Updated

Add one sentence about why the page mattered and capture the source details needed to judge it later.

Note why you need this passage

You save a long interview because one answer explains why customers abandon a setup process. Three weeks later, the title tells you nothing about that answer. Your saved note needs the location of the passage and the decision you were exploring. A full summary may hide the one detail you need.

Zotero note editor for recording context beside a source.
Example in Zotero. Write the reason you need the passage beside the saved reference.Zotero

Before and after

An editorial example, not a customer case

Before

Interesting interview about onboarding.

  • No relevant passage.
  • No question or next action.

After

Minute 12:40: the participant could not tell whether setup was complete. Revisit this when drafting our completion message.

  • The original remains identifiable.
  • The interpretation has a named use.
Zotero PDF reader with page thumbnails, highlights and source-linked notes.
Example in Zotero. The document, highlighted passage and cited note remain visible together.Zotero

Keep three layers separate

The original source connects to an interpretation and a future decision.
A note preserves the link between evidence and use. Editorial example.Signoapp
Source → interpretation → use

  1. Source

    Record the passage location, title, author and date.

  2. Interpretation

    Explain what you think the passage means. Mark uncertainty.

  3. Use

    Name the decision, task or question it may help with.

You can revise your interpretation without changing what the source said.

Why the distinction matters

The W3C Web Annotation Data Model separates an annotation from the resource it targets. In your notes, mark which words belong to the source and which are your comment. Record the page, paragraph or minute where the passage appears.

Copy a context note

Context note

Use your own words for the interpretation. Keep quotations short and clearly marked.

Source / URL:
Author and date:
Page, section or timestamp:
Relevant observation:
My interpretation:
Question this helps answer:
Next action:
What I still need to check:

Test it tomorrow

Sources and scope

  1. Keeping Found Things Found on the WebMicrosoft Research · 2001-11 · 2026-09-30

    An observational study of how people retain web information, reminders and context.

  2. Web Annotation Data ModelW3C · 2017-02-23 · 2026-09-30

    Defines the relationship between an annotation body and its target.

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