Unconventional means to take notes for researchers
Taking notes on paper seems to be the most ideal way of doing so. It indeed is the most convenient way but surely not the best method. The points just get fixed on the paper you write them upon. For more flexibility you can look for some other options.
Index cards: make for yourself small index cards. When you are researching and need to make notes, you must write down your ideas, facts, quotations or anything else that you find relevant on a separate index card. After completing the cards sequence them out in a way that you create a streamlined outline of your research. You could further make it more organised by using colourful cards where each colour would be indicating something specific thus easier for you to distinguish main points from sub heads.
Computer: if you are good with keeping your planning hi tech then nothing better then using the computer to keep your notes. This is more so good with the sophistication that MS Word offers you by which you are able to arrange and systematise your work in a way that it remains sorted and easy to access. However, being savvy with the computer and taking it around everywhere with you should be in your comfort zone.
Circular pattern: This is again not much away from the conventional pattern of jotting down notes on a piece of paper, however what is different in this method is that all your points become accessible to you on a single page and you need not hunt them on separate pages here and there. This way you are able to see all your ideas on a single page. Whenever you have point that needs to be jotted down, write it and draw a circle around it. And then whenever you have a concept which can be associated with the previous one connect the two circles with a line. This method is very useful for concising a lot of information on a single page thus saving a lot of your time and effort. However, the major disadvantage of this method is the limited amount of information that you can accommodate on a page thus as you move to the next page, you automatically need to start fresh as you lose connectivity with the previous set of circles you have drawn.
Hope you find them useful and worth trying
