What It Means
Cornell notes are notes taken on a page divided into three parts: a large area for the notes themselves, a narrower cue column on the left for key words and questions, and a summary section across the bottom. Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University, developed the method and described it in his book How to Study in College. The cue column and summary turn a page of notes into something you can quiz yourself from.
Try It: Which Part of the Page Does This Go In?
Three things from a biology lecture. Pick where each one goes on a Cornell page.
1. "Mitochondria make most of the cell's energy (ATP)."
Right. What you hear in class goes in the big notes area.
Not quite. Lecture content goes in the notes area.
2. "What do mitochondria do?"
Right. Key words and questions go in the cue column on the left.
Not quite. A question to test yourself belongs in the cue column.
3. "Today: the cell's parts and what each one does, in my own words."
Right. The gist, in your own words, goes in the summary at the bottom.
Not quite. An overview in your own words is the summary.
How People Say It
- "I take all my lecture notes Cornell-style."
- "Cover the right side and quiz yourself from the cue column."
- "Don't forget to write the summary at the bottom."
The Breakdown
Setting up the page
| Section | Where | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | The largest part, on the right | The main content of the lecture or reading |
| Cues | A narrow column on the left | Key words and questions about the notes |
| Summary | Across the bottom | A short overview of the page, in your own words |
How to use it
- Draw a line down the page to make a narrow column on the left, and a line across near the bottom.
- During class, write notes in the large area.
- Afterward, read your notes and write key words and questions in the cue column beside the matching lines.
- Write a summary at the bottom in your own words.
- To study, cover the notes area and answer the questions in the cue column from memory.
Step 5 is Buhata's own suggestion for studying from the page. Cornell's Learning Strategies Center has fuller guides.
Short version to try today. Split one page into the three sections, take notes on a video or article, and finish with a three-line summary at the bottom.
Where It Comes From
Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University, developed the system and described it in his book How to Study in College. Cornell's Learning Strategies Center still teaches it, and Cornell's alumni magazine has written about how widely the method spread under the university's name.
Good to Know
Don't skip the summary. Jen Bokaer-Smith of Cornell's Learning Strategies Center has said the system's staying power comes from keeping students active while they take notes, and writing the summary in your own words helps understanding. Cornell's center publishes a free guide to the system on its website.
FAQ
What are the three sections of Cornell notes?
A large notes area, a narrow cue column on the left for key words and questions, and a summary at the bottom of the page.
Who created the Cornell note-taking method?
Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University. He set it out in his book How to Study in College.
Can I use Cornell notes for meetings or reading?
Yes. The layout works for anything you'll want to review: put the main points in the notes area, questions or action items in the cue column, and a short summary at the bottom.
Do It in Buhata
Notes
Take class or meeting notes on a page in Notes (Premium) in Buhata, and end each one with a three-line summary in your own words.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- Note-taking methods
The common ways to lay out notes from a class, meeting or reading, such as the Cornell, outline, mapping, charting and sentence methods.
- Mind map
A diagram with one topic in the center and branches radiating out to related ideas, each labeled with a keyword, used to plan, brainstorm or study.
- Commonplace book
A personal notebook of passages, quotations and ideas copied from what you read, filed under topic headings so you can find and reuse them.
- Rapid logging
The Bullet Journal's shorthand: short entries marked with a dot for tasks, a circle for events and a dash for notes, plus symbols for priority and status.
- Zettelkasten
A note system, German for "slip box", where each idea gets its own numbered note linked to related notes; made famous by sociologist Niklas Luhmann.
Sources
Cornell University Learning Strategies Center, "The Cornell Note Taking System"; Cornell University Learning Strategies Center, "The Cornell Note-taking System" (PDF); Cornellians, "Take Note: Popular Study Method has 'Cornell' Written All Over It"
- lsc.cornell.edu/how-to-study/taking-notes/cornell-note-taking-system
- lsc.cornell.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Cornell-Note_Taking-System.pdf
- alumni.cornell.edu/cornellians/cornell-notes
Last updated .