Annotating is all about connecting with a text. It allows you to express your feelings, thoughts, and emotions while reading to make deeper, more insightful connections. But how do you do this? Annotating a book or textbook is easy to do, and all you need is a highlighter, a pencil, and maybe a few sticky notes. In this article, we’ll teach you how to make clear notes and annotate like a pro!
The Best Way to Annotate: Top Tips
Circle or highlight words and phrases that connect to the main idea of a passage or describe a bigger picture. Write your personal reflections or questions about the plot in the margins to recall later for discussion or clarification. Summarize the text at the bottom of each page to remember what happens easily.
Steps
Community Q&A
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QuestionIf I'm doing this for school, should I buy a book or just get one from the library and use a notebook?Community AnswerI would say to buy the book so you don't have to bring both the book and a separate notebook to class every day.
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QuestionWhere do I put the Post-Its? Is there a certain place I'm supposed to place them?Community AnswerPut them at the top of the page upside-down so they hang out of the top. This allows you to quickly flip through them without having to open the book.
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QuestionIs there ever a wrong understanding of a book? I heard that every person has their own understanding of the meaning, it's never just one, is that true?Community AnswerYes, there can be a wrong interpretation, but that doesn't mean there's only ever one right answer. For example, if you read about a couple's fight, there might be several valid reasons for why they are fighting, but if you said the neighbor's dog was at fault, you'd probably be wrong.
Tips
- There's no "right" or "wrong" way to annotate books. Keeping things tidy and following a system may help you stay organized, but in the end, as long as you're annotating your books in a way that makes sense to you, it doesn't matter how you do it!Thanks
Tips from our Readers
- If you can, try to have fun with your annotations! Diving in and analyzing a text to death can actually be really enjoyable, if you're reading a book you like. (This might not always be the case for things you're forced to read for school!)
- If you have time, quickly skim through the book again after you finish reading it and make additional notes. Knowing you'll be reviewing the book after you finish it may help you stress less over what to take notes on the first time through.
- Unless you have to annotate the book for school, only make annotations if you actually want to. If it stresses you out or interrupts the reading flow, just read the book straight and enjoy the ride!
- Don't overthink your annotations. If you overthink what to make notes about, you'll end up making notes about every little thing, making your annotations kind of pointless!
Video
References
- ↑ https://research.ewu.edu/writers_c_read_study_strategies
- ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp1/chapter/annotating/
- ↑ https://www.kellogg.edu/upload/eng151text/chapter/text-how-to-annotate/index.html
- ↑ https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Annotating-a-Text/
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/reading-comprehension-tips/
- ↑ https://www.kellogg.edu/upload/eng151text/chapter/text-how-to-annotate/index.html
- ↑ https://loomis.libguides.com/c.php?g=564994&p=8344030
- ↑ https://research.ewu.edu/writers_c_read_study_strategies
- ↑ https://research.ewu.edu/writers_c_read_study_strategies
- ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494418301828
- ↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp1/chapter/annotating/
- ↑ https://thediaryofareader.com/2023/05/11/how-to-guide-for-annotating-books-like-a-pro/
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/using-highlighters/
- ↑ https://research.ewu.edu/writers_c_read_study_strategies
About This Article
To annotate a book, grab a highlighter or pencil if you can mark the book, or a pad of sticky notes if you can't. Read the book slowly and carefully, underlining, highlighting, or noting interesting parts as you encounter them. Draw circles around key words and phrases, and include reflections, comments, and questions in the margins. If you're annotating a longer book, write short summaries on sticky notes at the end of each section to jog your memory. For tips on choosing what to mark and note, scroll down!
Reader Success Stories
- "I've been putting down my memories of 86 years in a form that I learned from these articles is a narrative style. Now I feel so comfortable in my writing, my stories now have permission to dress up in adjectives I thought were once too many." ..." more