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How to take Research Notes

How to take research notes.

Your research notebook is an important piece of information useful for future projects and presentations. Maintaining organized and legible notes allows your research notebook to be a valuable resource to you and your research group. It allows others and yourself to replicate experiments, and it also serves as a useful troubleshooting tool. Besides it being an important part of the research process, taking detailed notes of your research will help you stay organized and allow you to easily review your work.

Here are some common reasons to maintain organized notes:

• Keeps a record of your goals and thoughts during your research experiments.
• Keeps a record of what worked and what didn't in your research experiments.
• Enables others to use your notes as a guide for similar procedures and techniques.
• A helpful tool to reference when writing a paper, submitting a proposal, or giving a presentation.
• Assists you in answering experimental questions.
• Useful to efficiently share experimental approaches, data, and results with others.

Before taking notes:

• Ask your research professor what note-taking method they recommend or prefer.
• Consider what type of media you'll be using to take notes.
• Once you have decided on how you'll be taking notes, be sure to keep all of your notes in one place to remain organized.
• Plan on taking notes regularly (meetings, important dates, procedures, journal/manuscript revisions, etc.).
• This is useful when applying to programs or internships that ask about your research experience.

Note Taking Tips:

Taking notes by hand:.

• Research notebooks don’t belong to you so make sure your notes are legible for others.
• Use post-it notes or tabs to flag important sections.
• Start sorting your notes early so that you don't become backed up and disorganized.
• Only write with a pen as pencils aren’t permanent & sharpies can bleed through.
• Make it a habit to write in your notebook and not directly on sticky notes or paper towels. Rewriting notes can waste time and sometimes lead to inaccurate data or results.

Taking Notes Electronically

• Make sure your device is charged and backed up to store data.
• Invest in note-taking apps or E-Ink tablets
• Create shortcuts to your folders so you have easier access
• Create outlines.
• Keep your notes short and legible.

Note Taking Tips Continued:

Things to avoid.

• Avoid using pencils or markers that may bleed through.
• Avoid erasing entries. Instead, draw a straight line through any mistakes and write the date next to the crossed-out information.
• Avoid writing in cursive.
• Avoid delaying your entries so you don’t fall behind and forget information.

Formatting Tips

• Use bullet points to condense your notes to make them simpler to access or color-code them.
• Tracking your failures and mistakes can improve your work in the future.
• If possible, take notes as you’re experimenting or make time at the end of each workday to get it done.
• Record the date at the start of every day, including all dates spent on research.

Types of media to use when taking notes:

Traditional paper notebook.

• Pros: Able to take quick notes, convenient access to notes, cheaper option
• Cons: Requires a table of contents or tabs as it is not easily searchable, can get damaged easily, needs to be scanned if making a digital copy

Electronic notebook  

• Apple Notes  
• Pros: Easily searchable, note-taking apps available, easy to edit & customize
• Cons: Can be difficult to find notes if they are unorganized, not as easy to take quick notes, can be a more expensive option

Combination of both

Contact info.

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541-737-5105

13.5 Research Process: Making Notes, Synthesizing Information, and Keeping a Research Log

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Employ the methods and technologies commonly used for research and communication within various fields.
• Practice and apply strategies such as interpretation, synthesis, response, and critique to compose texts that integrate the writer’s ideas with those from appropriate sources.
• Analyze and make informed decisions about intellectual property based on the concepts that motivate them.
• Apply citation conventions systematically.

As you conduct research, you will work with a range of “texts” in various forms, including sources and documents from online databases as well as images, audio, and video files from the Internet. You may also work with archival materials and with transcribed and analyzed primary data. Additionally, you will be taking notes and recording quotations from secondary sources as you find materials that shape your understanding of your topic and, at the same time, provide you with facts and perspectives. You also may download articles as PDFs that you then annotate. Like many other students, you may find it challenging to keep so much material organized, accessible, and easy to work with while you write a major research paper. As it does for many of those students, a research log for your ideas and sources will help you keep track of the scope, purpose, and possibilities of any research project.

A research log is essentially a journal in which you collect information, ask questions, and monitor the results. Even if you are completing the annotated bibliography for Writing Process: Informing and Analyzing , keeping a research log is an effective organizational tool. Like Lily Tran’s research log entry, most entries have three parts: a part for notes on secondary sources, a part for connections to the thesis or main points, and a part for your own notes or questions. Record source notes by date, and allow room to add cross-references to other entries.

Summary of Assignment: Research Log

Your assignment is to create a research log similar to the student model. You will use it for the argumentative research project assigned in Writing Process: Integrating Research to record all secondary source information: your notes, complete publication data, relation to thesis, and other information as indicated in the right-hand column of the sample entry.

Another Lens. A somewhat different approach to maintaining a research log is to customize it to your needs or preferences. You can apply shading or color coding to headers, rows, and/or columns in the three-column format (for colors and shading). Or you can add columns to accommodate more information, analysis, synthesis, or commentary, formatting them as you wish. Consider adding a column for questions only or one for connections to other sources. Finally, consider a different visual format , such as one without columns. Another possibility is to record some of your comments and questions so that you have an aural rather than a written record of these.

Writing Center

At this point, or at any other point during the research and writing process, you may find that your school’s writing center can provide extensive assistance. If you are unfamiliar with the writing center, now is a good time to pay your first visit. Writing centers provide free peer tutoring for all types and phases of writing. Discussing your research with a trained writing center tutor can help you clarify, analyze, and connect ideas as well as provide feedback on works in progress.

Quick Launch: Beginning Questions

You may begin your research log with some open pages in which you freewrite, exploring answers to the following questions. Although you generally would do this at the beginning, it is a process to which you likely will return as you find more information about your topic and as your focus changes, as it may during the course of your research.

• What information have I found so far?
• What do I still need to find?
• Where am I most likely to find it?

These are beginning questions. Like Lily Tran, however, you will come across general questions or issues that a quick note or freewrite may help you resolve. The key to this section is to revisit it regularly. Written answers to these and other self-generated questions in your log clarify your tasks as you go along, helping you articulate ideas and examine supporting evidence critically. As you move further into the process, consider answering the following questions in your freewrite:

• What evidence looks as though it best supports my thesis?
• What evidence challenges my working thesis?
• How is my thesis changing from where it started?

Creating the Research Log

As you gather source material for your argumentative research paper, keep in mind that the research is intended to support original thinking. That is, you are not writing an informational report in which you simply supply facts to readers. Instead, you are writing to support a thesis that shows original thinking, and you are collecting and incorporating research into your paper to support that thinking. Therefore, a research log, whether digital or handwritten, is a great way to keep track of your thinking as well as your notes and bibliographic information.

In the model below, Lily Tran records the correct MLA bibliographic citation for the source. Then, she records a note and includes the in-text citation here to avoid having to retrieve this information later. Perhaps most important, Tran records why she noted this information—how it supports her thesis: The human race must turn to sustainable food systems that provide healthy diets with minimal environmental impact, starting now . Finally, she makes a note to herself about an additional visual to include in the final paper to reinforce the point regarding the current pressure on food systems. And she connects the information to other information she finds, thus cross-referencing and establishing a possible synthesis. Use a format similar to that in Table 13.4 to begin your own research log.

Types of Research Notes

Taking good notes will make the research process easier by enabling you to locate and remember sources and use them effectively. While some research projects requiring only a few sources may seem easily tracked, research projects requiring more than a few sources are more effectively managed when you take good bibliographic and informational notes. As you gather evidence for your argumentative research paper, follow the descriptions and the electronic model to record your notes. You can combine these with your research log, or you can use the research log for secondary sources and your own note-taking system for primary sources if a division of this kind is helpful. Either way, be sure to include all necessary information.

Bibliographic Notes

These identify the source you are using. When you locate a useful source, record the information necessary to find that source again. It is important to do this as you find each source, even before taking notes from it. If you create bibliographic notes as you go along, then you can easily arrange them in alphabetical order later to prepare the reference list required at the end of formal academic papers. If your instructor requires you to use MLA formatting for your essay, be sure to record the following information:

• Title of source
• Title of container (larger work in which source is included)
• Other contributors
• Publication date

When using MLA style with online sources, also record the following information:

• Date of original publication
• Date of access
• DOI (A DOI, or digital object identifier, is a series of digits and letters that leads to the location of an online source. Articles in journals are often assigned DOIs to ensure that the source can be located, even if the URL changes. If your source is listed with a DOI, use that instead of a URL.)

It is important to understand which documentation style your instructor will require you to use. Check the Handbook for MLA Documentation and Format and APA Documentation and Format styles . In addition, you can check the style guide information provided by the Purdue Online Writing Lab .

Informational Notes

These notes record the relevant information found in your sources. When writing your essay, you will work from these notes, so be sure they contain all the information you need from every source you intend to use. Also try to focus your notes on your research question so that their relevance is clear when you read them later. To avoid confusion, work with separate entries for each piece of information recorded. At the top of each entry, identify the source through brief bibliographic identification (author and title), and note the page numbers on which the information appears. Also helpful is to add personal notes, including ideas for possible use of the information or cross-references to other information. As noted in Writing Process: Integrating Research , you will be using a variety of formats when borrowing from sources. Below is a quick review of these formats in terms of note-taking processes. By clarifying whether you are quoting directly, paraphrasing, or summarizing during these stages, you can record information accurately and thus take steps to avoid plagiarism.

Direct Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries

A direct quotation is an exact duplication of the author’s words as they appear in the original source. In your notes, put quotation marks around direct quotations so that you remember these words are the author’s, not yours. One advantage of copying exact quotations is that it allows you to decide later whether to include a quotation, paraphrase, or summary. ln general, though, use direct quotations only when the author’s words are particularly lively or persuasive.

A paraphrase is a restatement of the author’s words in your own words. Paraphrase to simplify or clarify the original author’s point. In your notes, use paraphrases when you need to record details but not exact words.

A summary is a brief condensation or distillation of the main point and most important details of the original source. Write a summary in your own words, with facts and ideas accurately represented. A summary is useful when specific details in the source are unimportant or irrelevant to your research question. You may find you can summarize several paragraphs or even an entire article or chapter in just a few sentences without losing useful information. It is a good idea to note when your entry contains a summary to remind you later that it omits detailed information. See Writing Process Integrating Research for more detailed information and examples of quotations, paraphrases, and summaries and when to use them.

Other Systems for Organizing Research Logs and Digital Note-Taking

Students often become frustrated and at times overwhelmed by the quantity of materials to be managed in the research process. If this is your first time working with both primary and secondary sources, finding ways to keep all of the information in one place and well organized is essential.

