Taking notes and annotating texts

Annotating texts

• What do you do now?• DON’T just read – the

aim is to engage with the texts, see it like a conversation

• How do YOU learn best? This isn’t the same for everyone but you have to find your way: pictures, colours, flash cards etc

Reading books

• Don’t start at page 1 and read it all the way through

• Always begin at the end, then go to the beginning – read the conclusion, then the intro.

• Look in the index for the themes which you need to pull out of the book.

• Read selectively and analytically

Techniques

annotating• It keeps all your info in one

place • It allows you to go back to

the text easily if you need to but means you don’t have to redo the whole thing

• BUT you have to own the books and you have to still take notes on THEMES

Separate notes • All your notes on all the

topics are together• More condensed than

annotating • You can use colour and

layout of your choice • BUT you have to go back to

the books, if your notes are rubbish then it’s a waste of time

How to annotate

In the margin • Use symbols (see handout) • Highlight important events

in the text. • Comment (in a different

colour) • Spot where summaries are

made (great for revision)

In the text • Mark up useful quotations • Underline only key passages• Note the rhetorical

techniques used by the author, the buzzwords of the academic discipline. If you can master these it’s like the secret handshake of being “smart”

Taking Notes • Don’t rewrite the book verbatim, you’re not a copier you’re

a scholar so reduce it to it’s bones. • Read the conclusion and the subtitles FIRST use these as a

structure for your own notes – that way you’ll know if you’re missing anything when you’re reading through.

• Look up any words you don’t understand straight away. Everyone does it you’ll look way stupider by just brushing over and not getting it!

• Try to remember and you’ll forget. Try to understand and you’ll remember.

• Note in the language you are reading in

Knowing yourself • Some people work better

with pictures• Some of you will be

sciencey – so use formulas • Some people like text, BUT

Nobody works best with biro over scrumpled notepaper!

• Some people like computers (onenote is awesome)

• some like flash cards

annotations

• Try: • • Not to use a highlighter (use a pencil or light-

coloured ink instead)• • To underline sparingly( if you go nuts, it

becomes really hard to read, just the important stuff)• • To record your reactions and to summarize

arguments as you read (I would use different colours for a summary of the authors arguments and my own comments on them)

Here are some useful symbols (ideographs?) and abbreviations for you to use in the margin as you annotate:

• θ main theme• ∆↔ change in the direction of the argument• df definition(combine this with underling/ highlighting) • e.g. for example• i.e. that is (elaboration of key ideas)• key phrase or quotation (again highlight) • Q, A question, answer (obviously these are separate, maybe

do these in a different area from other annotations so as not to get them mixed up)

• sig significance of evidence or argument• C Concepts – the big ideas

Other useful tips:• Look for and mark pivotal words (words that indicate a change in the direction of

the argument) such as “but,” “however,” “nevertheless,” and so forth. These words often signal a point that the author wants to emphasize or set off the author’s opinion from the views with which he or she disagrees.

• Look for and mark indications of importance, such as “it is worth noting that,” “it is significant that,” “most important,” and so forth. These are like flags for key points.

• Look for and mark words indicating summary, such as “”thus,” “in conclusion,” and so forth. Often these come at the start of a paragraph.

• You can often get away with looking at the first and last lines of a paragraph, a good author should sum up most of the content there.

• Look at the conclusion and the structure of a piece BEFORE you read it, get out of the habit of starting on page one. It’s better if you know what’s coming.

• Try to avoid visual clutter (that is, you should avoid over-marking a page).• Make thematic connections and synthesize information as you read. That way,

your notes and annotations will be well-organized when you return to the text to study.

EXERCISE

• Split into groups (number off) • Each group has a different section and is given

a different technique, you have 15 minutes to read the piece and summarise it using the noting technique you were given

• Then pass the notes to the group next to you THEY will then write a 1 paragraph outline of your article on the board.