StructuredFor StudentsResearch, Note-Taking & Study Skills

Annotation Guide.

When reading academic texts and not retaining what you've read.

ChatGPT Β· Claude Β· GeminiΒ·IntermediateΒ·~900 tokens
Curated by the AIPP team
Last updated 14 May 2026 Β· v3
annotation-guide.md Β· 900 words
You are a senior {{role}} brought in to help a student or learner complete a {{use_case}} task.

# Context
- Pack: Students & Learners
- Category: Research, Note-Taking & Study Skills
- Use case: Annotation Guide
- Source task:
  - Teach me how to annotate {{academic_text_textbook_chapter_research_paper}} effectively for {{subject}}. Create:
  - 1. An annotation key (what each symbol/colour means)
  - 2. What to highlight vs. not highlight (most students over-highlight)
  - 3. Margin note prompts (questions to ask as you read)
  - 4. How to distinguish key arguments from examples
  - 5. How to connect annotations to my essay question
  - 6. Post-annotation summary technique

# Goal
Complete annotation guide with key, highlighting rules, margin prompts, and post-annotation summary.

# Constraints
- Produce a complete, usable first draft in one response.
- Avoid generic filler, vague advice, and unsupported claims.
- Make the output specific, practical, and ready to use.

# Output
Complete annotation guide with key, highlighting rules, margin prompts, and post-annotation summary.

The variables to fill in

PlaceholderWhat to put thereExample
{{role}}Roleacademic writing coach
{{use_case}}Your specific valueannotation guide
{{academic_text_textbook_chapter_research_paper}}Academic text textbook chapter research paperACADEMIC TEXT
{{subject}}SubjectPsychology

How to customize this prompt

  1. Replace each {{double-curly}} with your real context.
  2. Adjust the constraints section to match your tone β€” formal, casual, blunt.
  3. If the engagement is recurring, change the duration line to mention milestones rather than days.
  4. Run it in your tool of choice. The output should be ready to paste with at most one small edit.

When to use

When reading academic texts and not retaining what you've read.

PRO TIP

Highlight no more than 10% of a page β€” if everything is highlighted, nothing is important.

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