# Link lecture notes to readings without duplicating your work > Lecture notes often explain what matters for the course, while readings supply evidence, definitions, and detail. Keep each note intact in BrainDen, add a link where one source clarifies or challenges the other, and use backlinks to return to that relationship from either direction during revision. - Canonical page: https://www.brainden.app/tools/link-lecture-notes-to-readings - Source type: Lecture notes and readings - Study outcome: Linked study notes - Published: 2026-07-19 ## What this workflow gives you ### Keep each source in its own context A lecture and a reading can stay as separate, editable notes with their own attached material instead of being copied into one oversized document. ### Name the reason for every link Connect notes around a clear relationship such as prerequisite, example, evidence, disagreement, or extension so the link remains meaningful months later. ### Follow the connection both ways Backlinks resurface the lecture when you open the reading and the reading when you return to the lecture, even when they live in different folders. ## Build useful connections between lectures and readings 1. **Create or open both notes:** Keep the lecture note in its course folder and import the relevant reading as its own note. Correct titles and key terminology before making connections. 2. **Link at the point of relevance:** Add the related note where the lecture references a theory, study, example, or debate covered in the reading rather than collecting generic links at the bottom. 3. **Use backlinks during review:** Open a major concept note, inspect what links back to it, and select the small set of lecture and reading notes needed for the current exam topic. ## Example: a psychology lecture and journal article **Input:** A lecture note introducing working memory and a PDF article that reports an experiment on cognitive load during problem solving. **Possible output:** - A link from the lecture's cognitive-load section to the article note - A short relationship label explaining that the article supplies experimental evidence - A backlink from the article to the lecture where the theory was first introduced ## How to get a better result ### Link concepts, not merely documents A useful link answers why two notes belong together. Add it near the relevant passage and keep the surrounding sentence understandable when you revisit it. ### Do not replace citations with note links Internal links help you navigate your own library. Continue using the citation style and original source details required for academic writing and assessed work. ### Prune noisy connections Remove links that no longer help you explain, compare, or retrieve material. A smaller graph of deliberate relationships is easier to study than an indiscriminate web. ## Frequently asked questions ### What should I link between lecture notes and readings? Link definitions to fuller explanations, claims to evidence, theories to examples, and contrasting interpretations to each other. State the relationship so it is useful later. ### Do linked BrainDen notes have to be in the same folder? No. Notes can link across course, module, or topic folders, while each note remains in the location that best fits its primary context. ### What is a backlink in this workflow? A backlink shows that another note points to the note you are viewing. It lets you discover and follow the relationship from the opposite direction. ### Does linking notes combine their content? No. Links record relationships without merging or overwriting either note. You can select related notes later and read them together when broader context is useful. ## Related workflows - [How to Organize College Notes by Semester and Course](https://www.brainden.app/tools/organize-college-notes-by-semester.md) - [How to Review Multiple Notes Together for Exams](https://www.brainden.app/tools/review-multiple-notes-for-exams.md) - [PDF to Study Notes: Organize Long Files with AI](https://www.brainden.app/tools/pdf-to-study-notes.md) ## Use BrainDen Start this workflow in the [BrainDen web app](https://learn.brainden.app/create/text), or install BrainDen for [iPhone and iPad](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brainden-ai-study-companion/id6757434859) or [Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.brainden.app).