To read effectively is not easy. It requires focus and attention.

When you read actively, you will be participating in an ongoing conversation with the author in which you respond to and question the text. The notes that you take while reading document this dialogue. Your active involvement through note taking will keep you from getting distracted and missing important points. It’s also nice to have something to show for your hard work when you are finished reading!

Marking Your Text

Don’t be afraid to write in your book (as long as you own it)! Mark your text by highlighting, underlining, or circling important parts that you might want to return to later. These may include main ideas, examples used to support the argument, illustrations of important points, or sections where the focus of the argument shifts.

For more ideas on how to mark your text, see the handout, "While You Read: Strategies for Close Reading."

Commenting on the Text: Taking It a Step Further

Your involvement as a reader is not limited to just highlighting and underlining the author’s words. Writing your own comments in the margins as you read is a process called annotation. This is your chance to reflect on and challenge the meanings of what you read: record your questions and objections. Draw comparisons and comment on discrepancies.

Annotation also includes writing down definitions of words or terms that you come upon that are not already familiar to you. You may also choose to rearticulate or summarize an idea or argument to clarify it.

Why Annotate?

Annotating helps you to remember and internalize the material you read. It also encourages you to reflect on the text, and come up with your own ideas, perhaps for future essays.

Remember…

Try to put the author’s ideas into your own words when you refer to them. This will help you to really understand and remember what you have read.