Because gathering primary evidence may be a relatively new practice, this section is designed to help you navigate the process. As mentioned earlier, information gathered in fieldwork is not cataloged, organized, indexed, or shelved for your convenience. Obtaining it requires diligence, energy, and planning. Online resources can assist you with keeping a research log. Your college library may have subscriptions to tools such as Todoist or EndNote. Consult with a librarian to find out whether you have access to any of these. If not, use something like the template shown in Figure 13.8 , or another like it, as a template for creating your own research notes and organizational tool. You will need to have a record of all field research data as well as the research log for all secondary sources.

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How to Set Up a Research Notebook

Getting Started with a Research Project

The Table of Contents in a Research Notebook

Number the Pages in a Research Notebook

Don't forget these in a research notebook.

Possible Ideas

Back matter ideas.

Words and Phrases

Research in the research notebook.

18 comments

For the most part, your system is like mine. One thing I've added is that I keep a list of revisions on the last page of the spiral that includes number, date, major change, and if I shared with anyone for feedback. Wonderful post!

OOO! That's a good idea. I do go into my outline (where I have footnotes) to add revisions with sources. (I learned that the hard way.) :) I like the idea of adding it to the spiral!

Annette this is such a thorough, detailed and very helpful presentation of your research process. I have just joined this group because there really aren't many books about writing nonfiction and I knew I needed something more in-depth. I will definitely sign up for your newsletter. Thank you for this article. Terry Northcutt

Terry, thank you for your encouragement! It's a blog post that I'd been wanting to write for months...but knew it wouldn't be a quickie. :) Best of luck to you as you dive into writing more nonfiction! Use KIDLIT25 for a 25% discount if you're interested in my video NF course.

Annette, I picked up several tips in this blog post, but especially love your nicknames/codes for various references! Congrats on your various books!

Thanks so much, Josette! Happy writing!

Thanks so much Annette for taking the time to write all of this down!

Annette, I love this post! As a fellow nonfiction KidLit writer, I love seeing an up close and personal look at your research process. You are amazing!!!!

Thanks so much, Nancy! You and I are always learning...even from one another!

Great post, Annette! Very informative and thorough. Thank you. :)

You're so welcome, Kathy!

Thank you Annette! I am planning a non-fiction for my next book, and I definitely am finding these ideas helpful. I had started the book a couple years ago, but I really lacked the organization and knowledge to go forward with it. This helps me feel like I should pick up my pencil and give it a try again.

Thanks so much, Brittany! Probably the most important tip isn't related to research...but to have FUN with your book! Happy writing! Oh, if you're interested in my NF video course, use KIDLIT25 for 25% discount!

Love the tips. You are definitely more organized than me when it comes to research. On the other hand, I did start a writing journal to record my thoughts/feelings about my writing projects. At first I wondered if I should be using up my precious writing time to journal, but I've found it to be extremely valuable. Helps me focus and keep track of what I need to work on next. Now, adding your tips to my writing journal. :-)

Have fun with this! Reflection is an important part of writing...I need to do more of THAT!

Awesome post and great tips and techniques! I see why you are so successful!

Thanks so much, Mindy! Now if only I could get my desk to be organized like a simple notebook and folder!

Oooh! Thanks for this notebook idea and the details! Pull out the spiral notebooks.

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9 Great Tools to Maintain Lab Notebook for Researchers

You have scheduled a real time PCR to determine your primer efficiency. After thorough planning, you were able to successfully finish the experiment and get the Ct value. As you sit to write the experiment in your journal, you struggle to understand the notes you made while carrying out the experiment. You in fact, did not even write down the dilutions! Without writing the correct requirements and methodology, the results from the experiment aren’t reliable. Then you remember, how your PI had mentioned to note everything you perform in the laboratory as and when possible!

Table of Contents

Why to Maintain and Organize Lab Notebook?

Lab Notebook is one of the most useful  resources for a researcher . Although a mundane job, writing laboratory notes helps researchers gather information and track all the experiments, their results, and failures that are further used for optimization of the experiments. Despite its imperativeness, no researcher ever calls it an interesting job as it involves a lot of writing. This process is like journal completion only much more complicated, as the researcher has to mention each and every detail of the experiment they performed.

Following reasons make lab notes a reliable resource for researchers:

• Maintaining diligent records help researchers understand their results. There are times when the written results don’t make sense because the researchers analyze it after a few days of performing the experiments.
• Detailed note taking helps organize the research work. Furthermore, it helps picking up the work from where it was left.
• Good lab notebook provides written evidence, increase transparency, and lets researchers undergo data analysis ethically.

Researchers who decide to write and publish a paper after a few months or years after performing the experiments rely on the research note, as they ensure reproducibility, which is essential in paper publishing. Furthermore, details from lab notebook help researchers write the procedures and results with accuracy.

 Types of Laboratory Notes

Type of information a researcher documents in the journal, defines the type of laboratory notes. In a research project, research notes are of various forms like – literature report, experiment planning, timelines of experiments, raw data, requirements, procedures, statistical data, flowcharts, observational images and references, etc. The challenge lies in keeping a track of all the information documented based on these types. But, this task is not as challenging as it initially looks, because it takes discipline to maintain and organize various types of notes with good lab practices and healthy habit of notetaking.

Digital Lab Notebook – Simplifies or Complicates a Researcher’s Life?

Maintaining lab notebook is a discipline. Every researcher must inculcate the habit of taking notes from the experiments they have performed to the events they have planned for their project. However, Students in their early days of career are comfortable with taking notes because they are a mandate to acquire grades. However, with time and increasing  responsibilities of the project , students/researchers tend to miss out on taking notes regularly.

As mentioned earlier, making research notes can sometimes take longer than the actual duration of the experiment!

new lucrative applications are used to mitigate the trouble of spending long hours in making lab notebook.

Earlier, documenting data was a time consuming process. Digital applications or electronic lab notebooks improve time management of documenting project data. Unlike the pen and paper notes, digital lab notebooks are easily accessible and searchable. Retrieving data from the pile of raw data is an easy task in digital documentation. Moreover, there are applications which can organize data and help researchers set reminders for further planned experiments. There are apps that give complete overview of the project work and how to plan the project tasks in advance.

There are people who prefer writing their lab notes on paper over using the digital platform. Although a personalized exercise, writing on paper is a time consuming process. Over time research scholars who prefer hand written notes may have to adapt to electronic lab notebook and applications. There is no However, with growing pace of research and the race to  publish first , it is better to incorporate smarter tools to work with instead of perishing with knowledge worth publishing!

9 Great Tools to maintain Lab Notebook

Labguru web service and mobile application lets researchers plan, record, assess, and share information the entire day. Researchers can photograph and share experimental results, use whiteboard drawings, access conference posters, or visual notes for related steps in an experiment.

Notion organizes documents, databases, audio-visual content, notes, meetings, and schedules.

3. CloningBench

This application is specific for the biology field of research. CloningBench helps and guides researchers through important decisions in cloning research. It includes features like molar quantities calculator, gene size estimator, bacterial growth timer, etc.

4. PubChase

PubChase gives latest updates in biomedical publication. Furthermore, researchers can search through literature database and save interesting articles to read later.

5. Cell Imaging HD

This app allows researchers to find and visualize reagents, fluorescent dyes, and protocols. Furthermore, Cell Imaging HD is designed for research related to cell biology and major microscope systems.

It is used for calculations and unit conversions which are extensively used in designing various quantitative experiments. PCalc is one of the highest rated scientific apps.

7. Hivebench

Hivebench is a substitute for paper notebooks and specifically designed for lab research. Researchers can be more detailed, organized, and precise in their research project.

It is a quick reference tool. It looks up the genes used quite often in medical research. Scientists can get complete details about the genes appearing in relevant publication.

9. ResearchKit

It is an open source platform, allowing scientists to build customized application for their studies. This app allows to gather participant data. Researchers can look through the app and appoint suitable individuals for varied research roles. Moreover, this app works like LinkedIn, but specific to the research field.

Have you used any of the tools mentioned above? Did you like these tools and their interface? Tell us if you have used some  other innovative tools  and share with us your experience of using them. If you find this information interesting and want to explore the hacks for becoming a productive and efficient researcher, do write to us or leave a comment below!

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9 Organizing Research: Taking and Keeping Effective Notes

Once you’ve located the right primary and secondary sources, it’s time to glean all the information you can from them. In this chapter, you’ll first get some tips on taking and organizing notes. The second part addresses how to approach the sort of intermediary assignments (such as book reviews) that are often part of a history course.

Honing your own strategy for organizing your primary and secondary research is a pathway to less stress and better paper success. Moreover, if you can find the method that helps you best organize your notes, these methods can be applied to research you do for any of your classes.

Before the personal computing revolution, most historians labored through archives and primary documents and wrote down their notes on index cards, and then found innovative ways to organize them for their purposes. When doing secondary research, historians often utilized (and many still do) pen and paper for taking notes on secondary sources. With the advent of digital photography and useful note-taking tools like OneNote, some of these older methods have been phased out – though some persist. And, most importantly, once you start using some of the newer techniques below, you may find that you are a little “old school,” and might opt to integrate some of the older techniques with newer technology.

Whether you choose to use a low-tech method of taking and organizing your notes or an app that will help you organize your research, here are a few pointers for good note-taking.

Principles of note-taking

• If you are going low-tech, choose a method that prevents a loss of any notes. Perhaps use one spiral notebook, or an accordion folder, that will keep everything for your project in one space. If you end up taking notes away from your notebook or folder, replace them—or tape them onto blank pages if you are using a notebook—as soon as possible.
• If you are going high-tech, pick one application and stick with it. Using a cloud-based app, including one that you can download to your smart phone, will allow you to keep adding to your notes even if you find yourself with time to take notes unexpectedly.
• When taking notes, whether you’re using 3X5 note cards or using an app described below, write down the author and a shortened title for the publication, along with the page number on EVERY card. We can’t emphasize this point enough; writing down the bibliographic information the first time and repeatedly will save you loads of time later when you are writing your paper and must cite all key information.
• Include keywords or “tags” that capture why you thought to take down this information in a consistent place on each note card (and when using the apps described below). If you are writing a paper about why Martin Luther King, Jr., became a successful Civil Rights movement leader, for example, you may have a few theories as you read his speeches or how those around him described his leadership. Those theories—religious beliefs, choice of lieutenants, understanding of Gandhi—might become the tags you put on each note card.
• Note-taking applications can help organize tags for you, but if you are going low tech, a good idea is to put tags on the left side of a note card, and bibliographic info on the right side.

Organizing research- applications that can help

Using images in research.

