# Highlight with a question, not a color habit

Source: https://www.signoapp.com/en/blog/highlight-with-a-purpose
Language: en-US
Author: Signoapp Team
Published: 2026-10-29T06:25:00.000Z
Modified: 2026-10-29T06:25:00.000Z

Highlight only a passage that answers a live question, supports a claim, or deserves a response.

## Put it into practice

Start with a few familiar references. Highlight only a passage that answers a live question, supports a claim, or deserves a response. If you still cannot find what you need, change the rule and try again.

![Zotero PDF reader with page thumbnails, highlights and source-linked notes.](https://www.signoapp.com/assets/editorial/screenshots/zotero-pdf-reader.jpg)

Example in Zotero. Each highlighted passage retains its page context while you decide what it supports. [Zotero](https://www.zotero.org/support/pdf_reader#creating_annotations)

## Work through one real item

Work through one real item

1. Step 1: State the question before reading.
2. Step 2: Mark evidence with its location.
3. Step 3: Write disagreement in your own words.
4. Step 4: End with the next action or a deliberate stop.

Try these steps with your own files. Keep the ones that help you find a reference or decide what to do with it.

![Creating a Zotero note from PDF annotations while retaining source links.](https://www.signoapp.com/assets/editorial/screenshots/zotero-annotation-note.png)

Example in Zotero. Move the selected annotations into a note, then explain the question they help answer. [Zotero](https://www.zotero.org/support/pdf_reader#adding_annotations_to_notes)

## What the source supports

### Microsoft Research

Observed methods people use to keep web information and the value of preserving reminders and context. Read Keeping Found Things Found on the Web. We suggest this guide's steps as an exercise. The source did not evaluate their results.

[Keeping Found Things Found on the Web](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/keeping-found-things-found-web/)

## Choose what to do

Connect reading to a live question

| Reading state | Keep | Leave behind |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What to try | Highlight only a passage that answers a live question, supports a claim, or deserves a response. | Record whether the item stays, changes, or goes, and why. |
| Scanning | Only likely sections | Question and location |
| Reading closely | Claims and evidence | Quotation and response |
| Done | Decision or next action | Clean handoff note |

## Check the result

- [ ] I recorded what happened in the test, even if it differed from what I expected.
- [ ] Highlights answer a named question.
- [ ] Notes retain source context.
- [ ] A long document has a resume point.
- [ ] The queue has an active limit.

## When to use another approach

### When to use another approach

More notes do not guarantee better understanding. Stop when new reading no longer changes the decision or fills a known gap.

## Sources reviewed

- [Keeping Found Things Found on the Web](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/keeping-found-things-found-web/): Microsoft Research. Observed methods people use to keep web information and the value of preserving reminders and context.
- [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/): World Wide Web Consortium. Descriptive headings, meaningful sequence, language metadata, focus visibility, and accessible relationships.