Peer-reviewed research
The pen is mightier than the keyboard: advantages of longhand over laptop note taking
Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer, Psychological Science, 2014 · DOI 10.1177/0956797614524581
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- Three studies in which students took notes on laptops or longhand, then answered factual and conceptual questions. The paper argues that laptop note takers transcribe lectures verbatim, which leads to shallower processing.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed and widely cited. The result on conceptual questions was not reproduced in a 2019 replication, so treat the conceptual finding as contested rather than settled.
Facts taken from this source
- In three studies, students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand.
“students who took notes on laptops performed worse on conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand” (Abstract)