What is Annotation and Why Would I Do It?

It is a way of taking notes--an active reading strategy that helps you understand what you read.
In a way, it is like having a conversation with the text you read.
Annotating will help you remember (for tests, for example) and to be able to discuss what you
have read.
When you annotate, you mark up the text to show main idea, supporting points, related
thoughts, questions, and agreements or disagreements you may have with the material.
Annotating is an individual skillno one does it the same, but we could probably figure out
what each others annotations mean since readers tend to look for the same kinds of things
Highlighters: Unlike the highlighting in this handout that calls attention to the main ideas, avoid
highlighting for annotation because it is a more complex process. When you review text that is
highlighted, your eyes tend to go to the bright color and this makes focusing on other parts of the
writing more difficult. But, using different colored inks to code the kinds of things you are annotating is
often quite helpfulbut takes more work.

Here are things to do when you annotate. You should establish your own methods of
annotating and your own set of symbols:

1. Circle or otherwise mark any unfamiliar words. Later you can come back and write a
synonym or brief definition of these words in the margin if they are critical to meaning.

2. Underline main ideas. Also mark supporting details with arrows or
another symbol to show that they connect to the main idea.

3. Make short notes in your own words when you dont readily understand an idea. This is called
paraphrasing. Epidemics are when lots of people get sick.

4. When a process is explained, write in numbers to indicate the steps. Do this, too with lists,
important details written in sequence, etc. 1. 2. 3.

5. If something in the text causes you to ask a question, put a question mark next to this part in the
margin. Write your question if it is not obvious so that you can get an answer later.
?

6. If something in the text causes you want to comment, write down the comment in the margin.
I wonder why the author doesnt mention measles or mumps here.

7. If you cant write in a text, instead you can use Post-Its and paste them in next to the points you
want to recall, discuss, and use.