Introduction to Annotation

Discuss:1) Why should you annotate as you read? 2) What (and how) should you annotate?

ARWpbrereton@icu.ac.jp

Critical Annotations

Why do we annotate?

Annotating makes you a more active reader. It helps make reading more meaningful, it helps ensure that you understand, and it helps you remember key information. It also helps you to revise, because you can more quickly see the main points in the text. Annotating helps you build a deeper understanding of texts, and helps you make connections between different things you read. Annotating forces you to evaluate what a writer is saying and the evidence they use to support their claims.It also forces you to consider your own ideas in relation to the writer's ideas. Annotating helps you go beyond simple understanding, it gives you a critical understanding of the author's ideas and of your own beliefs.

How do we annotate?

1) Identify the Writer's Main Ideas This involves identifying and highlighting the most important ideas or quotes in the text. You may find it useful to write short summaries of the main ideas. 2) Analyse and Question the Writer's Views As you read, you should also consider how strong the author's ideas are. What evidence does the writer provide? Are their reasons good reasons? Are their examples generalisable, or are they based on their individual experiences? What is the basis of their arguments? Are there any counterarguments that they have missed? 3) Develop your Own Opinions This is the most challenging level of annnotation. This involves you thinking more deeply about the writer's ideas and how they relate to your own ideas. As you read, make notes about your own ideas/reactions/questions/experiences and how they compare to the writer.

When doing research, you will find it useful to annotate texts too. In this (very messy!) example, I have annotated a text with: - critical questions about the text - my own ideas based on the writer's ideas - comparisons with other writers' work - notes about my own research plans