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Finding key
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9 After finding a suitable source and identifying relevant sections
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of text, the next step is to select the key points that relate to your
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2 topic and make notes on them. This unit explains and practises
3 this process, which also involves skills developed in Units 1.6
4 Paraphrasing and 1.7 Summarising.
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8 1 Why make notes?
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30 I What are the main reasons for note-making? Add to the list below.
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3 (a) To prepare for essay writing
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(b) __________________________________________________________
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44 Part 1 The writing process

2 Note-making methods
I You are looking for information on the current media revolution.
Study the text below (key points underlined) and the notes in the box.
What do you notice about the language of the notes?

2.1 THE DEATH OF THE PRESS?

A hundred years ago news was exclusively provided by
newspapers. There was no other way of supplying the latest
information on politics, crime, finance or sport to the millions
of people who bought and read newspapers, sometimes twice
a day. Today the situation is very different. The same news is
also available on television, radio and the internet, and
because of the nature of these media, can be more up-to-date
than in print. For young people especially, the internet has
become the natural source of news and comment.

This development means that in many countries newspaper

circulation is falling, and a loss of readers also means a fall in
advertising, which is the main income for most papers.
Consequently, in both Britain and the USA newspapers are
closing every week. But when a local newspaper goes out of
business an important part of the community is lost. It allows
debate on local issues, as well as providing a noticeboard for
events such as weddings and society meetings.

All newspapers are concerned by these developments, and

many have tried to find methods of increasing their sales. One
approach is to focus on magazine-type articles rather than
news, another is to give free gifts such as DVDs, while others
have developed their own websites to provide continuous
news coverage. However, as so much is now freely available
online to anyone with a web browser, none of these have had
a significant impact on the steady decline of paid-for
newspapers.

(Source: New Business Monthly, May 2010, p. 37)

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Decline of newspapers (New Business Monthly, May 2010, p. 37)
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a) Newspapers only source of news 100 yrs ago – now also TV, radio + www
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b) Newspaper sales > decline in advertising > newspapers shutting
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c) Attempts to increase sales: – more magazine content
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– gifts
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– websites
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but none effective.
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82 I Read the following text and underline two key points. Then choose a
9 title for the paragraph.
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1 Title: _______________________________________________________
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3 3.1 The generation born after the second world war,
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sometimes called the baby-boomers, are now reaching
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retirement age, and businesses are starting to realise that they
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7 are a wealthier market than any previous retirement group.
8 Financial products, travel and medicines are well-established
9 industries which interest the over-60s, but others are now
30 focusing on this age group. Volkswagen, for instance, has
1 produced a car with raised seats and more interior space to
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appeal to their tastes. In Japan, with its ageing population,
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4 companies have more experience of selling to the retired, and
5 have been successful with unusual products such as a robotic
6 seal, which serves as a pet substitute for the lonely. There are,
7 however, certain difficulties in selling to this market. Some
8 customers resent being addressed as ‘old’ since they see
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themselves as more youthful, while there is a huge variation in
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the profile of the baby boomers, ranging from healthy and
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2 active to the bed-ridden and infirm.
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46 Part 1 The writing process

4 Finding relevant points

When preparing to write an essay you have to search for information and
ideas relevant to your subject. Therefore the key points that you select
must relate to that topic.

You are given an essay title:

‘Does the state have a role in promoting public health?’

I Read the following article and underline the key points that relate to
your essay topic.

4.1 A SLIMMER AMERICA?

Currently over two-thirds of Americans are believed to be either overweight or
obese, but recently it has been discovered that the situation may have stabilised.
The rate of increase appears to have virtually stopped, so that on average women
and children weigh no more now than they did ten years ago. This trend may have
important consequences for the health care system: according to a recent study
(Finkelstein et al., 2009) an obese American is likely to cost the system over
40 per cent more than someone with normal weight. This is due to the increased
risks of medical conditions such as diabetes, to which should be added extra costs
connected with illness and resulting absence from work.

