To prepare learners for the arduous tasks of simultaneously listening to and taking notes during (English medium instruction) EMI lectures, instructors have implemented explicit notetaking instruction with some degree of success. However, many such studies focus on improvements within the instructed group and do not compare results with those from control groups, leading to questions of generalizability. Thus, questions remain as to whether explicit notetaking instruction generates better results than uninstructed notetaking practice (e.g., when the teacher says take notes). The present study involved control and intervention groups at the intermediate and advanced proficiency levels. The control groups received no explicit notetaking instruction, while the intervention groups received a 10-week period of scaffolded notetaking instructional cycle. Both groups completed lecture listening and notetaking activities prior to the explicit instruction. Student notes were collected and analyzed for information units, which are defined as the smallest item of information that on its own can be determined as true or false (Anderson, 2014). Statistical analysis of information unit scores show the notetaking instructional cycle had a significant impact on notetaking performance for the intervention groups. Pedagogic implications stemming from the findings are discussed, which have resonance for EMI and English for academic purposes (EAP) courses.