Question: I have seen both options used interchangeably, is there a reason why?

* Example with ***on***: <https://www.springer.com/series/15362>

> 
> Lecture Notes **on** Data Engineering and Communications Technologies
> 
> 
>
* Example with ***in***: <https://www.springer.com/series/7818>

> 
> Lecture Notes **in** Electrical Engineering
> 
> 
>

What would then be the correct use in this case:

1. Lecture notes *on* predictive control
2. Lecture notes *in* predictive control

Answer: 
[Ngrams](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=lecture%20notes%20on%2Clecture%20notes%20in&year_start=1900&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3) shows both in use with comparable frequency

[![image](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fMpSR.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fMpSR.jpg)
[american-english](/questions/tagged/american-english "show questions tagged 'american-english'")

"On" to me is a shorthand for "on the topic of," e.g. "Lecture Notes on (the topic of) Data Engineering and Communications Technologies," while "in" is a shorthand for "in the field of," e.g. "Lecture Notes in (the field of) Electrical Engineering."

You would not say \* "the field of data engineering and communications technologies," nor \* "the topic of Electrical Engineering" (except in certain unusual contexts), thus the reversed titles seem wrong to me:

\* "Lecture notes in Data Engineering and Communications Technologies"   

\* "Lecture notes on Electrical Engineering"

Likewise, \* "Lecture notes in predictive control" doesn't sound right to me, so I would use "on" in that context:

"Lecture notes on Predictive Control"