Miles (1905) has some interesting things to say with respect to collecting, “business-like brevity” (aka atomic notes), annotations for thinking/arranging/marking cards, summarizing, etc.

Miles, Eustace Hamilton. How to Prepare Essays, Lectures, Articles, Books, Speeches and Letters, with Hints on Writing for the Press. London: Rivingtons, 1905. http://archive.org/details/howtoprepareessa00mileuoft.

Especially interesting: Chapter XXIV The Card-System.