OneNote allows you to organise content in notebooks, each comprised of multiple sections that can contain pages.  The more organised a OneNote is the easier it will be to find, review and add notes.

OneNote has a simple hierarchical structure, at the top level are notebooks, which can be divided into sections, each section can then have pages added.

To move a pre-existing section into a section group, simply drag and drop.  New groups can also be created inside the section group.  To leave the section group, navigate to the parent section group by clicking the arrow to the right of the section name.

To get set up for your OneNote for a single unit you could use any of the following structuring techniques.

1. Create a section for each week and name them by week number or by actual date. These will be colour-coded to help you visually distinguish each one.
2. For the weekly lessons, set up a page for each or break them down into the lab/seminar subpage components so notes are further organised and simpler to access.
3. If working through textbooks, set up a section for each textbook and create a page for each of their chapters.
4. If a module is organised by topic, create a section for each topic.
5. As there is no practical limit to page sizes in OneNote, you could just endlessly update one page with related information. (This technique is not recommended as the setup will become ‘messy’ and defeats the objectives listed above for using Microsoft OneNote.)

You can also move, delete, or rename notebooks, sections, or pages whenever you want.

OneNote Tags

OneNote also has built-in tags that can be used to support staff and students in their studying.

Some of the most useful and commonly used tags include:

	Use the Definition tag to highlight key terminology
	Use the Question tag to flag items for review later
	Use the Remember for Later tag to highlight important facts
	Use the Important tag to flat the cornerstone facts.
	Use the To Do tag to jot down items you may want to review or address later.

Each of these tabs has an associated keyboard shortcut which can be viewed by hovering the mouse over the tag icon.

OneNote can search for tags of specific types (such as To Do or Important etc.) so using tags within a notebook is another technique through which information can be categorised and searched.

For example, if a student has added tags to their notes in a OneNote notebook, they could carry out a tag search.  For example, for all the definition tags.  The results of this search will be compiled into a one-page (or more depending on returned search results) list of all the tagged definitions.  Use the Create Summary Page button to list all matching tag search results on a single page.

Formatting a OneNote Page for Notetaking

OneNote pages differ from Microsoft Word documents, they follow a less structured approach which means any part of the page can be selected and content added. This can aid in the speed at which notes can be captured however if not structured and organised (maybe after a lecture) the collage of random notes won’t be very helpful when information needs to be found information.

There is an option to add pages that include ruled lines (Click the View Tab > Rule Lines > Narrow Ruled). Using the ‘narrow ruled’ option is advantageous as these guidelines match up with the default font size in OneNote).  As these lines are not a permanent part of your document, if you copy and paste from a page, they won’t show up in the destination.

You can also switch the background of each page with a variety of page colours to choose from which may support students to alleviate visual stress and improve symptoms commonly related to dyslexia such as low reading rate, accuracy, and comprehension.

Creating and Editing Notes

OneNote includes drawing tools and a variety of input support, when adding content, each gets a layer of its own and can be moved or deleted without impacting other content.  For example, a section of highlighted text will not bleed through a page or obscure text in OneNote.  Like all Microsoft Office applications using the Undo function, everything can be undone.

OneNote also tracks when content is added, users can click into a text box (right-click and select the last option in the context menu) this will display the author’s name alongside the date and time the text box was created.

OneNote also includes tools for translation and language setting. There is also a Smart Lookup tool for defining terms which open in right-hand panels.

OneNote includes a variety of built-in math tools. For example, OneNote will automatically solve an equation once the equals symbol has been added (by pressing enter).

The Equation and Math menu options offer additional capabilities. For example, you can format complex equations, create embeddable graphs, and get step-by-step instructions for finding the value of a variable.

Audio recordings can be made of lectures and any other discussion, and then insert the audio recording later. OneNote can sync audio recordings to notes so that the relevant parts of a recording play at the exact time you wrote down a note. OneNote also includes a transcription service to convert the recording audio into editable text.

If students have access to the lecture slides, they can insert those into OneNote, and then add their in-class notes. Handwritten notes can be scanned using a scanning app, such as Microsoft Lens, insert those pictures into OneNote and copy the text from the picture via the right-click context menu.  This functionality can also be used to convert a screenshot into editable text.

Dictate your notes in OneNote

Dictation is a quick and easy way to create drafts, capture notes and make comments.  Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author content in Office with a microphone and a reliable internet connection.

In addition to dictating your content, you can speak commands to add punctuation, navigate around the page, and enter special characters.

How to use dictation

1. Go to Home > Dictate while signed into Microsoft 365 on a mic-enabled device.
2. Wait for the Dictate button to turn on and start listening.
3. Start speaking to see text appear on the screen.