The note-taking process involves four main steps as shown in the diagram below. You can click on each one to see an example of each step.

The example is note-taking related to the following Essay Question:

Discuss the implications of the influence of micro-economic reform on the development (or lack of) public policy to inform the development of an information society in Australia.

First, read the original text until you are sure of its meaning	Original Text
Secondly,the student should make meaning of the text	Student's Interpretation of the text	This kind of note-taking occurs when you are trying to understand a text rather than when you are preparing notes for an essay. It may be the case that you don't physically write these types of detailed notes down, they occur in your head as you are making meaning of the text.
Third, summarise the main point/ argument that the text is making	Summary of the main point (with reference)
Then you can integrate that summary into a paragraph	Paragraph from student's essay that shows the integration of the idea/ point with reference