• If you are in an archive: make your first picture one that includes the formal collection name, the box number, the folder name and call numbe r and anything else that would help you relocate this information if you or someone else needed to. Do this BEFORE you start taking photos of what is in the folder.
• If you are photographing a book or something you may need to return to the library: take a picture of all the front matter (the title page, the page behind the title with all the publication information, maybe even the table of contents).

Once you have recorded where you find it, resist the urge to rename these photographs. By renaming them, they may be re-ordered and you might forget where you found them. Instead, use tags for your own purposes, and carefully name and date the folder into which the photographs were automatically sorted. There is one free, open-source program, Tropy , which is designed to help organize photos taken in archives, as well as tag, annotate, and organize them. It was developed and is supported by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. It is free to download, and you can find it here: https://tropy.org/ ; it is not, however, cloud-based, so you should back up your photos. In other cases, if an archive doesn’t allow photography (this is highly unlikely if you’ve made the trip to the archive), you might have a laptop on hand so that you can transcribe crucial documents.

Using note or project-organizing apps

When you have the time to sit down and begin taking notes on your primary sources, you can annotate your photos in Tropy. Alternatively, OneNote, which is cloud-based, can serve as a way to organize your research. OneNote allows you to create separate “Notebooks” for various projects, but this doesn’t preclude you from searching for terms or tags across projects if the need ever arises. Within each project you can start new tabs, say, for each different collection that you have documents from, or you can start new tabs for different themes that you are investigating. Just as in Tropy, as you go through taking notes on your documents you can create your own “tags” and place them wherever you want in the notes.

Another powerful, free tool to help organize research, especially secondary research though not exclusively, is Zotero found @ https://www.zotero.org/ . Once downloaded, you can begin to save sources (and their URL) that you find on the internet to Zotero. You can create main folders for each major project that you have and then subfolders for various themes if you would like. Just like the other software mentioned, you can create notes and tags about each source, and Zotero can also be used to create bibliographies in the precise format that you will be using. Obviously, this function is super useful when doing a long-term, expansive project like a thesis or dissertation.

How History is Made: A Student’s Guide to Reading, Writing, and Thinking in the Discipline Copyright © 2022 by Stephanie Cole; Kimberly Breuer; Scott W. Palmer; and Brandon Blakeslee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Ink actually comes through to the other side of the paper, or even the next sheet.

Toothiness refers to the paper’s texture. Generally, toothy paper is great for pencils because charcoal adheres better to paper that isn’t very smooth.

After interviewing experts, researching over 100 notebooks, and writing zealously in 34 of them side by side over several weeks, we have picks in a number of sizes and styles, priced from about $2 to $20. Any of these notebooks will provide an appreciably better writing experience than what you can get from a generic, off-the-shelf-at-Walgreens notebook.

We mention price per page when it’s notable, but our picks average 7¢ per page (at the time of publication). We also mention paper weight or thickness when that spec is important, but most of these high-quality pages are 80 to 90 grams per square meter (gsm); thicker isn’t always better, but all of the paper in our picks felt substantial and satisfying for us to write on. And most of the notebooks we tested had 7 mm lined ruling (close to college rule), but we note the exceptions below.

The research

Why you should trust us, a medium softcover notebook with silky pages: apica premium c.d. notebook (a5), a medium softcover notebook with more texture: midori md notebook (a5), a hardcover notebook for journaling or planning: leuchtturm1917 hardcover notebook classic (a5), the best budget hardcover notebook: paperage hardcover lined journal notebook, the best spiral-bound notebook: maruman mnemosyne n194a special memo notebook, disc-bound notebook for maximum customizability: levenger circa notebook, best pocket-size pick: muji passport memo, an upgraded pocket-size notebook: field notes 3-pack original kraft memo books, best reporter notebook: field notes 2-pack front page reporter’s notebooks, the best steno notepad: maruman mnemosyne n166 steno pad (a5), the best legal pad: rhodia no. 19 yellow pad, what about moleskine, how we picked and tested, other good notebooks and notepads, the competition.

Senior staff writer Melanie Pinola has tested and reviewed home office gear for Wirecutter since 2011, including webcams , USB microphones , and office chairs . She’s a die-hard stationery fan who uses notebooks daily for work and personal projects; it’s probably telling that almost everyone close to her has gifted her a notebook at one point or another.

During our preliminary notebook research, we consulted with and relied upon the work of experienced bloggers who review pens, pencils, and stationery, as well as a representative for online stationery store JetPens. These people care far more about the performance of paper against all sorts of writing implements than most people, and they also have a wide range of papers to compare notebooks with.

Apica Premium C.D. Notebook (A5)

The best medium-size softcover notebook.

This notebook is a pleasure to use thanks to its sturdy yet lightweight cardstock cover, excellent paper quality, and lie-flat design. The medium size can serve a wide range of purposes.

Buying Options

Get this if: You want a softcover notebook that is the size of a trade paperback book and has smooth paper your pen will glide over. The notebook’s paper shows off ink colors from fountain and rollerball pens brilliantly.

Why it’s great: Four out of five Wirecutter panelists chose the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook (A5) as their top or second-favorite notebook pick, saying the feel of the paper was the “best out of the bunch” and “silky yet not plasticky like some others.” The thick paper stood up well to a range of writing instruments—even demanding fountain pen ink—with little feathering and minimal ghosting.

We also liked the paper’s off-white, eggshell color—neither too bright nor too yellow—and the light-gray line ruling. The cardstock cover is sturdy, and the stitched binding is high quality, which allows the notebook to lie flat nicely. All in all, this is a great all-purpose notebook.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• The Premium C.D. Notebook’s super-smooth paper isn’t for everyone, especially those who are expecting a traditional paper feel as you get with typical composition notebooks. It feels more like the slick pages of The New York Times Magazine than the tougher paper that makes up the rest of the newspaper.
• It doesn’t come with a ribbon page marker, and although it has a small index on the first page, the pages aren’t numbered. Those features aren’t essential for most people, but if they matter to you, consider the Leuchtturm1917 Softcover Notebook Classic .

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 192 pages Ruling options: lined, graph, blank

Midori MD Notebook (A5)

A minimalist notebook with creamy, slightly toothy paper.

Because of its texture, this notebook is especially great for writing, sketching, or doodling with pencils or ballpoint pens, although it holds up to fountain pens too.

Get this if: You want a medium-size notebook with paper that’s easy on the eyes and offers tactile feedback—the slightly toothy paper slows your writing down and makes you pay more attention to it, in contrast to slicker paper that your pen would glide across.

Why it’s great: The Midori MD Notebook is simplicity at its best, with a plain cream-color cardstock cover and matte pages with light blue ruling. Three out of five testers ranked this notebook in their top three, saying they loved the pleasant tone of the paper and the notebook’s minimalist aesthetic, which makes writing and journaling as distraction-free as possible.

It takes all sorts of ink, but it handles pencil especially well because of the paper’s slight tooth; the blank or graph versions of the Midori MD Notebook would be fantastic for doodling or sketching. We noticed some ghosting or show-through on the other side of the page, but we didn’t find it intrusive.

The quality of the stitching is terrific and allows the notebook to lie flat. (Compared with other notebooks of this size, including the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook, the Midori MD Notebook is bound in smaller sections, called signatures—16 signatures versus a more common eight or 12—which makes it sturdier and helps it lie flat more easily.) Unlike many other soft notebooks, this one has a ribbon bookmark—a silky green one that nicely complements the cream pages.

• Our main complaint against this otherwise lovely notebook is the dark horizontal line that runs across the middle of all the pages. While some people might use this line to divide their notes, we found it distracting and unnecessary.
• Although the cardstock feels sturdy, it’s not as rugged or as thick as other notebooks’ covers. (It comes with a thin plastic cover, but we found that more intrusive than useful.) Clear, paper, and leather covers are available at JetPens.
• Although most of our testers didn’t experience a lot of smudging with most writing utensils, our left-handed tester found that this notebook’s paper smudged significantly more with a gel pen than that of other notebooks.

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 176 pages Ruling options: lined, graph, blank

Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook Classic (A5)

The best medium-size hardcover notebook.

With page numbers, index pages, two ribbon bookmarks, and sticker labels, this notebook has all the bells and whistles and simply feels a bit more special than competing notebooks.

Get this if: You want a medium-size hardcover notebook that helps you organize and keep track of your thoughts and ideas. All of the tiny details, such as the index pages and labels for archiving, make this notebook gift-worthy, too.

Why it’s great: The Leuchtturm1917 Hardcover Notebook Classic (A5) was the favorite notebook of three of our testers, and they listed many reasons for that. Most of all, the cream-color paper is exquisite, with a powdery, toothy texture unlike that of any of the other notebooks we tested or have used in the past. (In a pile of more than 20 notebooks, this is the one I could most readily pick out if blindfolded.)

The paper took well to pencil, ballpoint, rollerball, gel pen, and fountain pens, with very little smudging and no bleeding. Most of our testers said it just felt good to write on.

We love the firm cover and the ample page count, as well as all the extras this notebook offers: two thick ribbon bookmarks, labels for the spine and title page, page numbers, index pages, and a sturdy back pocket.

• Because its paper is thin, you might notice more ghosting with this notebook than with the other notebooks in this list. However, the ink doesn’t show through as much as it does with a Moleskine notebook —perhaps the most popular brand for notebooks of this size and type.
• The line ruling is narrower than in other notebooks we tested—6 mm versus the typical 7 mm. A difference of a single millimeter might not sound like a lot, but if you have large handwriting, this ruling might be too tight for you. On the other hand, if you prefer to have more lines per page, it could be a bonus.

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 251 pages Ruling options: lined, dot grid, graph, blank

Budget pick

Paperage Hardcover Lined Journal Notebook

Top-notch paper at a budget-friendly price.

This simple journal-style notebook offers all the basics and a better writing experience than the more-popular Moleskine notebooks it mimics.

Get this if: You want an inexpensive, basic medium-size notebook with a hard cover but don’t want to sacrifice quality.

Why it’s great: We were pleasantly surprised by this $10 notebook. I compared it side by side with a similar Moleskine notebook, and the Paperage Hardcover Lined Journal Notebook paper was a significant upgrade, consisting of thicker, brighter pages that reliably handled rollerball, gel, and fountain pens with very little smudging or feathering.

Although it’s our budget hardcover notebook pick, it doesn’t skimp on extra details such as a silky ribbon bookmark, a back pocket that also has a secondary slot for cards, and spine and title page labels (although they aren’t as attractive as the Leuchtturm1917 notebook’s labels).

