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Why do I need to organise my information?
Once you have gathered information and ideas for an assignment (see the QUT cite|write guide ‘Notemaking strategies’), it is important to organise your notes into a plan. This will form the outline of your essay and will make writing the first draft much easier. Before you begin organising your information, you must:
- read through your notes and readings and decide on a few main ideas and key points
- list these key points and their sub-points
- give headings to these points and list your notes under these headings. These will become the sections of your essay and help you form your paragraphs.
There are many different ways to organise your information. Concept mapping and using a matrix will be explored in this guide.
Clustering your information using concept maps
Why are concept maps useful?
Concept maps allow you to:
- organise your notes and thoughts about a topic
- map the structure of your essay topic, showing the relative importance of individual points
- show the linkages or relationships between the various aspects of the topic.
How do I draw a concept map?
- write your topic in the centre of a page (this is the ‘core’ — see darkly shaded rectangle in Figure 1)
- next, write your key points as headings (these become the main sections of your essay — see mid-shaded rectangles in Figure 1)
- next, write the details (sub-points) radiating out from your key points (you should include details of the source to help you keep track of your
references — see lightly shaded rectangles in Figure 1).
Figure 1: Example of a concept map
Using a matrix
Why is a matrix useful?
Plotting ideas onto a matrix allows you to see at a glance, on one page:
- which main ideas you wish to discuss in your essay
- what evidence (references) you have to support your main ideas.
How do I build a matrix?
- review the notes you have taken from each book, journal article, website or other source
- find common themes between the ideas from the different sources and give these a heading; write these headings down your page on the vertical axis of the matrix (see Table 1)
- cluster the information from your notes according to these headings, and plot the source it came from and any brief notes across the page on the horizontal axis of the matrix.
Example of linear notes (taken from six separate sources)
Source 1: Financial Review, July, 2006
- Casualisation of the labour force. (p. 4)
Source 2: ASU, 2006
- reduction of hours
- non-permanent nature of work impacts on leave entitlements, and reduces family time (p. 188)
Source 3: Wilson, 2007
- casual employment rates have increased by 12% in the past 18 months (p. 32)
- families are feeling strain as forced to work more irregular hours (p. 25)
Source 4: Wilson, 2006
- loss of penalty rates (2006, p. 25)
Source 5: Bennet, 2007
- Social and emotional relationships/networks are being affected (p. 34)
Source 6: ABN report, 2007
- Reduced planning capacity (pp. 55–60)
Source 7: Brown, 2007
- Families are seeking more counselling for stress and relationship breakdowns (p. 25)
| Headings | Relevant notes from a variety of sources | |||
| Financial | Reduction of hours (ASU Survey, 2006, p. 188) |
Loss of penalty rates |
||
| Job security | Casualisation of the labour force |
Reduced planning capacity |
Casual employment rates increased |
|
| Family life | Social and emotional relationships/networks affected |
Families feeling strain as forced to work more irregular hours |
Family seeking counselling for stress and relationship breakdowns |
Non-permanent nature of work impacts on leave entitlements, reduced family time |