Note: I’ve since migrated (a) to org-fc.
I use Anki to help myself remember the things I learn. I found creating cards, as well as managing existing cards, was easier after creating custom note types to represent specific information.
Most of my cards include a common field: Source. I like to keep track of where I found the information that went into the card, be that Wikipedia, a textbook, a blog, etc.
I’ve included a download link with each of the custom note types rather than listing the explicit field and card template information. Each apkg file contains one instance of the specified note type. Importing it into your Anki will also provide you with the associated note type and you can delete the specific instance of the card.
General Purpose
Basic with Source
The base Basic note with an additional field for a source.
Basic (and reversed card) with Source
The base “Basic (and reversed card)” note with an additional field for a source.
Cloze with Source
The base Cloze note with an additional field for a source.
Authors and their Work
Author
For associating an author with their sources.
The Author note includes a field for the author’s name and a few fields for sources, Source1, Source2, etc. A single card is created which asks me to recall the full list of sources given the author’s name.
Source
A particular work by one or more authors.
The Source note includes a field for the source’s title and a few fields for authors, Author1, Author2, etc. A single card is created which asks me to recall the full list of authors given the source’s title.
Concepts and Terms
Definition
For defining terms and concepts.
The Definition note includes fields for the term, definition, context, and a source. Two cards are created for each instance of this note. The first asks me to recall the definition given the term and the context. The second asks me to recall the term given the definition and the context.
Describe
For prompting a more well-rounded description of a concept, rather than a single point.
The Describe note includes fields for the concept, context, description, and source. Two cards are created for each instance of this note. The first asks me to recall the description given the concept and context. The second asks me to recall the concept given the description and context.
Examples
For examples of concepts.
The Example note includes fields for the concept, example(s), and source. Two cards are created for each instance of this note. The first asks me to provide examples for the given concept. The second asks me to recall the concept given one or more examples.
Related Concepts
AKA
For concepts and terms with which go by multiple names.
The AKA note includes multiple term fields (Term1, Term2, etc). One card is created for each term I include. These cards ask me to recall the other names given a single name.
Compare/Contrast
For highlighting the difference and similarities between related concepts.
The Compare/Contrast note includes fields for the concept, context, and comparisons and contrasts. A single card is created which asks me to recall the similarities and contrasts given the concept and context.
Download Compare/Contrast note (a)
Denotes
For associating a term or concept with one or more, often symbolic, representations.
The Denotes note includes a field for context and description as well as multiple fields for symbols (Symbol1, Symbol2, etc). A card is created for each symbol I provide which asks me to recall the description given the symbol and context. One more card is created, regardless of the number of symbols I provide, which asks me to recall all of the symbols given the description and context.
Equivalence
For mathematical equivalencies: A = B = C.
The Equivalence note includes six pairs of fields for an expression and label: Expression1, Label1, Expression2, Label2, etc. The labels are used to imitate the appearance of a labeled Cloze deletion (eg: “The quick [color] fox jumps over the lazy dog”). Up to 30 cards are created for each instance of this note to account for all combinations of the six pairs of fields.