Cornell Note Taking

The Cornell system template begins with an ordinary 8.5 x 11'' sheet of paper that has a 2.5 inch column on the left, and a central 6 inch space that serves as the central note-taking area, the "body" of the template. A third area begins at the bottom of the template, two inches tall, and eight inches wide; this is the summary area.

The basic idea is to take notes, using brief and specific statements in the central body portion of the template (see these note-taking tips), to make marginal notes or glosses about the central points or topics of the body notes in the narrow column on the left, and then, after the class, to review your notes and summarize them at the bottom.

The Cornell system, by helping you organize your note-taking, helps you organize your thoughts. It also depends on reviewing your notes, and adding to them as you review, making marginal glosses to highlight the most important points, or even adding to the your lecture notes by referring to pertinent passages in your texts.

You can read more about how the Cornell system works, here, and there's a free template generator here, to print out your own paper to take notes using the Cornell system.