

The purpose of annotating a literary text, such as a novel or a short story, is often to note and gather relevant information for discussions and writing assignments. Additionally, your raw thoughts can create great topics for discussion and debate in class. Writing down these things can help you understand your process as a reader, the writer’s process, and the subject matter of the article. Write down your thoughts, reactions, questions, etc.Discovering bias or unbacked statements can also help you form an argument and can create great questions to ask your professor in class or during office hours. This is where your critical eye will come in handy as you read the article.Note any bias or statements that aren’t backed with research that you discover in the article.These notes can help you form an opinion and even an argument about the article, aiding with potential class discussions and writing assignments. Make note of pieces of text that either support or contradict the thesis.Use the thesis statement to guide your reading as you ask questions and search for answers. Locate and highlight the thesis statement.Here are a few more tips for annotating an article: One of the best ways to get more out of an academic article is to read them with a critical eye: ask questions and search for answers.
BEST WAY TO ANNOTATE HOW TO
These articles may appear dense at first, but they will become easier to read as you advance through your program and learn how to annotate them.

Professors across all content areas will assign academic, peer-reviewed articles throughout your degree program. How to Annotate Academic Resources Annotating an Article What works for one person might not work for another, so try out multiple methods for annotation and find what works best for you. Creating annotations might look like highlighting sections of text or creating a guide with a key. Learning how to annotate a text is a great way to increase your retention of the information, prepare for class, and create easy-to-reference notes for studying and completing other assignments.Īnnotation may seem overwhelming at first, but there is no need to fear! Annotating a text is personal to you and the task at hand. Annotating a text is an effective close-reading strategy that every college student should be able to do. Annotating a Text: How to Annotate ReadingsĬlose reading a text is a great way to get the most out of an assigned reading.
