Annotating, and doing it well is a very important factor in finding the right evidence to use in work and projects. In high school we really zoned in on annotating and critical reading with the books we read. I was able to make key connections and come up with ideas others had not before. Now I feel as though I try to make more annotations about understanding, rather than trying to make connections. Susan Gilroy says to, “Mark up the margins of your text with words and phrases: ideas that occur to you,” which I do. I write down questions I may have, but also ones that others who are reading the article may have as well. Seen with my examples I try to make sense of what the author is saying. While annotating I’ll also underline information I believe to be important and will often use quotes from the underlined sections. I decide what to mark or discuss based off of what I underline and what sticks out to me. However, I do still need to further my annotation skills by, for example, “Set course readings against each other to determine their relationships” (Gilory). This could help me to set up a naysayer or even help to back up my claims and points. Having readings go against each other to find out their relationship is a skill that would prove beneficial to myself. I do also need to make more connections between my sources and not just try to further understandings.
Selection from Susan Gilroy, “Interrogating Texts: 6 Reading Habits to Develop in Your First Year at Harvard,” from Harvard Library: Research Guides (1980).