• It has thicker, 100 gsm paper than most of the notebooks we’ve tested. This makes the pages easier to flip and more substantial than competing notebooks, but we were torn about whether the added thickness was actually an improvement. Head of photo and video Michael Hession said it felt a bit “cardboardy.” The Paperage notebook offers a fine experience, but if you’re looking for elegantly thin paper in a hardcover shell, you’re better off with our pick from Leuchtturm1917.
• We also noted that the cover felt a bit cheaper than those of higher-priced notebooks—less soft to the touch and with more ragged edges at the rounded corners. But those are only nitpicky criticisms of an otherwise great notebook.

Size: 5.7 by 8 inches; 160 pages Ruling options: lined, dotted, blank

Maruman Mnemosyne N194A Notebook

A pleasant upgrade from standard school-style notebooks.

This large, versatile notebook has sturdy twin spiral rings, premium paper, and perforated pages.

Get this if: You prefer to write in a notebook with ring binding, which helps the notebook lie flat and makes it quicker to thumb through when you’re trying to find specific notes, as students and frequent meeting-notes takers are wont to do. Perforated pages are a big plus if you want to use the pages elsewhere—or if you often regret what you’ve written.

Why it’s great: The paper in the Maruman Mnemosyne N194A Notebook was one of our favorites, particularly when we were writing with a fountain pen. Its vellum-like smoothness made gel and fountain pen inks shine, with crisp, non-feathery edges. Compared with similar spiral notebooks, the paper is thicker and less smudgy, with very little ghosting and no bleeding.

The notebook’s page ruling and format are unique. Rather than a simple lined ruling, its paper has a large header at the top for date and title and then divides the rest of the page into thirds via darker lines. The format seems designed for more organized note-taking, but we’re ambivalent about the page divisions. We did love the notebook’s consistently effortless page perforation and its durable binding.

The poly cover feels strong and protective, but it’s not for everyone and perhaps not as durable as it looks—senior staff writer Kimber Streams disliked the plastic cover and found that it scratched easily from another spiral-bound notebook.

Size: B5 (6.6 by 9.9 inches); 150 pages Ruling options: lined, dot grid

Levenger Circa Simply Irresistible Sampling Kit

Like a binder but better.

This notebook has high-quality paper and accessories that you can arrange and rearrange for the ultimate in versatility.

Get this if: You want the flexibility of a binder but in a more grown-up, professional notebook format. The Levenger Circa Notebook is more of a system than a notebook, and Levenger’s sampling kit includes junior- and letter-size paper, as well as tab dividers and task pads to try out.

Why it’s great: A disc-bound notebook not only lets you move pages to a different section but also allows you to add pages and accessories of different sizes. That means you can add tab dividers, narrow pages with to-do lists, pouches to hold cards or small supplies, and more.

I’ve used several disc-bound notebooks over the years, including Staples’s Arc and the Martha Stewart–branded notebook system , but the Circa Notebook has the paper that stands up best to rearranging. It’s perfect for taking notes on different projects and then grouping them together in separate sections. The paper is a thick (100 gsm), toothy, matte white stock that takes all sorts of ink well.

Levenger also offers the widest range of accessories and style options for its Circa line—from leather covers to discs (in more than a dozen colors) to punches (to make any paper fit into the Circa Notebook). Page refills are available in all sorts of ruling as well as special formats like agenda planners.

The sampling kit comes with 60 sheets of paper in junior (5.5 by 8.5 inches) and letter (8.5 by 11 inches) sizes, as well as dividers, a task pad, translucent covers, and discs to create two notebooks. That should give you enough of a feel for a disc-bound notebook system without requiring too much investment in it.

• Prices for the paper refills are on the high end of the spectrum, on a par with the cost of Field Notes notebooks. You can expect to spend about 10¢ per page for the junior size or about 12¢ per page for the letter size. A binder with loose-leaf paper would definitely be cheaper but would offer a poorer writing experience.
• The translucent covers that come with the sampling kit aren’t as handsome (in our opinion) as those you’d find on our recommended hardcover notebooks (or even many softcovers), but they add to the customizability of the notebook, since anything you put as the first page will show through as the cover design.

Size: junior (5.5 by 8.5 inches) and letter (8.5 by 11 inches); 120 pages Ruling options: lined, grid, blank

Muji Passport Memo

The best all-purpose notebook to have with you at all times.

With a bargain price, a durable cover, and smooth, sturdy pages, this style is almost a no-brainer for a pocket notebook.

Get this if: You want to carry a small, simple notebook everywhere, for a price that doesn’t inhibit your note-taking.

Why it’s great: The Muji Passport Memo proves that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a quality notebook. Its cream-color pages are silky smooth, with no bleeding (unless you use a Sharpie) and not much ghosting to be concerned about.

The stitching is strong—the little notebook held up to multiple folding and unfolding and bending tests—and the thick, coated cardboard cover withstood water spills.

The 48 pages provide just enough to cover a trip, an assignment, or some other use without making you feel like you wasted paper if you don’t completely fill it. The Muji Passport Memo is about half an inch shorter than similar pocket notebooks such as the Field Notes Memo Books and the Clairefontaine Basics Life Unplugged notebooks , which makes it a bit more lightweight and a better fit for more pockets.

• Although the notebook easily lies flat when open, getting it to lie flat closed after you’ve used it is nigh impossible. We wish it had an elastic band to keep it from flopping open at our desk, but that’s a minor annoyance.
• The dot grid is very light—you have to really look for it to see it. Basically, the experience feels like writing in a blank notebook.

Size: 3.5 by 4.9 inches; 48 pages Ruling options: dot

Upgrade pick

Field Notes 3-Pack Original Kraft Memo Books

A more stylish pocket notebook.

This Field Notes book offers a wonderful combination of paper quality, durability, and a range of page and cover choices.

Get this if: You want to carry a small notebook everywhere, and you prefer toothy paper and a range of cover styles to choose from.

Why it’s great: The Field Notes Memo Book is not the cheapest pocket notebook you can buy, nor is it filled with the most luxuriously smooth paper available, but it is the best widely available way to treat yourself to a better writing experience.

Aside from the Muji Passport Memo , our testing and surveys have shown that the Field Notes Memo Book is the best-performing notebook that actually fits in a pocket or bag without feeling like a second wallet. In a previous test with nearly 70 Wirecutter staffers, we found that this notebook feathered and smudged the least—even with heavy inks—and many testers liked the light-brown ruling and cover details.

As with the Muji Passport Memo, the 48-page length of the Field Notes notebook feels like the right amount for covering a three-day conference, documenting a weeklong vacation, planning a novel, scribbling a few weeks’ worth of grocery or to-do lists, or just jotting down a number of random thoughts.

Finally, the Field Notes site offers a great array of versions beyond the basic Original Kraft Memo Book, with some 16 covers and variations in different types of ruling available at the time of publication. Some are simply gorgeous or unusual covers, while others introduce unique features, such as being waterproof and tear-proof .

If you like these kinds of little surprises, and you take to Field Notes’s form and paper, you can sign up for a yearly subscription , which gives you four packs of Field Notes notebooks at a reduced price compared with buying them individually and also nets you a few other freebies.

• Field Notes paper represents a notable upgrade from the notebooks you probably bought for school or most memo or legal pads you might use, but it’s not the best paper in all respects. Many Wirecutter testers preferred other notebooks for their paper feel and ghosting performance.
• The Memo Book costs more on a per-page basis than other notebooks this size.

Size: 3.5 by 5.5 inches; 48 pages Ruling options: ruled, graph, plain

Field Notes 2-Pack Front Page Reporter’s Notebooks

A great handheld pad with a soft cover.

This stylish reporter pad is lightweight and has toothy, thick paper.

Get this if: You’re interested in a notebook this size for taking notes one-handed, fitting it in a large pocket or small bag, and stashing receipts or business cards inside the cover—and you’re willing to splurge on high-quality paper.

Why it’s great: The Field Notes Front Page Reporter’s Notebook has bright white paper with a classic matte feel—great for those who like writing in a notebook that gives a lot of tactile feedback. Using even the wettest, inkiest pen we tested for our guide to pens (the Uni-ball Vision Elite), we had a hard time creating a smudge or bleed-through with this notebook.

The spiral-ring binding and thicker paper (70 pounds or 105 gsm—the thickest of the notebook papers we tested) make page-turning much less of a nuisance than with other reporter notepads we tested. The overlapping cardstock cover keeps the double-ring spirals from catching or getting warped in your pocket or bag. And the pocket on the back cover, though open on one side, can serve as a convenient spot for any scrap you need to hold on to until you get back to your office.

Like other Field Notes notebooks, this reporter pad has a distinctive, charming design that makes you feel like you’re going on an adventure, even when you’re just taking notes at your desk.

• On a per-page basis, this notebook is the priciest we recommend (about 11¢ per page, versus an average of 7¢ per page). If you’re an actual news reporter, scrambling from one interview to the next and then flipping through a day’s worth of notes on deadline, paying this much probably isn’t worth it. Save this notepad for more precious notes you might want to refer to in later years.
• The cover is thin cardstock—not as sturdy as what you get with other notebooks, and more prone to getting bent or frayed. It also makes the notepad flex a bit more when you’re holding it with one hand and writing with the other.
• The partially enclosed back pocket can lure you into thinking it’s a totally enclosed and safe pocket, but cards or notes will fall out at certain angles.

Size: 3.75 by 8 inches; 70 pages Ruling options: lined

Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad (A5)

The best top-bound, medium-size notepad.

With thick, smooth, perforated paper, this notepad is a fine companion for note-taking.

Get this if: You want a medium-size notepad that’s easy to flip through to refer back to your notes. Because it’s top-bound, leftie writers should find this notebook easier to use than other notebook formats, too.

Why it’s great: The Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad (A5) had the best-quality paper of all the steno notebooks we tested. As with the other Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks we considered, the paper is smooth and thick yet slightly translucent—a little like vellum. Inky pens (rollerball, gel, and fountain pens) glided across it nicely in our tests, and it offers enough tooth to make writing on these pages with a pencil or ballpoint pleasant.

Compared with other steno pads, the N166 proved to be the most elegant in design and construction—though, to be fair, not many notebook makers are still producing steno pads these days. While other steno pads (including our previous pick, the Field Notes Steno Pad ) have dark, distracting lines, the light blue-gray lines of the N166 sit in the background—guidelines rather than dictators for your text. That’s especially important if you don’t intend to use the notebook for its two-column organization. Perforated pages mean you can neatly tear out your notes without jagged edges.

