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# 3.1 Hand-drawn or digital mind maps?

Mind maps can be hand-drawn or produced digitally. Which kind is more beneficial? Both mapping styles have a place in supporting academic studies. Let’s think about some pros and cons for each.

## Table 1 Features of hand-drawn and digital mind maps

Hand-drawn mind maps | Digital mind maps
--- | ---
encourage a free flow of thoughts onto the paper promote a kinaesthetic action between your hand and brain which helps with memorising restricted by the size/edge of the paper good for revision | no size limit usually have pre-set symbols, charts, etc. easy to rethink and amend later can incorporate references from online/digital sources the flow of ideas can be hindered when the branches are not related to words there are many free/cheap software packages out there, as well as others that are quite pricey

Mind maps aren’t exclusively used for brainstorming and organisation. They can also be used for:

- Note-taking – create a map before a lecture and add to it during the lecture.
- Note-making – make a map of the main themes in the book/article/lecture you are studying, add related branches. You will be able to form more connections.
- Revision – create a hand-drawn map using the method above as a memory aid.
- Planning assignments – get an overview of your assignment and plan your paragraphs with a hand-drawn or digital map.

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