Annotate

Annotating text is a purposeful note taking system. It encourages close reading and literary analysis. When you go back to review a book or article, your annotations should help you find important information and jog your memory about relevant information. Your annotation system can be highly personalized, but you should establish your method before you start to read.

Steps

Highlighting Important Information

1. Read the assignment carefully to identify priorities. If you annotate everything you read, your annotations won’t really help you find what you need when the time comes. Before you start reading, decide what you are looking for. If you are in secondary school, you may want to ask your teacher for a list of suggested annotations.
   • Clearly annotate the thesis and key parts of the argument in an essay. Underline evidence that you find questionable. This will be useful if you want to argue that the author’s thesis is wrong.
   • Annotations on works of literature usually identify plot, character, and theme. However, they can also include setting, vocabulary and figurative language.
   • If you are reading for pleasure, highlight points that you found very interesting and that you might want to go back to. Consider, for example, annotating quotes that you really like and might want to use later. In addition, if you run across a big idea that changes the way you think, highlight it so that you can return to it.
2. Read closely. Successful annotation is only possible if you are always reading actively. Consider reading shorter works multiple times, circling things you had trouble understanding the first time.
3. Highlight theme and thesis. No matter what your assignment is, you will need to understand the big idea of the text. Any part of the book that seems to speak to a major idea, should be clearly marked. Consider drawing a big asterisk in the margins so that you can easily find these elements later.
4. Keep writing utensils on you at all times. If you miss something important it can be very difficult to go back and find it. Yellow highlighter is the best way to mark text without making it hard to read. Pencil is easy to erase if you want to correct something or return the book to a pristine condition after you finish. </ref>
   • Pen generally isn’t recommended because a lot of pen annotations can make the text messy, but if you are going to be taking notes sparingly and want permanent reminders, pen can work.
5. Write notes on Post-it notes. If you don’t want to dirty up your copy of the book with a lot of writing, place Post-it notes in the book and write comments on them. This will also make it easier to find your notes when you are done.
6. Highlight important passages. Taking a yellow highlighter to important parts of the reading is the best way to mark relevant sections without making it harder to read. However, you can also circle and underline words. Consider using different annotations to identify different topics.
   • Most e-book readers will allow you to highlight passages. Marvin will even allow you to use multiple colors when highlighting the text.
7. Use different techniques to identify characters or literary tropes. Use circles, boxes, multiple colors, and so on. The more techniques you use to annotate the text, the easier it will be to find specific types of information. You can, for example, circle vocabulary you have trouble with so you can easily skim through and find vocabulary later. How you use each type of annotation will depend upon what you need to look for in the text.
   • For example, you may want to circle new vocabulary, box figurative language, underline thematic statements, and place parenthesis around descriptions of setting. Most e-readers don’t allow so many different types of annotations, but some, like Clearview, offer at least a few types of annotation.
   • You can use different color highlighters to identify text relevant to character, theme, or setting. You can also use different color highlighters to identify important statements about different characters.
   • You can create different symbols to make it easier to identify relevant pages. For example, an asterisk in the margins or top of the page could identify pages with major parts of the argument. You can use arrows to point to quotes that you know you will use during the essay.
8. Create a legend for your annotations. Make a list that explains what each type of annotation you use means. If you are using a print out, write the key on a blank piece of paper attached to the printout. For an e-reader, write a note at the beginning of the text. The front page of a book can also be a great place to write out your index.
9. Be consistent. Try to develop a method that you can use for future assignments. After several assignments, you may no longer need to use a legend to keep your annotations straight.
10. Only highlight information that will be useful for your assignment. Overly underlined or marked text can be hard to decode. Be sure to identify what you are looking for in advance and limit annotations to text that is relevant to your assignment. If you annotate everything, your annotations won’t help you find what you need when you review the book.
    • Try to have a preliminary thesis as you read so that you know what quotes will be useful for your argument. Your thesis can, and probably should, change as you read. But having something at the beginning will help you identify important material.

Taking Notes

1. Write out your own original ideas in the margins. When you find a passage that may apply to your assignment, create brackets around the text. Then, record significant observations or ideas in the margins. If you do not want to mark up the text so much, you can write your observations on Post-it Notes or a separate piece of paper with page numbers listed.
   • A common mistake with annotations is to underline too much and take too few notes. Your notes will help you to make important connections that you can refer to later. Otherwise, you might forget what it was that you found to be important about the underlined section.
   • E-readers also allow you to place notes in the text of the book and sometimes to export them to your computer. Most allow you to instantly search through your notes for keywords. “Skim” allows you to include different types of notes in the text and automatically creates bibliographies with your notes.
2. Make predictions as you read. Write down predictions so that you can return to the text later and remember where you think the text was going. This can be a good way to think about how the story or argument evolves and to pick out any curve balls the author might have thrown.
3. Keep an index of key information. Write down page numbers and a short description for the most important parts of the book. Try to group these comments by relevant subject, like theme, character change and repetitive figurative language on your additional note pages. For a book, consider putting the index on the front page. Otherwise, write them on a separate page, or in a word file.
   • Keep a list of themes and important figurative elements. This is especially important if you are going to be asked to do a literary analysis or write an essay. You can write these on a separate piece of paper, or on blank page in the front of the book.
   • List comments and page numbers under each theme. The more detailed you are, the easier it will be to write a paper and provide evidence.
4. Summarize every chapter. Summarize the important points of each chapter. This will make it easier to go back and find relevant material. In addition, it will force you to digest what you read. Consider writing your own title for the chapter. This will help you think about the theme and major events of each chapter.
   • In a book, you can write this in the space between chapters. For e-books, write notes at the end of the text in the chapter. You can also write comments on a separate piece of paper or in a word file.

Using Annotations to Understand a Tough Text

1. Write down questions that you have. When you hit parts of the book that you have trouble understanding or that you think require deeper analysis, write questions in the margins. Return to these after you finish the book to see if you can answer them. Questioning the text is a good way to produce original opinions about it.
2. Write definitions. When you encounter a word that you’re having trouble with, circle it. Look it up when you can and write the definition next to it.
3. Keep Vocabulary Records. Create a list of words that you circled. Go back and study it before you re-read the chapter. This will make it easier to understand the passage the second time.
4. Number important steps in plot development or argument. When you are trying to understand a process or a plot line, write down numbers on the margins. Number each step in the process as you encounter it. Then, when you go back, you can quickly identify how something happened.
   • If, for example, you are reading a book on chemistry, you could number each step necessary to produce a chemical reaction.

Tips

• Remember to erase pencil notations before returning the book to a library or school classroom.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Post-it notes
• Highlighter
• Annotation legend
• Homework assignment
• List of plot, themes and characters
• Page numbers
• Vocabulary list
• Extra paper
• Eraser

Sources and Citations

See also

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• Write Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
• Diagram Sentences
• Write a Short Story
• Write a Good Story
• Write a Review
• Quote in a Research Paper

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