Until recently it was assumed that the long-term trend would continue so that
ultimately all Americans would become overweight; Wang (2008) had estimated
that this would happen by 2048. Obviously, such an assumption implies steadily
rising medical insurance costs. If the new trend continues there are clear benefits
for public health and the associated finances, but medical researchers still struggle
to understand the basic causes of the problem, which is that obesity in America is
now three times greater than fifty years ago.

There is substantial evidence that obesity is linked to social class: those with
irregular and badly paid employment are more likely to eat what is convenient and
tasty rather than have the time or energy to organise a healthy diet. The number
of people in this category may have risen in recent years. Another possibility is
that food now is cheaper relative to income, while free time is more valuable, so

continued . . .
 47 1.5 Finding key points and note-making

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cont. people are attracted to consuming convenient but often unhealthy fast
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3 food. In addition, washing machines and other devices mean that fewer
4 calories are used in doing domestic chores around the house. Although valid,
5 these factors apply in many other countries where the same growth in obesity
6 has not been seen.
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8 Recent years have certainly seen more pressure for informative food labelling
9 and campaigns to encourage school children to eat more fruit and vegetables.
10 Although Americans often dislike being told what to do by their government,
1 these campaigns may finally be having an effect. Certainly about a third of the
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population attempt a slimming programme every year, and although many give
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4 up it appears that the number of people who succeed may be rising.
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(Herapath, T. (2010) Journal of Transatlantic Contexts 14, 319)
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5 Effective note-making
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Notes are for your personal use so you should create your own style.
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4 (a) You must use your own words and not copy phrases from the original
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(b) Always record the source of your notes, to save time when you have
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to write the list of references.
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(d) If you write lists, it is important to have clear headings (underlined)
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and numbering systems (a, b, c, or 1, 2, 3,) to organise the information.
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Do not crowd your notes.
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6 (e) Use symbols (+, >, = ) to save time.
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(f) Use abbreviations (e.g. = for example). You need to make up your
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own abbreviations for your subject area. But do not abbreviate too
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much, or you may find your notes hard to understand in the future!
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48 Part 1 The writing process

6 Practice A
I Complete the notes for ‘Does the state have a role in promoting public
health?’ using the key points underlined in (4) above.

Source: (Herapath, T. (2010) Journal of Transatlantic Contexts 14, 319)

Have Americans stopped getting fatter?
(1) 2/3 Americans overweight, but lately growth in obesity seems to have
stopped
(2) May reduce future healthcare costs (obesity adds 40 per cent to medical
expenses – Finkelstein et al., 2009)
(3)

(4)

(5)

7 Practice B
You have to write an essay titled:

‘Improving student performance: an outline of recent

research.’

I Read the following text and make notes on the relevant key points.

7.1 SLEEP AND MEMORY

In many countries, especially in hot climates, it is the custom to take a short sleep
in the afternoon, often known as a siesta. Now it appears that this habit helps to
improve the ability to remember and therefore to learn. Researchers have known
for some time that new memories are stored short-term in an area of the brain
called the hippocampus, but are then transferred to the pre-frontal cortex for

continued . . .
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cont. long-term storage. They now believe that this transfer process occurs
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3 during a kind of sleep called stage 2 non-REM sleep. After this has
4 occurred the brain is better able to take in new information, and having a sleep
5 of about 100 minutes after lunch seems to be an effective way to permit this.
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7 Research by a team from the University of California sought to confirm this
8 theory. They wanted to establish that a short sleep would restore the brain’s
9 ability to learn. A group of about 40 people were asked to take part in two
10 ‘lessons’; at 12 noon and 6 pm. Half the volunteers were put in a group which
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stayed awake all day, while the others were encouraged to sleep for an hour and a
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7 The most effective siesta seems to consist of three parts: roughly 30 minutes of
82 light sleep to rest the body, followed by 30 minutes of stage 2 sleep which clears
9 the hippocampus, and finally 30 minutes of REM sleep which is when dreams are
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1 are stored in the pre-frontal cortex. This process is believed to be so valuable that
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some researchers argue that a siesta can be as beneficial as a full night’s sleep.
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4 (Kitschelt, P. (2006) How the Brain Works. Berlin: Freihaus, p.73)
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