(See Category:Outliners for more about application software that supports outlining.) Non-linear note-taking The above method is effective for most people, but you can be creative in making your own method. Or one can simply leave large spaces in between items, to enable more material to be inserted. Adaptive systems are used for paper-and-pen insertions, such as using the reverse side of the preceding page in a spiral notebook to make insertions. However, this sort of structure has limitations in written form since it is difficult to go back and insert more information. A common system consists of headings that use Roman numerals, letters of the alphabet, and Arabic numerals at different levels. Outlines tend to proceed down a page, using headings and bullets to structure information. Regardless of the medium (paper, computer), note-taking can be broadly divided into linear and nonlinear methods, which can be combined. The average rate of speech is 2вЂ“3 words per second, but the average handwriting speed as only 0.2вЂ“0.3 words per second. The note taker typically is under severe time pressure, and different note-taking styles and techniques try to make the best use of time. In the digital age, computers, tablet PCs and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are common.

Historically, note-taking was an analog process, written in notebooks, or other paper methods like Post-It notes. In some contexts, such as college lectures, the main purpose of taking notes may be to implant the material in the mind the written notes themselves being of secondary importance. Note-taking is an important skill for students, especially at the college level. One common format for such notes is shorthand, which can allow large amounts of information to be put on paper very quickly. The format of the initial record may often be informal and/or unstructured. Many different formats are used to structure information and make it easier to find and to understand, later. The result is a knowledge representation, and a memory storage. The person taking nodes must acquire and filter the incoming sources, organise and restructure existing knowledge structures, comprehend and write down their interpretation of the information, and ultimately store and integrate the freshly processed material. Note-taking is a central aspect of a complex human behavior related to information management involving a range of underlying mental processes and their interactions with other cognitive functions.

Note taking software definition