Better note quality and quantity relate to better memory, verbatim overlap relates negatively, and noted propositions are far more likely to be recalled¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · reviewr3·q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q2 i? Reviewed studies consistently show better note quality and higher note quantity relate to better memory performance, and verbatim overlap is negatively related to test performance. → Jansen 2017
Evidence¶
Jansen 2017¶
Jansen, R. S., Lakens, D., & IJsselsteijn, W. (2017). An integrative review of the cognitive costs and benefits of note-taking. Educational Research Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.10.001
q2 · i? · review · r3
Narrative review synthesizing multiple studies (Aiken et al., 1975; Einstein et al., 1985; Fisher & Harris, 1973; Kiewra and colleagues; Peverly and colleagues) across text, audio, video, and live lecture formats, with free recall, summary, multiple choice, and true/false tests.
"These studies have consistently shown that better note quality is related to better performance on memory tests administered afterwards."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Lecture modality (written, audio, video, live) shows no consistent effect on memory for lecture content or on the note-taking effect — related
- Spaced note-taking during lecture breaks outperformed parallel and no note-taking, and memory was worse at once-double lecture speed — related
- Laptop note-takers transcribed more verbatim and did worse on conceptual questions than longhand note-takers in one set of experiments, but a direct replication found no consistent difference in test performance — related
- Transcribed versus organised note-taking effects depend on lecture format: transcription won with audio lectures, summarising won with text — related
- Learner highlighting of text gives a small memory benefit but no reliable comprehension benefit, and evidence on other forms of annotation is not yet recorded here — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
note-quality-quantity-verbatim-overlap-effects |
title |
Better note quality and quantity relate to better memory, verbatim overlap relates negatively, and noted propositions are far more likely to be recalled |
description |
Better note quality and quantity relate to better memory, verbatim overlap relates negatively, and noted propositions are far more likely to be recalled |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2017 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-21 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — jansen-2017 |
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