Final answer:
Quality notes are made by summarizing main points, adding personal insights, and reviewing regularly. Highlighting should be selective, accompanied by margin notes, and using your own words to process information. Effective note-taking practices also include active engagement and systematic organization to enhance study and retention.
Step-by-step explanation:
To create quality notes and use them effectively, several strategies should be employed. Summarizing main points is crucial, as it allows you to condense the information into a more manageable form, which aids in understanding and recall. Adding personal insights to your notes can also be beneficial, as it provides a personal connection to the material, making it more memorable. Regularly reviewing your notes is essential for reinforcing the information and transferring it from short-term to long-term memory. However, highlighting every word is ineffective because it does not encourage engagement with the material, nor does it help differentiate the importance of various sections.
A better approach to highlighting is interacting with the text by making margin notes and responding to the material. For example, noting your reactions to character decisions in literature or summarizing passages. Another useful strategy involves creating a concise outline before exams and comparing it with other students' outlines to assess your study habits.
Taking notes actively instead of relying solely on highlighting is important. Putting the author's ideas in your own words is essential for deeper understanding, and using tools like reading journals or index cards can aid in active engagement and effective studying practices. Lastly, ensure your notes are organized by source, include page numbers, and identify whether you are directly quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing to avoid plagiarism.