Do you still use paper and quill to record notes... or a laptop?

Hi Phil

I do mine on a laptop as we are going along. I then spend a good chunk of time tidying up my notes at the end of the meeting. I'm not sure what the answer is... I have trialled outsourcing the notetaking, but some of the context/acronyms etc can get lost using an external resource.

Laptop for sure - I type far more quickly than I can write, so the notes are more comprehensive. If contentious, print a draft copy and get all to initial it at the end of the meeting, so there's a reference point if there is any debate about the 'tidied up' version.

I tend to write then type! not great use of time but I cant type as quick as I write and my hand writing is not always clear enough to read!

Before our team all had individual laptops , I also took notes by hand and then typed them up afterwards which was rather time consuming to say the least. Now it is so much easier and quicker to type them as I go along and then correct them (i.e spellcheck etc) afterwards

I was given feedback that my clicking away on a keyboard was a bit off putting so I've reverted back to hand writing, typing up and then distributing.

No one has mentioned voice recognition software, which is now easily available. I take notes by hand but have experimented with reading them back.

I've never done an investigation/disciplinary, but I do plenty of research, make notes in meetings, summarise reading, and in a different role record walk directions.

I find a laptop/tablet is too intrusive when other people are involved, and prefer handwritten notes from books/articles as I like to do diagrams etc. I very rarely want direct summaries on the computer; I would tend to restructure my original notes if circulating to colleagues, or use them to write a paper combining different sources. I sometimes scan handwritten stuff in.

Voice recording works well for some things (with permission where it involves other people), though I find VR software output needs careful checking and listening back/transcription can be very time-consuming.

We get consent from all parties to record the meetings; upload to gdrive as an mp4; share in gdrive (as "view" only) and get everyone to email that they have listened and agree. Very secure; no mistakes; can only access with a 2 step verification code

Hate to say this but.... I am lucky enough to have maintained my shorthand skills and although not at the speed I once was, this serves me well in formal or informal meetings. Of course, some of you will have worked out that if I can do shorthand I'm old enough to have been a touch typist too so I have also used a laptop. However, I have to admit to trusting my shorthand more than technology. It's all very well using technology until it does something unexpected or doesn't do something you expect and you lose an hours worth of meeting notes. Not funny. Also, small point, I attended a meeting today with notes taken by the host and the keyboard clicking away was extremely annoying so I would urge those of you who use one to select a soft touch keyboard.

Ipad mini using OneNote. You can turn off keyboard sounds so there is no distraction, the small size is unobtrusive (works in interviews too), and the result is fully searchable as well. You can also easily make margin notes.