• We couldn’t find much to dislike about this steno pad, but if you prefer toothier paper or one with darker lines, the Field Notes Steno Pad would be a better choice for you. It’s more expensive, though, and it lacks page perforation.
• As with the other Maruman Mnemosyne notebooks, the poly cover and yellow cover page of the N166 Steno Pad might not be to everyone’s taste.

Size: A5 (5.8 by 8.3 inches); 140 pages Ruling options: Gregg ruled

Rhodia No. 19 Yellow Pad

The best legal pad.

This full-size legal pad has excellent, smooth paper with a light yellow color that’s easy on the eyes.

Get this if: You want a high-quality legal pad for taking copious notes on paper that will stand out from piles of white documents.

Why it’s great: The Rhodia No. 19 Yellow Pad has silky smooth, creamy yellow paper with subtle blue lines and a thin, double red margin—a big upgrade from the standard, cheap-feeling, less-attractive legal pads that may immediately come to mind when you think about the category. It takes all sorts of ink well, especially rollerball and fountain pens, and despite its thinness, the paper doesn’t show much ghosting or ink show-through on the back.

Unlike paper on competing legal pads, such as the Mintra Office Legal Pad , pages tear off cleanly from the Rhodia notepad. It has an iconic orange cover as well, which is uncommon for this type of notepad.

Rhodia also sells a number of other staple-bound notepads in different sizes and page colors, including a smaller (6 by 8.25 inches) white version for those who like the paper quality but don’t care for the canary color.

• Most legal pads measure 8.5 by 11 inches—letter-size, despite the name. The Rhodia pad’s A4+ size (8.3 by 11.7 inches) is slightly longer and narrower. This makes neatly stacking the pages along with, say, printed documents, impossible. But on the plus side, you’ll easily find your notes in such a stack.
• The Rhodia pad’s cardboard backing isn’t as sturdy as other legal pads, so writing on the notepad on your lap can be tricky.

Size: A4+ (8.3 by 11.7 inches); 160 pages Ruling options: lined, dot grid

Moleskine is the first name many people think of when they think of a fancy notebook. Most prominent among them are the Moleskine Cahier Journals .

But we compared the Moleskine offerings with the other notebooks we tested, and you can do much better. In a Moleskine journal, the ink from anything that’s wider or wetter than a standard ballpoint spreads quickly into the page, where the edges of your letters will feather, and it shows through strongly on the other side. Fine-tipped gel or rollerball pens can pierce the pages with the tips.

Standard Moleskine notebooks can work if you stick to one style of pen, but they cost more per page than most of our notebook picks—and you usually get to use only one side of each page because writing shows through on the other side so easily.

Most experts we read and consulted agree. “You shouldn’t be buying it,” said Elizabeth Newberry of No Pen Intended . “[T]here are too many other good options on the market that don’t have the ink challenges Moleskine does,” said Brad Dowdy of The Pen Addict .

These challenges include ghosting, feathering, and an utter intolerance for any wet ink, be it gel or fountain. Some stationery blogs go out of their way to suggest Moleskine alternatives . Moleskine offers many varieties, some with higher-quality paper, like the Volant Journals , but often at prices the same as or above those of the notebooks we tested for this guide.

If you just need paper to write on and want to save the most money, use any paper you can find. But if you write every day and need to keep your thoughts organized—especially on a specific project—having a good notebook can be a lifesaver.

The notebooks we tested and picked for this guide are designed to be pleasant to write in, nice to look at, durable, and worth the price for your plans, tasks, thoughts, lists, and reminders. They average about $9 per notebook and 7¢ per page, which is reasonable for something you might rely on daily.

We combed through the favorites of experts and co-workers and searched deep into the inventories of Amazon and JetPens. Sorting and filtering for price, plus the sizes and rulings that people find most useful (grid paper has its place, but most people prefer lined rulings), we narrowed a list of 106 possible contenders down to 34 test candidates.

Over the course of about two weeks, I wrote on several pages in each notebook using a variety of writing utensils: pencils and ballpoint, gel, rollerball, and fountain pens. I took notes about each notebook’s design and construction, as well as the feel of its paper, looking out for issues such as bleeding, ghosting, or feathering. Then I selected 10 notebooks that represented a sampling of each major brand and sent them to four other Wirecutter staffers—all notebook enthusiasts—to test. For a previous version of this guide, a left-handed tester also helped us evaluate the smudginess of each notebook’s paper.

Judging notebooks with similar characteristics is hard, especially when you might like the paper in one but prefer the format of another, such as a steno notebook versus a hardcover journal. To help divorce the paper from its shape and binding, many of our testers cut out pages from each notebook and wrote the same thing—a passage from Kant, a poem, or other famous and well-loved words—to compare the papers side by side.

After writing in each notebook over the course of a week, using the same pen or pencil in each, the testers filled out a survey selecting their top three notebook picks as well as their least favorite. They also provided the reasons for their selections. In (rough) order of importance, we rated the notebooks based on:

• the feel of the paper under pen and pencil
• bleeding (ink passing through to the other side of the paper)
• feathering (ink seeping from the edges of letters)
• ghosting (pen ink visible on the other side of paper)
• pen ink smudging
• look and design, including perceived durability

After the results were in, joyful paper nerding ensued in our Slack channel:

Our picks are based on our panelists’ rankings, expert advice, and my individual testing of other notebooks that I didn’t send to the panel.

Many notebooks we don’t recommend are still great options for the right person. We’ve highlighted reasons you might consider the following notebooks in addition to our picks.

If you need a large, thin notebook to dedicate to a single subject or class: The Apica Notebook CD15 can fit the bill. It has similar high-quality paper as our medium notebook pick, the Apica Premium C.D. Notebook , but in a 7-by-10 inch size. It has just 33 sheets of paper, though, much less than the 80-sheet Maruman Mnemosyne N194A Notebook .

If you’d like a hardcover reporter-style notepad: The Leuchtturm1917 Notepad is the best option. It has the same exquisite toothy and powdery paper as Leuchtturm’s other notepads but in a 3.5-by-6-inch flip-over design. Pages are perforated and numbered too, and it comes with an index page, back pocket, and labels. It’s just not as easy to use when folding the cover back as the Field Notes Front Page Reporter’s Notebook , nor as lightweight.

If you’d like two types of ruling in one notebook: We tested the Code&Quill Compass reporter’s notepad and appreciated its thick (100 gsm) paper, which has a unique ruling: dot grid on one side and indented rule on the other. But we found this hardcover notebook too bulky to write easily on when holding it with one hand. The company offers notebooks in other formats, though, so if the ruling appeals to you—it seems ideal for coders and creative types—take a look at its other offerings.

If you want a small notebook for your to-do lists: The pocket-size Word notebooks have high-quality paper (similar to that of Field Notes) and come in a variety of interesting cover designs, but the pages have bullet point guides, so the format is more suitable for task-planning or bullet-journaling than for general note-taking or other uses.

This is not a comprehensive list of all notebooks and notepads we’ve tested. We have removed models that are discontinued or no longer meet our criteria.

The Black n’ Red Professional Notebook , a previous pick, was our panelists’ least favorite notebook by far this time around. It had the smudgiest paper of the notebooks we tested, and we disliked the overall aesthetic, including its thick gray lines, the cheesy motivational quotes on the divider pages, and the obtrusive black markings in the page corners (which are there so you can scan the pages with the company’s smartphone app to digitize them).

The Field Notes Steno Pad is still a fine notebook, with a sturdy cover and great paper. The Maruman Mnemosyne N166 Steno Pad is a better value, though, costing about 7¢ per page versus the Field Notes pad’s 12¢ per page. The Field Notes steno pad also lacks perforation, and we found its lines to be too heavy in comparison with those of the N166.

The Rhodia Desk Webnotebook wound up as one of our panelists’ least favorite options because of its cheap-feeling cover and pages that felt too slick and waxy. This was a surprising disappointment because we love the paper quality in the company’s notepads.

We dismissed several cheap notebooks that ranged from 2¢ to 3¢ per page—the Blueline Steno Pad , the National Brand Subject Wirebound Notebook , and the National Brand Steno Notes —because their paper was very thin and flimsy. If you just want the cheapest scrap paper, one of these notebooks would be fine. Similarly, the Tops Reporter’s Notebook , which costs 7¢ per page, offers merely mediocre paper that’s no better than what you’d find in a dollar-store notebook.

We also dismissed most legal pads we tested, including the Amazon Basics Wide Ruled Lined Writing Note Pad , the Tops Docket Gold Writing Pad , and the Ampad Gold Fibre Perforated Pad . They’re more or less interchangeable budget notepads.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for these notebooks and notepads—they simply weren’t what we were looking for.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Brad Dowdy, The Pen Addict , email interview, September 2020

Elizabeth Newberry, No Pen Intended , email interview, September 2020

Ian Hedley, Pens! Paper! Pencils! and Pennaquod , email interview, September 2020

Meet your guide

Melanie Pinola

Melanie Pinola covers home office, remote work, and productivity as a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. She has contributed to print and online publications such as The New York Times, Consumer Reports, Lifehacker, and PCWorld, specializing in tech, work, and lifestyle/family topics. She’s thrilled when those topics intersect—and when she gets to write about them in her PJs.

Further reading

These Lovely Little Notebooks Help Me Get Ideas Out of My Head (and My Face Out of My Phone)

by Elissa Sanci

The Field Notes Memo Book is my everyday companion.

Why I (Still) Carry a Notebook Everywhere

by Martha McPhee

Novelist Martha McPhee explains why, in this digital age, she finds notebook and pen not only relevant, but necessary.

How a $2 Notebook Helps My Insomnia

by Dorie Chevlen

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• Research Advice

How to Use Notion as a Research Lab Notebook for Ph.D. Research

Notion is one of my favorite tools for organizing my research lab experiments, notes, data, and tasks! Notion is a free and premium cloud-based app that allows you to create highly customizable and visual pages and dashboards for keeping your life organized.

I first started using Notion in 2021 during my Ph.D., when I created the free Simple Graduate Student Notion Dashboard . As I learned more about using Notion , I developed this Research Lab Notebook template to keep track of all my research lab-related tasks, protocols, and notes, all while storing important information like literature reviews and data. This research lab notebook is an excellent Notion template for Ph.D., master’s, and undergraduate students engaged in research. Sign up for a Notion account here if you don’t already have an account!

This Research Lab Notebook template is only for organizing research lab experiments. I currently do not have this template integrated with any manuscript, thesis, or dissertation writing tools aside from literature review. But this template is certainly designed to be used and referenced during the writing process!

What is Notion?

