Notebook Preparation
A wide margin on the right-hand side of the note sheet is particularly valuable when work is being done involving any degree of research. This margin should be used for the student's comments on and interpretation of the notes on the body of the page, which are usually quotations, excerpts, or digests of important data. This margin should occupy perhaps one-fourth or more of the entire page, and when employed as suggested, it greatly simplifies the writing of papers or articles based on the notes taken.
3. Content and Organization of Notes. Notes in course will usually include:
a. The main points, at least, in every class lecture,
b. The main substance of prescribed reading,
c. Selections of important material from recommended reading,
d. Materials gathered in the independent investigation of a particular subject.
There should ordinarily be no duplication of materials. Marginal jottings (cross references) in the notebook will indicate more than one place where the same data may be found. Notes should ordinarily not be taken on textbook material, inasmuch as it is assumed that the text is always at hand for reference.
Notes should preferably be organized under the topic assigned for study, and should always indicate whether they are based on lectures or collateral reading.
The margins of note pages should, as a rule, show a complete record of the reading done outside of the textbook in connection with the subject.
4. Value of the Notebook. A number of purposes are served by the history notebook:
a. It assists the memory process in concentrating attention on the materials written down.
b. It functions as a synopsis of the subject and as a source of pertinent information in a rapid review of the ground covered.
c. It preserves the "cream" of the work done in the subject for reference in subsequent years.
d. It gives valuable practice in the organization, condensation, and composition of materials.
It is hardly necessary to point out to the conscientious student that a notebook reflects the character and habits of its owner, and is one of the most infallible indications of the student's attitude toward learning.
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