Frequently Asked Questions

  • Why can't I view notes?

    You probably don't have enough credits. To make sure Noteswap is a useful resource for everyone, we require you to contribute a bit before you can start viewing them. You can read more about credits here.

  • Why does it tell me I don't have enough credit when I've uploaded a bunch of notes?

    You may still be below the credit requirement due to pending notes. These are notes that you've uploaded but haven't added and saved any details about. You must enter at least the semester and title for your notes to receive credit for them. Click here to see if you have any pending notes. Additionally, if you have deleted any of your notes you will no longer receive credit for them.

  • Can you add my professor / course / department?

    If you notice that we don't have your professor listed for a specific course, you can add your professor a couple of different ways.
    • During the upload process, select the 'New Professor' option from the Professor dropdown after you've selected the department and course.
    • On the classroom page, view 'All Professors' for the course. Then click 'add to my classes', which will allow you to select 'New Professor' from a dropdown and enter the professor's information.
    There is currently no way for users to add departments or courses. For now, use the feedback form to contact us and request a new department or course for your school.

  • Can I get in trouble for using Noteswap?

    If you are uploading lecture notes that you've taken yourself, you should be fine. Course materials such as syllabi, study guides created by professors, and tests, are usually protected by copyright and are eligible for deletion from Noteswap. Ultimately, whether or not you can be punished depends on your professors and university and their own codes for student conduct pertaining to online resources such as Noteswap. On the issue of copyright laws and how they apply to a student's interpretation of a lecture, a student's notes are, by all legal precedent, his or her intellectual property and are free to be disseminated in any way they wish. This has been supported on several occasions - most notably in 1996 when a Florida appeal courts ruled against The University of Florida after it took legal action against the commercial note-taking service "A-plus notes" on claims that the company violated both copyright and trademark rights. Citing the fair use doctrine, the ruling implied the contents of a professor's lecture, delivered in a public setting, are not protected by copyright laws, nor owned by the university. For more information about what is and is not allowed, please read the Noteswap Terms of Service,

  • Can my professor(s) see what notes I've uploaded?

    By default, your name is shown on the note page for each of your Notes when you upload them. Technically, if your professor creates a Noteswap account and earns enough credit to be able to view others' notes, they would be able to see your name. However, you can hide your name on the notes you've uploaded by viewing your Settings, and changing your option for the 'Hide User Name' setting.

  • How can I edit / delete my notes?

    You sure can! We recently added the Notebook, where you can view, edit, and delete the notes you've uploaded to Noteswap.

  • The note viewer is only showing me a "Document Preview", why can't I view the full note?

    This usually means that you do not have Flash installed on your browser. Our current note viewer requires Flash to view the entire note on the page. Unfortunately, this means that iPhones and iPads can not currently view notes.

  • How can I delete my Noteswap account?

    Currently, there is no way to delete your account yourself. If you would like to close your account, please email us at [email protected] using the email address you use for Noteswap and we can delete it for you.