ENG 112 - Thierauf

Whether you are reviewing articles for your research project or creating an annotated bibliography, have in process for annotating articles can help you with your research.  One way to develop your annotation skills is to use standardized symbols/mark ups when reviewing an article. 

Watch the video on this page, then look at the sample symbol/mark-up key below to get ideas for how you can create a key for annotating your articles!

Creating a key for annotating articles will help you consistently locate information in an article and assist with annotated bibliographies.  You can annotate by hand or digitally.

Steps to Annotating a Source

1. Survey: This is your first time through the reading

• Look through the article/chapter/book.
• Ask if the article is a useful and trustworthy source. (Who wrote it? Who published it? Who is the audience?)
• Note the title--what does it tell you about the article’s topic/argument?
• Is there an Abstract (paragraph that summarizes topic, questions, research methods, findings)?
• Subheadings--what do they tell you?
• Note bold/italicized terms.

2. Skim: This is your second time through the reading

• Read the first few sentences of the first few paragraphs
• Identify the main thesis.
• Underline the thesis (the main argument or viewpoint, one or two sentences) and write it in your own words in the margin.
• Continue reading the first sentence or two of the body paragraphs.
• Highlight the point of each paragraph and summarize it in the margin in your own words.

3. Read: This is your third time through the reading

• Now that you have a good idea of the article’s thesis, read through the entire article and look for more details. Highlight supporting evidence.
• Write any questions you have in the margins.
• Circle any words you don’t recognize, look them up in a dictionary, and write their meanings in the margins.

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