Free Cornell Notes Generator

What is the Cornell note-taking method?

The Cornell method was developed in the 1950s by Walter Pauk, an education professor at Cornell University, and popularized in his book How to Study in College. It is still one of the most widely taught note-taking systems in schools and universities.

A Cornell page has three parts: a wide notes column on the right for what you capture in class, a narrow cue column on the left for questions and keywords you add afterwards, and a summary at the bottom that sums up the page in a few sentences. Covering the notes column and answering the cues turns your notes into a self-test.

The five Rs of Cornell notes

1. Record. During the lecture, write the main ideas and facts in the notes column.
2. Reduce. Soon after, condense them into questions and keywords in the cue column.
3. Recite. Cover the notes column and answer each cue out loud in your own words.
4. Reflect. Ask how the ideas connect to each other and to what you already know.
5. Review. Spend a few minutes each week re-testing yourself with the cues and the summary.

The outline method

The outline method organizes notes as a hierarchy: main topics at the left margin, supporting points indented underneath, and details indented again. It is fast to scan and works well when a lecture or textbook chapter follows a clear structure.

Use outline notes to capture structure and Cornell notes to study. Many students do both: outline during class, then turn the outline into Cornell cues and a summary afterwards. Tick "Outline method notes" above to get both from the same text.

How it works

1. Paste or upload your text. Lecture notes, a class transcript, a textbook chapter or meeting notes, up to 60,000 characters. For a recording, transcribe it first with the free audio transcription tool.
2. AI writes the Cornell notes. You get cue questions on the left, concise notes on the right and a summary at the bottom, in the same language as your text. Add key terms or an outline if you want them.
3. Study, copy or print. Copy the notes as Markdown, download a .md file, or print the page in the classic Cornell layout. Need an empty sheet? Print the blank template.

Common questions