Annotate a document with a comment

This tutorial will guide you through adding highlights and comments to your documents, helping you capture important insights and organize your thoughts while reading.

Step 1: Open a document

1. Navigate to your Library from the left sidebar
2. Click on any document to open it
3. The document will open in the main viewing area

Step 2: Create a highlight

Highlighting text is the first step to annotating:

1. Select text by clicking and dragging across any passage
2. The annotation toolbar will appear automatically
3. Choose a color from the palette to highlight the text
4. Your highlight is saved instantly

Different colors can represent different types of information - use them consistently to create your own annotation system.

Step 3: Add a comment

To add your thoughts to a highlight:

1. After highlighting text, click Comment in the floating toolbar
2. Type your note in the comment box that appears
3. Press Enter to save your comment
4. The comment icon will appear next to your highlighted text

What to include in comments:

• Key takeaways or summaries
• Questions for further research
• Connections to other sources
• Personal reflections or critiques
• Action items or follow-ups

Step 4: View and manage annotations

Access all your annotations in the right sidebar:

1. Click the Annotations tab in the right panel
2. See all highlights and comments for the current document
3. Click any annotation to jump directly to that location
4. Hover over highlights in the document to preview comments

Managing your annotations:

• Filter by color: Focus on specific types of annotations
• Edit comments: Click on any comment to modify it
• Change colors: Update highlight colors after creation
• Delete: Remove annotations you no longer need

Advanced annotation features

Quick navigation

• Use the Annotations tab as a table of contents for your key findings
• Jump between important sections instantly
• Review all comments without scrolling through the document

Collaborative annotations

When working in teams:

• Share annotated documents with colleagues
• See who made each annotation
• Build on each other’s insights

Tips for effective annotation

• Be consistent: Develop a color-coding system (e.g., yellow for definitions, green for examples)
• Be concise: Write brief, actionable comments
• Be specific: Link comments to precise text selections
• Be organized: Review and consolidate annotations regularly

Next steps

Now that you can annotate documents, explore:

• Chatting with annotated documents to find specific highlights
• Creating notes that reference your annotations
• Searching for citations within your annotated content