Taking notes by hand improves student learning compared with typing notes.

Is it true that taking notes by hand improves student learning compared with typing notes?

Partly. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 studies reports that taking and reviewing handwritten notes yields higher achievement than typing, while a 2022 study of medical students found no significant recall difference between longhand, laptop, and tablet note-taking. The evidence therefore genuinely disagrees on whether handwriting beats typing.

Verdict: CONTESTED · 3 sources for, 2 against · Last checked 2 Oct 2026

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

Study Skills/Taking Notes. (n.d.). en.wikibooks.org. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Study_Skills/Taking_Notes

Wiechmann, W., Edwards, R. A., Low, C., Wray, A., Boysen-Osborn, M., & Toohey, S. L. (2022). No difference in factual or conceptual recall comprehension for tablet, laptop, and handwritten note-taking by medical students in the United States: a survey-based observational study. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2022.19.8

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

MOGONEA, F. (2025). NOTE-TAKING – A CONDITION FOR INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY OF LEARNING. zenodo.org. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18023827

Exploring the Habits of Taking Photos in Class among College Students Majoring in Mathematics. (2024). hal.science. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajess/2024/v50i61397