Notion is freemium software that allows you to create pages, templates, and databases for organizing information. This app is more than a basic note-taking app! It allows you to customize your pages and databases to what you need to work smarter and more efficiently. Notion is available across devices, so you can always access your Notion from your phone, computer, or tablet. Notion offers several subscription levels. The free version offers all basic tools for using and creating Notion templates. The premium subscriptions provide more tools and functionality for small and large teams or even entire organizations. The free software is sufficient for individuals, but if you work on a small team, like with a research group, the Plus subscription offers features like unlimited file uploads and more!

In addition to signing up for Notion, you can add on the Notion AI tool as well. This newly launched tool integrates the power of AI into your Notion workspace. I’ve enjoyed using Notion AI for summarizing, paraphrasing, brainstorming, and organizing my thoughts. The AI tool is seamlessly integrated into Notion and works very well!

Sign up for a Notion account here !

Why do I love using Notion?

I’ve been using Notion for several years now and have found it to be one of the best (and most fun) software to use for note-taking and organizing. Firstly, it’s plain fun to organize and design your template! You can easily create your own Notion aesthetic and design pages to fit your needs. I also love how I can use it across all my devices. It’s also very affordable for students, as there is a free version. And Notion AI is well-priced at just $8 a month.

Research Lab Notebook Notion Template Features

What is included in the research lab notebook notion template.

The Research Lab Notebook Notion Template includes

• Homepage with daily and weekly experiment and task trackers
• Daily lab notebook database for tracking the day’s experiments and taking notes.
• Project management database views so you can manage all your research projects in a single view
• Detailed literature review template/literature review database
• Data management plan page
• Protocols database that can be related to lab notebook tasks and entries so you never forget which protocol you used!

Research Tasks and Experiments Database – The Brain of the Notion Template

The Daily and Weekly Tasks and Experiments databases are linked copies of the “All Research Projects Tasks and Experiments” database, so I will start by explaining this database first. The “Research Projects Tasks and Experiments” database is where you can input all of your research-related tasks and experiments. Each task or experiment can be labeled with the project, the goals, the due date, and the status.

After you input this information, if the date is “Today” the tasks will populate the Today’s Tasks and Experiments Table. And if the date is “Today or within one week from today,” it will populate the This Weeks Tasks and Experiments Table! On the master Research Projects Tasks and Experiments database, you can create additional views by simply adding a view along the top of the database. I’ve included views by project, status, or the calendar view. The project view is beneficial when you want to look at everything you’ve completed for a single project.

Daily Research Lab Notebook

Now, once you’re in the lab and working, you’ll want to keep track of everything you do during the day! You can do this in the Research Lab Notebook. Here, when you create a new entry, custom template will be generated so you can begin planning and tracking your day! The “Tasks and Experiments” property allows you to link to the associated tasks you created in the Research Projects Tasks and Experiments database. This way, your tasks and lab notebook are always linked! In this column, you can link to multiple tasks and experiments in case you do multiple experiments in one day.

n the next column, you can similarly link to any protocols stored in the protocol database. And when you go back to your protocol database, you can see all the lab notebook entries that used that protocol! Cool right? Everything links together so you can easily reference your experiments, lab notebook, and protocols from multiple pages on this template. You can also use different views to visualize your lab notebook by project.

Protocols Manager

Here is a quick view of the protocol database! Create your protocol here and use the relation property to link it to any of your lab notebook entries! For each protocol entry, you can write out your methodology, take notes, and link to any associated literature.

Literature Review Template

Like the protocols database, there is a designated page for reviewing literature! This database uses properties that will guide you through your reading, offers a space for file uploads and note taking, and a property for relating your entries to lab notebook entries and protocols!

I hope this template is helpful for you to keep all of your research notes organized in Notion! Let us know in the comments what other ways you use Notion to keep your research life organized!

How can I get the Research Lab Notebook Notion Template?

This template is a premium template, so it is for sale on the She Science Gumroad Shop or Etsy Shop . Once you purchase, you have lifetime access to the template and will receive any major updates via email!

Is there a subscription cost?

The Research Lab Notebook Notion Template can be used with a free Notion account.

How Much is the Research Lab Notebook Notion Template?

The Research Lab Notebook Notion Template is $9.

How do I get my Notion Template?

After your purchase, you will receive a PDF eBook with a link to lifetime access to the template and a guide on how to use the template.

Are you ready to organize your research?

The Research Lab Notebook Notion Template is here to help keep your research lab notes, experiments, tasks, and data organized!

✓ Maximize your productivity

✓ Never miss an experiment ✓ Manage your projects

Learn more about She Science’s Notion Templates

• Simple grad student Notion template
• All-in-one grad student Notion template for grad school, personal life, and professional development.
• Ph.D. Degree and Dissertation Planner template

YouTube Tutorial and Preview

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All-in-One Graduate Student Notion Template for Coursework, Research, and Personal Life

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How to Use Notion to Organize Your Research, Classes, and Grad School Life – She Sciences

July 21, 2022 at 7:13 pm

[…] If you’re looking for an in-depth research lab notebook template, check out the research notebook template I use! […]

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Productive Student Home and Office Desk Setup: Student Desk Must-Haves

Must have Back to School Supplies for Grad Students

EL Education Curriculum

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• ELA G4:M2:U2

Using Writing to Inform

In this unit.

• Guiding Questions and Big Ideas

The Four Ts

Content connections.

• Habits of Character

Unit-at-a-Glance

Supporting english language learners.

• Texts and Resources to Buy

Preparation and Materials

• Technology and Media

Additional Language and Literacy Block

• Optional Activities

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• ELA Grade 4

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In this second unit, students research their expert group animal and its defense mechanisms. Close reading of informational texts and web pages about their expert group animal prepares students for the mid-unit assessment, in which they cite evidence, determine the main idea, and then summarize and organize their research. In the second half of the unit, students synthesize information from their research by writing an informative piece detailing their expert group animal's physical characteristics, habitat, predators, and defense mechanisms. This piece serves as the introduction to their performance task, a choose-your-own-adventure narrative, written in Unit 3. Their research in this unit will also serve as a resource for writing narratives with scientifically accurate details in the following unit.

As of February 15, 2019, the website  www.arkive.org  is no longer available. This website is used as a resource in Grade 4, Module 2 of the Module Lessons and ALL Block. You can still access content, texts, and images, using the links below. These links are archived versions of the original content, text, and images that were found on  www.arkive.org .

Please note that some of these links contain just single images of each animal; videos and slideshows could not be captured in the archiving process.

Monarch Butterfly:  https://web.archive.org/web/20190205072909/https://www.arkive.org/monarch-butterfly/danaus-plexippus/

Armadillo:  https://web.archive.org/web/20190205023231/http://www.arkive.org/brazilian-three-banded-armadillo/tolypeutes-tricinctus/

Ostrich:  https://web.archive.org/web/20190205055519/http://www.arkive.org/ostrich/struthio-camelus/

Robin:  https://web.archive.org/web/20190205033200/http://www.arkive.org/robin/erithacus-rubecula/

Springbok:  https://web.archive.org/web/20190211202705/http://www.arkive.org/springbok/antidorcas-marsupialis/

We will post any new updates here.

Big Ideas & Guiding Questions

• How do animals' bodies and behaviors help them survive?
• To protect themselves from predators, animals use different defense mechanisms.
• How can writers use knowledge from their research to inform and entertain?
• Writers use scientific knowledge and research to inform and entertain. 
• Topic : Students continue to learn about animal defense mechanisms. They focus in on a particular animal during this unit, which they research in expert groups.
• Task : Students read new informational texts and answer selected and short response questions about them (mid-unit assessment). Students write an informative essay about pufferfish (end of unit assessment).
• Targets : CCSS explicitly taught and assessed: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.9, RI.4.10, W.4.2a, W.4.2b, W.4.2d, W.4.2e, W.4.4, W.4.7, W.4.8, W.4.9b, W.4.10, L.4.1c, L.4.2a, L.4.2c, L.4.2d, L.4.3a.
• Text : Web pages from the ELED.org website describing the defense mechanisms of the expert group animals and "Fight to Survive!"

Each unit in the 3-5 Language Arts Curriculum has two standards-based assessments built in, one mid-unit assessment and one end of unit assessment. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

This module is designed to address English Language Arts standards and to be taught during the literacy block. But the module intentionally incorporates Science content that may align to additional teaching during other parts of the day. These intentional connections are described below.

Note:  also consider using EL's 4th grade Life Science Module, a separate resource that includes approximately 24 hours of science instruction. This life science module explicitly addresses 4th grade NGSS life science standards, and naturally extends the learning from this ELA module.

Next Generation Science Standards  

Life Science Performance Expectation: 

• 4-LS1-1:  Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
• LS1.A:  Structure and Function: Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. ( 4-LS1-1 )

Habits of Character/Social-Emotional Learning Focus

In this module, students work to become effective learners: develop the mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration). 

Each unit is made up of a sequence of between 5-20 lessons. The “unit at a glance” chart in the curriculum map breaks down each unit into its lessons, to show how the curriculum is organized in terms of standards address, supporting targets, ongoing assessment, and protocols. It also indicates which lessons include the mid-unit and end-of-unit assessments.

View the unit-at-a-glance chart

The Meeting Students' Needs column in each lesson contains support for both ELLs and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and some supports can serve a wide range of student needs. However, ELLs have unique needs that cannot always be met with UDL support. According to federal guidelines, ELLs must be given access to the curriculum with appropriate supports, such as those that are specifically identified as "For ELLs" in the Meeting Students' Needs column.

