Three-column note-taking is a tool some students may find helpful when researching papers. When you find an idea or thought you are interested in, write the source down at the top of the page. Use the first column to write the idea or thought down and the page number it is found on. The middle column is used to work on paraphrasing the idea if necessary. The final, right-hand column is where you write down why the idea interests you, your analysis and what it is related to. Imagine using this approach when writing a paper and having multiple three column pages when you are finished researching. You can start to put similar thoughts together and build your paper from that organization, never losing track of where ideas came from.
To download a blank three-column note-taking page, click here.