Listening to academic lectures in a second language (L2) can be a daunting task, as the listener faces various challenges related to processing the speech stream, prioritizing the importance of information, and deciding when, where and how to take notes. A host of factors can contribute to student comfort in and ability to take "good" notes during L2 lectures. This study explores student perspectives on personal, speaker, and contextual factors that impact notetaking in L2 lecture settings. To determine the extent to which these factors affect notetaking ability, participants (N = 711) studying on English for academic purposes (EAP) programs in five countries (Indonesia, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and the US) responded to an online survey. The present paper reports results holistically and from a cross-cultural perspective, leading to pedagogic implications and recommendations for students, EAP teachers, and English medium instruction (EMI) lecturers as well as any teachers who may teach groups with varying language proficiencies.