Taking notes by hand improves reading comprehension compared with taking notes on a laptop.

Is it true that taking notes by hand improves reading comprehension compared with taking notes on a laptop?

Partly. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 studies found handwritten note-taking led to higher achievement than typing, and two small studies found note-taking methods improved reading comprehension, but none directly compared handwriting with laptops on reading comprehension. One study found laptop note-taking can negatively affect performance, though it examined state-dependent effects rather than comprehension.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 3 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Flanigan, A. E., Wheeler, J., Colliot, T., Lu, J., & Kiewra, K. A. (2024). Typed versus Handwritten Lecture Notes and College Student Achievement: A Meta-Analysis. eric.ed.gov. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09914-w

M., C. R., Ryan, H., & M., S. T. (2022). The Value of Handwritten Notes: A Failure to Find State-Dependent Effects When Using a Laptop to Take Notes and Complete a Quiz. eric.ed.gov. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320979895

Linh,, D. K. & Kien,, P. T. (2025). Applying the Cornell Note-Taking Method to Enhance Reading Comprehension for High School Students. zenodo.org. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15087497

Ambarwati, R. R., Ruslin, R., Zulfikri, Z., & Afifah, A. (2025). Taking and Making Notes for Knowledge. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.24256/foster-jelt.v6i4.291