
will make revision easier - we are condensing the information.
- it is a tool to guide
us towards what we need to pursue further.
- we need to accurately
record the details results of our research.
- it reminds us what we
(or our tutors who will be marking our assignments) think is important.
- because as we get
older we become forgetful (sorry, but it is true)
Notes help us to
remember.
We make notes all the time -
messages, telephone numbers, shopping lists, address books, birthdays in
diaries, "to do" lists ... note taking is a natural thing to do. So why is not
taking in education a dying art?
One big myth -
- having a copy of the
lecturers notes means that we do not have to take notes
Please, please, please do not
fall for it. The lecturer's note are just that - they are the lecturer's lecture
notes. They are the notes to remind the lecturer what to say and to provide
illustrations to support what she or he says. They are not a text book. They do
not contain the full content of the course. And most importantly they are not
your notes. You are welcome to a copy of my notes - here you are, these are
they! But your own notes are far more useful to you than my notes.
One other big myth -
- ownership is
understanding
Buying the book, downloading
the web-page, picking up a copy of the lecturer's handout is not the same things
as reading it! Reading is not the same as studying it! Understanding comes from
absorbing the information and testing it out for your self! No-one else can do
that for you!
[ I fall for this myth every
time! ]
What notes should you
make? Well it is a matter of taste and your learning style, but when I make
notes as a scientist I record-
- things that are new
to me
- details of facts -
accurate data
- observations
- overview - how things
I already know fit into the picture
- simple reminders - to
follow some things up later
- doubts and questions
- these are what motivate us to learn
- quotes that I might
be able to use later
- sources - where I got
facts, quotes and ideas from so that I can cite them without plagiarising.
Types of notes. The notes we
make might be different depending on circumstances and needs:-
- notes from a lecture
- notes from a book or
journal
- notes from TV or
radio
- experimental notes -
methods and results
- fieldwork
observations
- plans for a report or
presentation
- notes for a lecture
- revision notes
- "to do" lists
Further information -
- Lecture notes - I
make notes at lectures because it helps me learn, even if I never read them
again, because I am processing the information. I get annoyed if the
lecturer says "You don't have to take notes because I have a handout"
because I do have to take notes. These are probably best in loose leaf form
so that I can arrange and file them later by topic.
- Reading notes -
compiling quotes and facts from other sources compiles a useful data base
that I can draw upon later. As a student I can then show off my academic
abilities to my tutor! Again a loose leaf format is probably best.
- Experimental notes -
records of method and results made in the laboratory (whether your
laboratory is a "real laboratory" or just your kitchen and study at home.
Probably best in an A4 hardback book - it forms a permanent record that you
can add to but cannot destroy. Record the negative results as well as the
positive ones. Don't ignore the details.
- Fieldwork notes -
observations made outdoors - probably best in a pocket size book (A6
hardback) that will withstand robust treatment and rough weather. Try to be
methodical and to get it "right first time", so that you don't have to go
back.
- Revision notes and
plans and notes for a presentation - these are condensing down what you
think is important into key words and diagrams and phrases that will act as
triggers. They remind you about what you need to say or write. They help you
get it into the right order. These do not have to be linear -- they could be
in a family tree, or spider diagram (mind map) or in this case use
hyperlinks to pages with further ideas.
- reflective learning -
reflecting on what we have learnt, how it fits with our previous knowledge
and what we need to do next.
- "to do" lists - they
can be shopping lists; a set of reminders; notes of where we left off a
price of work and what we need to do next; a list of referebces that we need
to search for in the library or internet.
Updated October 2008.
copyright Mike Horne - 2019
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