Information Literacy
Mind Mapping
A mind map (or concept map) is an excellent way to explore ideas and relationships between concepts visually.
You can create a mind map for anything, with anything! They can be used for academic, professional, creative, and/or personal purposes and can be created on paper, digitally, or using whatever medium you want.
In the context of research, mind maps can help you organize your thoughts and define your topic. They can also be used to take notes about a film, artwork, article, or book that you're trying to understand better.
- Theory of Concept Maps Learn more about the theory behind concept maps and suggested ways to make and use them. 2008 report by Joseph D. Novak and Alberto J. Cañas of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition
Benefits and uses:
- Take notes in a non-linear way
- Generate new ideas
- Trigger quick word associations
- Make connections between your ideas
- Organize information
- Determine how to structure a project
- Illustrate multiple aspects of a complex topic simultaneously
Tips:
- Utilize colors, shapes, line weights, fonts, and other design aspects to make associations
- You might use a color code, etc., to identify, group, or associate concepts, themes, keywords, classes, or categories
- Consider who, what, when, where, how, why
Mind map by Austin Kleon, made for the NOVA episode "What are Dreams?" CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Mind map by Austin Kleon, created in reference to the documentary Visual Acoustics. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Concept map for Italian Futurism created by Ellen Petraits, RISD Fleet Library. CC BY
Mind map created in response to an article, "Uncanny University," published by The Economist in August 2020. The map was created by Lucy Blakemore, University of Technology, Sydney. CC BY-SA 4.0
Mind map about The North Face's status as a brand in 2007, created by Michelle Rose.
Mind map for Virginia Woolf's The Lighthouse, created by Vitaly Repin (2013). CC BY-SA 3.0
Mind map by Tony Buzan.
Tutorials
- Concept mapping tutorial from RISDTutorial created by Ellen Petraits at RISD's Fleet Library
- Interactive mind mapping tutorial from University of Arizona LibrariesHennig, Nicole, and Yvonne Mery. "Mind Mapping for Focusing Your Topic." CORA (Community of Online Research Assignments), 2021.
Online Templates and Tools
There are many digital tools to aid in creating these maps. Some are free, others cost money; some require you to create an account, others do not. Below, we have included a selection of recommended tools:
- Canva Concept Map TemplatesYou need to have a Canva account to use. Limited features for the free option.
- Bubl.usThis site does not require you to register for an account. Limited features for the free option.
- Mind MeisterYou need to register for an account. Limited features for the free option.
- PadletLimited features for the free option.
- MiroLimited features for the free option.
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