• Prioritizing lessons for classrooms with many ELLs: To prepare for the Unit 2 assessments, consider prioritizing and expanding instruction in Lessons 2-5, and 8-10, which establish the fundamentals of close reading, Language Dives, and researching, and writing the introduction and body of an informative piece. If necessary, consider placing less focus and condensing instruction in Lessons 1, 7, and 11-12, which provide valuable background, revision concepts, practice, and repetition, but don't introduce as many concepts that enable students to begin writing. Note, however, that the process of revising is critical for ELLs; try to at least touch on it in this unit and then go more deeply in subsequent units. 
• Language Dives: ELLs can participate in an optional Language Dive in Lesson 8. This Dive reinforces a sentence and language structure they were introduced to in Unit 1. It is the second part of two connected Language Dives in Units 1 and 2: Part I, in Unit 1, Lesson 7, guided students to deconstruct, reconstruct and practice the structures of a main idea statement for a summary. Part II, in Unit 2, guides students to use the same language structures as a model for writing a focus statement for an informative piece. Many lessons also include optional Mini Language Dives for ELLs. To maximize language practice and accommodate time, consider dividing or reviewing each Language Dive over multiple lessons. Beginning in module 2 and going forward, create a "Language Chunk Wall"--an area in the classroom where students can display and categorize the academic phrases discussed in the Language Dive. At the end of each Language Dive, students are invited to place the Language Dive sentence strip chunks on the Language Chunk Wall into corresponding categories, such as "Nouns and noun phrases" or "Linking language." Consider color-coding each category. Examples: blue for nouns and subjects; purple for pronouns; red for predicates and verbs; yellow for adjectives; and green for adverbs. See each Language Dive for suggested categories. Students can then refer to the wall during subsequent speaking and writing tasks. For more information on Language Dives and supporting ELLs, see the Tools page .
• Goal 3 Conversation Cues: Encourage productive and equitable conversation with Conversation Cues, which are questions teachers can ask students to help achieve four goals: (Goal 1) encourage all students to talk and be understood; (Goal 2) listen carefully to one another and seek to understand; (Goal 3) deepen thinking; and (Goal 4) think with others to expand the conversation (adapted from Michaels, Sarah and O'Connor, Cathy. Talk Science Primer . Cambridge, MA: TERC, 2012. Based on Chapin, S., O'Connor, C., and Anderson, N. [2009]. Classroom Discussions: Using Math Talk to Help Students Learn, Grades K-6 . Second Edition. Sausalito, CA: Math Solutions Publications). See the Tools page for the complete set of cues. Goal 3 Conversation Cues are introduced in Lesson 1. Heightened language processing and development is a primary potential benefit for ELLs.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Investigate the routines, practices, rituals, beliefs, norms, and experiences that are important to ELLs and their families. Integrate this background into the classroom as students investigate animal defense mechanisms. Take time to draw out students' prior experiences and associations with the animals introduced in this module if students are comfortable sharing. Some students may have ties to or experience with the countries of origin of the animals.
• Language Processing: Give ELLs sufficient time to think about what they want to say before they share with other students or write.
• Evidence and Intellectual Property: To some ELLs, the concept of locating and citing evidence may seem strange or overemphasized. Copyright laws in the United States are different from the laws in some countries. Make sure students demonstrate that they know that citing evidence is an important part of supporting claims as well as giving credit in the United States.
• Reading: Gist, Main Idea, Details: Some ELLs may struggle to distinguish between the gist, main idea, and supporting details in a text. See the lesson-specific supports for additional guidance.
• Writing: The conventional Writing Process and five-paragraph structure will be unfamiliar and challenging for some ELLs. Question what you think students know, and see the numerous lesson-specific supports for suggestions.
• Independent and Dependent Clauses: Begin conversations about the structure of English compound and complex sentences. Ask students how they compare with their home languages. Once students understand the components of and differences between an independent and dependent clause, they can make huge gains in writing clearly.
• Celebration: Celebrate the courage, enthusiasm, diversity, and bilingual skills that ELLs bring to the classroom. 

Texts to Buy

Texts that need to be procured. Please download the Trade Book List for procurement guidance.

See full list of texts, including recommended texts

Expert Group Animal research notebook

In Lessons 1-11, students use an Expert Group Animal research notebook to record notes and observations about their expert group animal.  

• Three-banded armadillo
• Springbok gazelle
• Monarch butterfly (see the module overview document for details related to research on butterflies across grades 4 and 5).  

Students use this research notebook in Lessons 7-11 when they plan, write, revise, and edit their informational pieces of the final performance task. They also refer to it throughout Unit 3 as they work on their narrative pieces of the final performance task.  

In advance, consider preparing the Expert Group Animal research notebook (in Lesson 1) as a copied and stapled packet. In addition, consider providing students with a research folder for use t hroughout the module. This will help students keep their materials (research notebooks, texts, writing) organized and in one place.

Each lesson contains examples of completed pages of the Expert Group Animal research notebook for teacher reference.

The Informational Texts anchor chart is introduced in this unit and referred to throughout the module and the school year.

Technology and Multimedia

• Google Docs  - Create collaborative online word-processing docs and spreadsheets in folders. 
• Consider creating the research notebooks in Google Docs for students to complete online.
• Consider creating the Expert Group Animal research notebook in Google Docs for students to complete online. To do this, create folders for each expert group animal. Within those folders, create a folder for each student and convert each page of the research notebook to a Google Doc. A Google Form could also be used for the Web Page research guide, in which students answer questions after closely reading the text. Consider creating collaborative expert group documents--for example, the KWEL chart. See the suggested file organization hierarchy below:
• Folder: Expert Group
• Folder: Student 1
• Folder: Expert Group Animal research notebook
• File: Gist chart
• File: Web Page research guide
• File: Organizing Research note-catcher 
• Folder: Student 2
• Folder: Student 3
• Folder: Student 4
• File: Expert Group Animal KWEL chart
• Informative text about the expert group animal: Consider having students write their informative text on a Google Doc so both you and they are able to access and edit their work online. 
• Padlet  - Create online notice boards / anchor charts that you can add notes to. 
• Create digital word walls: Academic Word Wall and Domain-Specific Word Wall. 
• Seesaw  - Create student learning portfolios to share with other students, families, and the teacher. 
• Students can create work or take pictures of their work on this app that can be accessed by the teacher or by families.

The Additional Language and Literacy (ALL) Block is 1 hour of instruction per day. It is designed to work in concert with and in addition to the 1-hour Grades 3-5 ELA "module lessons." Taken together, these 2 hours of instruction comprehensively address all the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

The ALL Block has five components: Additional Work with Complex Text; Reading and Speaking Fluency/GUM (Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics); Writing Practice; Word Study and Vocabulary; and Independent Reading.

The ALL Block has three 2-week units which parallel to the three units of the module.

ELA G4:M2:U2:L1

Generating norms for expert animal groups, ela g4:m2:u2:l2, close read: “fight to survive”, ela g4:m2:u2:l3, reading informational texts: launching the research process, ela g4:m2:u2:l4, reading informational texts: reading closely about expert group animals on a web page, ela g4:m2:u2:l5, organizing and categorizing research, ela g4:m2:u2:l6, mid-unit 2 assessment: reading and researching the defense mechanisms of the pufferfish, ela g4:m2:u2:l7, planning to write an informative piece: synthesizing research on expert group animals, ela g4:m2:u2:l8, writing an informative piece: crafting introductions, ela g4:m2:u2:l9, writing informative texts: developing proof paragraphs, ela g4:m2:u2:l10, writing informative texts: revising for supporting details and word choice, ela g4:m2:u2:l11, writing informative texts: editing for conventions, ela g4:m2:u2:l12, end of unit 2 assessment: writing an informative text about pufferfish defense mechanisms, optional: community, experts, fieldwork, service, and extensions.

• If you have a number of English language learners speaking the same home language, invite family members to come into the classroom to talk with ELLs about their expert group animal and their narratives in their home language.
• Invite an expert from the local zoo/wildlife conservation organization to come in and speak with students about animal defense mechanisms.
• Have a professional writer visit the class to discuss the writing process. Ask the writer to share how he or she researches topics to write about.
• Visit the local zoo or wildlife/animal park to observe animal defense mechanisms and students?expert group animals in action for additional research to inform writing.
• Find out about organizations working to protect students' expert group animals and their habitats. Get involved in helping/promoting this organization.
• Share narratives with the local zoo. Perhaps they can be displayed or used for classes.

Extension Opportunities for students seeking more challenge:

• Choose an animal to conduct a deeper study of: Compare and contrast different species and their defenses.
• Create a food web for different animals to explore the relationships between predators and prey.
• Read about habitats and ecosystems and the role of individual species in maintaining balance.
• Collaborate with the art teacher to teach students how to create scientific drawings of different animals and their defense mechanisms.
• Conduct hands-on science experiments and demonstrations. Note: The goal of the lessons in this unit is for students to build scientific knowledge while becoming better readers. These  lessons do not fully address science content standards, nor do they replace hands-on, inquiry-based science.
• Ask students to conduct additional research on their expert group animal with additional texts or websites. Expand the web research that students engage in to include an open search and evaluation of online resources. Teach students to evaluate the reliability of these resources.
• Have students create a third choice ending for their narratives.
• Have students read aloud or perform their narratives for the class.

Copyright © 2013-2024 by EL Education, New York, NY.

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Best Note-Taking App In 2023 For Researchers: Academic & Industry

In the fast-paced world of 2023, where information is king, finding the best note-taking app has become a crucial quest for researchers and professionals alike. Whether you need to streamline your research papers, collaborate with others, or manage projects with precision, the right note-taking tool can make all the difference.

From the cross-platform capabilities of Evernote to the streamlined simplicity of Bear, this comprehensive guide explores the top note-taking apps, their strengths, and even their quirks. What are the best note-taking apps in 2023?

Some of the best note-taking apps for researchers in 2023 include:

• Apple Notes

Microsoft OneNote

Google keep.

Join us as we delve into the world of digital notebooks, markdown formats, PDF exports, and more, in our quest to uncover the best note-taking app for your needs.

Slite – Perfect For Project Management

Slite is a note-taking app designed for team collaboration, Slite is primarily pitched as a knowledge base platform, aiming to centralize a team’s collective knowledge. In the context of research, this application could be invaluable.

Researchers often collaborate with others, sharing insights, annotations, and edits on research papers. Slite, being a digital notebook, caters to this collaborative environment. It allows researchers to organize their research, create notes, and collaborate on notes in real-time.

This note-taking software is especially efficient for onboarding processes, streamlining how new team members integrate into ongoing projects.

One of Slite’s strength is its AI assistant, a unique feature potentially integrated with Open AI.

It enables users to utilize a command bar to swiftly search across their team’s knowledge base.

For example, when a researcher queries, “Where is our analysis on XYZ?”, the AI can quickly pinpoint the relevant document, streamlining the note-taking experience.

Slite also has a great feature, called ‘Projects’. Here, researchers can organize their notes, refining specific processes integral to their research routine.

For instance, if a research project involves a sequential method, each step can be outlined and assigned, making the research process more transparent for all involved.

However, every app has its limitations. Slite’s free version caps users at 50 documents and discussions, which may be restrictive for expansive research projects. 

Apple Notes – Best Note-Taking App For Apple Users

In 2023, with a plethora of note-taking apps available, Apple Notes continues to make a mark as an inherent tool on Apple devices.

Originally launched with iOS 1.0, this note-taking application has matured over the years, introducing features that make it a potent contender among best note-taking apps.

Apple Notes employs a folder system, distinguishing between regular folders and smart folders – a nifty addition that auto-sorts notes based on tags.

