Abstract
Bullet-structured source texts lower reading effort and increase noted ideas during longhand note taking, though summary content remains similar — formatting eases comprehension load without changing final summaries (Olive & Barbier, 2017).
Olive, T., & Barbier, M.-L. (2017). Processing time and cognitive effort of longhand note taking when reading and summarizing a structured or linear text. Written Communication, 34(2), 224–246. DOI
Key findings
- Cognitive effort tracking: — Effort measured across reading, noting, note review, and summary composition.
- Formatted vs linear — Bullets expose structure; single-paragraph presentation hides it.
Application
When course readings with bullet outlines yield faster comprehension and richer notes than wall-of-text PDFs — Olive and Barbier show formatting eases the reading leg even when final summaries converge — open this cite for the study behind the move.