2.5 Annotations (And Downloading this Book)
What is an Annotation?
Annotating a text means actively engaging with what you read by taking notes along the way. This often includes marking the text, such as underlining, highlighting, or using symbols (stars or asterisk), as well as writing brief summaries, reactions, or questions in the margins. If you prefer not to write directly in a textbook, you can use sticky notes or keep your annotations on a separate sheet of paper. No matter which method you choose, annotation helps focus your attention and improves retention. Keep in mind that effective annotation goes beyond simply highlighting or marking symbols. Strong annotations combine visual cues with written notes and summaries; otherwise, you may not remember why a particular word or passage stood out to you. It also makes it easier to locate key ideas later when preparing for a writing assignment or participating in a class discussion.
Example Annotation
Following are some recommendations for how to annotate this textbook.
If You’d Like to Annotate on Your Screen:
- On your device, navigate to Delving Into Writing and Rhetoric – Simple Book Publishing (https://nic.pressbooks.pub/delvingintowriting/)
- Select “Download this book” to open a menu of file format options.
- Choose the format that works best for your device:
- Select Digital PDF if you have Adobe Acrobat DC or a similar PDF-editing program.
- Choose EPUB or MOBI for phones, tablets (like iPads), or eReaders (such as Kindle or Nook). Note that some devices may require an additional app to enable editing or annotation.
- If there is a different format you need, let me know and I can try to provide it.
- After downloading and opening the file, use your application’s tools to highlight key passages and add notes.
- Tip: It can also be helpful to keep additional notes in a separate notebook or digital document.
If You’d Prefer to Annotate on Paper:
- Warning: Because there is so much in a digital textbook and formatting is inefficient, I don’t recommend printing the entire textbook. Additionally, I do edit the textbook periodically.
- Similar to the above, visit Delving Into Writing and Rhetoric – Simple Book Publishing (https://nic.pressbooks.pub/delvingintowriting/)
- Click “Download this book” to access the format options.
- Select Print_PDF to download a printable version of the textbook.
Attributions
ENG 101 & 102 Rhetoric Copyright © 2024 by Central Arizona College; Shelley Decker; Kolette Draegan; Tatiana Keeling; Heather Moulton; and Lynn Gelfand is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
This chapter has additions, edits, and organization by James Charles Devlin.
