Is it copyright infringement for referencing books in personal study?

The proposed conduct would most likely be considered to be fair use of the original copyrighted work. Looking at the four factors for fair use, found at 17 USC 107: 1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; Your proposed use would be an educational purpose, and this would be a big advantage it should be enough on its own to win a determination of fair use, but let's go through the other factors, as well. 2. the nature of the copyrighted work; We'll assume that the copyrighted work is for-profit (most are). That hardly hurts you, though, once we look at the next factors. 3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; While it would be normal to "save" the most important parts of a work, 10 or so, even in a modest newspaper article, would not normally be considered "substantial." 4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. Here is your greatest advantage. There will be no harm to the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work, because your notes will not be an adequate substitute for the actual work.