How to annotate

These are some tips to get you started with annotating the theory and the subreddit you are investigating.

THEORY

  • You can look up difficult words or unknown allusions in a text and share your research as annotations.
  • You can highlight, tag, and annotate words or passages that are confusing to you in your readings.
  • You can identify formal textual elements and broader social and historical contexts at work in specific passages.

REDDIT

  • You can mark and explain the use of rhetorical strategies used by the community members. You can also elaborate on how and why a certain strategy is being used by the author.
  • You can ask research questions that pop up when reading through the subreddit.
  • You can highlight how different community members are interpreting each other’s comments – especially when you suspect there is a pattern in how they do this.
  • You can share your personal opinion on a controversial topic as discussed in a thread or discussion.

GENERAL

  • Good annotations are concise (think: a long tweet), well-written (although not too formal), and observant (rather than evaluative).
  • Try to not ask generic questions (“What does X mean with this?”) but be as precise as you can. If you want to offer critique, try to refrain from generic judgement (“I think X is wrong to say this”) but refer to other sources, or demonstrate why the argument you are critiquing is problematic.
  • You may respond to another student’s annotations, if you want. They will go towards your count.