Researchers, who often deal with a wealth of information, will appreciate its advanced search capabilities. 

The optical character recognition feature allows them to search terms within handwritten notes or scanned documents , ensuring no vital research notes go unnoticed. The app’s organization extends to sorting notes by edit date, a boon for researchers to keep track of latest edits.

Researchers can easily collaborate on notes, adjusting permissions to either view or edit. With the unique feature of Quick Notes, jotting down spontaneous ideas or research papers’ insights becomes instantaneous.

Apple Notes is not perfect however. Importing content, especially from non-Apple devices, feels cumbersome. Also, the app’s export function is limited; converting notes to PDFs sometimes results in a blurred output due to raster ink usage.

In the ecosystem of apps in 2023, Apple Notes, especially for users engrossed in the Apple world, remains a top-tier note-taking app. 

Evernote – Best Note-Taking App For Power Users

Evernote is a popular digital notebook that allows users to seamlessly take notes and sync them across devices.

For the modern researcher, the app’s cross-platform note-taking capability ensures that capturing sudden bursts of inspiration is never a miss, whether you’re on a mobile app, web app, or desktop.

A significant strength of Evernote lies in its versatility. It’s not just about text; users can capture a myriad of note formats, from:

• Attachments
• Audio notes.

The optical character recognition feature deserves a special mention, enabling the app to identify words even in handwritten notes. 

Evernote’s task system acts as both a note-taking tool and project management software, helping users track their daily objectives. One user, who relies on Evernote to manage ADHD, lauds its easy task system which syncs in real-time across devices.

Evernote’s organizational prowess is very notable, offering notebooks and a search feature that can even pull words from uploaded documents.

One issue with Evernote is that it can be too powerful, and be overwhelming for some. While the app offers various functionalities, some users might wish for a more flexible note-taking format with a more intuitive interface.

In the rapidly evolving world of digital tools, Microsoft’s OneNote emerges as a powerful note-taking app. Touted by many as the best note-taking app for multi-platform users, OneNote is a digital notebook that offers seamless sync capabilities across iOS, Windows or Android devices.

OneNote’s strength lies in its adaptability. For researchers, OneNote is not just a digital notebook but a comprehensive note-taking tool.

The app offers functionalities like the ‘Researcher’, which is invaluable for those writing research papers. It allows users to pull information from credible sources and even automatically formats citations—a feature that streamlines the academic writing process. 

The cross-platform nature of the app is showcased by its sync with other devices, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, or a two-in-one PC. One can take notes on one device and seamlessly access them on another, a capability that even rivals like Apple Notes and Google Keep are striving for.

One major issue with OneNote is its format sometimes exhibits unpredictability, with text boxes appearing haphazardly, which can be confusing.

While the app offers extensive features, some, like the math helper, are tucked behind a subscription fee, unlike the free plan in Evernote or Google Docs.

Additionally, while it’s a robust note-taking app, OneNote might not replace project management tools or the collaborative capabilities of Google Drive entirely.

In comparison to 2023’s other note-taking tools, OneNote’s capacity to import PDFs, export notes, and collaborate with others is commendable. Its ability to rival standalone apps like Evernote and Apple Notes demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to refining this digital notebook. 

Bear – Simple Digital Notebook

The Bear app stands out for its simplicity and aesthetic appeal. Unlike other best note-taking apps like Evernote or OneNote, Bear offers a streamlined experience, resonating with researchers who prioritize minimalistic interfaces.

Bear was developed by a team from Parma, Italy, in 2016, and has since become a beloved note-taking tool among Apple users.

For a researcher, taking notes without distractions is essential, and Bear’s markdown format hits the mark, with the added perk of advanced markup options, such as inline code blocks.

This digital notebook doesn’t overcomplicate the process but ensures the user has all they need for effective research.

One of Bear’s prominent strengths is its dedication to user data privacy. Unlike some note-taking apps, Bear’s default setting stores notes locally on devices, thus minimizing data leakage risks.

Plus, for those wary of the dreaded app lock-in, Bear supports the export of notes to numerous file formats, ensuring that switching to a different note-taking app or platform is hassle-free.

One criticism about Bear is it’s use of hashtags instead of folders, which some users find less intuitive.

Moreover, its exclusive availability on Apple devices limits its reach, although a web app version is reportedly in the works.

Bear’s free version is notably generous, offering all features with the exception of cross-device sync, which is reserved for the Pro plan. It’s a competitively priced app that offers quality service, making it a contender in the list of best note-taking apps for 2023. 

In the landscape of note-taking apps in 2023, Google Keep emerges as a significant contender. As a note-taking app, it’s designed for swift capture of ideas, essential for researchers who often need to jot down sudden insights.

One of its primary strengths is its simplicity, focusing on quickly capturing notes and making them accessible across devices. It integrates seamlessly with the broader Google ecosystem, which means if you’re working within Gmail or Google Docs, your notes are just a sidebar away.

For the uninitiated, Google Keep is more than just a digital notebook. For researchers, the voice memo feature stands out, converting voice recordings directly into text, thus making it a valuable tool when conducting interviews or vocalizing thoughts.

Google Keep also offers collaboration features, allowing users to share and collaborate on notes with others in real-time. This is handy when working on joint research papers or group projects.

Unlike Evernote, a popular note-taking app, Google Keep doesn’t excel at archiving vast volumes of notes or organizing them into intricate notebook structures. Instead, it relies on labels for categorization, which might not suffice for detailed research notes organization.

While Google Keep’s camera feature aids in capturing images, it lags behind when compared to Evernote’s sophisticated document capture capabilities.

Researchers should also be aware of the location-based reminders, a feature unique to Google Keep.

Imagine setting a reminder to review certain research notes when you arrive at your university or research facility. This sort of integration between physical location and digital reminders can be invaluable.

Google Keep does offer a robust suite of features for the researcher seeking a free, integrated, and straightforward note-taking tool. Its mobile app ensures that you can take notes on the go, and its collaborate with others feature makes teamwork smoother. 

In the ever-evolving realm of note-taking apps, Notion stands out in 2023 as a comprehensive tool that promises more than mere note-keeping. Notion surpasses the functionalities of its competitors such as Evernote, Google Keep, and even Microsoft’s OneNote.

The platform has been recognized as the best note-taking app that goes beyond digital notebook functionality to a broader project management space.

For researchers, Notion acts as a digital playground. Unlike traditional note-taking apps, Notion offers the capability to create dashboards customized to individual workflow preferences. It’s not just about taking notes; users can also:

• Embed Loom videos
• Integrate calendars
• Generate templates for repetitive tasks
• and many more.

Researchers can efficiently organize their research notes, develop content calendars for publishing, and even design databases. The cross-platform note-taking experience ensures consistency, whether accessed via web app or mobile app.

Notion’s ability to collaborate on notes is unmatched. Sharing specific pages, embedding various content formats, and the ease to sync your notes across devices make the process seamless.

For instance, databases can be shared, filtered, and viewed in different formats, like a Trello-style board or a conventional calendar.

Notion’s flexibility, its biggest strength, can also be its most significant weakness. The sheer range of possibilities can overwhelm new users, and without a streamlined approach, one can end up complicating tasks.

Its expansive nature requires time to master, with a potential risk of becoming a productivity drain instead of a booster.

Obsidian has risen as a formidable contender for the best note-taking app title. Operating as a digital notebook, Obsidian stands out from the multitude, including popular names such as Evernote, OneNote, Google Keep, and Apple Notes.

So, what makes Obsidian unique? Unlike many note-taking apps that store notes in the cloud, Obsidian keeps your notes in a local folder, providing users control over their data.

This note-taking app also adopts a markdown format, which is not just for those familiar with coding but is a user-friendly way to take notes.

With a cross-platform note-taking feature, Obsidian allows users to access your notes across various devices seamlessly.

A distinguishing feature is its ability to create and visualize links between notes, enhancing the note-taking experience and making it easier to organize your research.

This interconnected web can be an invaluable asset, especially for researchers who wish to see connections between different research notes or topics.

While Obsidian thrives in note linkage and local storage, it might present a steeper learning curve for those accustomed to more straightforward apps like Google Docs or Apple Notes.

Another issue is the absence of a free version. This may deter some, but Obsidian’s robust features could justify its price tag for dedicated users.

In comparison to apps like Roam Research, which also emphasizes interconnected note-taking, Obsidian’s strength lies in its local-first approach.

Still, if collaboration is a key aspect of your research process, you might find apps that prioritize real-time collaboration, such as Microsoft’s OneNote, more suitable.

Glasp – Take Notes Differently

In the expansive realm of note-taking apps in 2023, Glasp emerges as a unique web app designed specifically for researchers and avid online readers. With the app’s Chrome extension, users can effortlessly highlight and capture text from web sources.

Here are some features of Glasp:

• Social Web Highlighter : Glasp’s focus on highlighting and sharing web content makes it stand out. Users can create profiles based on the web content they clip, similar to how social media platforms like Facebook work. This adds a social element to the note-taking process, enabling collaboration and sharing of insights.
• Integration with Other Note Apps : Glasp’s compatibility with other popular note-taking apps is a significant advantage. This allows users to export their clippings or highlights to various note-taking platforms, ensuring flexibility and the ability to organize their research across multiple apps seamlessly.
• Cross-Platform Note-Taking : The cross-platform note-taking feature is essential for users who use different devices or platforms for their work. It ensures that notes and clippings can be synchronized and accessed from anywhere, enhancing productivity and convenience.
• Heatmap Feature : The heatmap feature is an interesting addition, as it helps users visualize their note-taking habits over time. This can be valuable for improving the research process, identifying areas of interest, and staying organized.

Glasp is however, in beta, which can be a reason for caution for some. Researchers accustomed to using more established platforms like OneNote or Roam Research may find the transition challenging. Additionally, while the app offers various note-taking tools, Glasp’s main strength lies in its unique blend of note-taking and social sharing.

Wrapping Up – Best Note Taking Apps In 2023

As the note-taking app landscape continues to evolve, each app offers its own strengths and weaknesses. Choosing the right note-taking app for yourself ultimately depends on your specific needs, preferences, and workflows. 

So, whether you’re looking to streamline your research papers, collaborate with others, or manage projects, there’s a note-taking app out there in 2023 to cater to your requirements. Choose wisely, and may your note-taking journey be both efficient and productive.

Dr Andrew Stapleton has a Masters and PhD in Chemistry from the UK and Australia. He has many years of research experience and has worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Associate at a number of Universities. Although having secured funding for his own research, he left academia to help others with his YouTube channel all about the inner workings of academia and how to make it work for you.

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