Annotations

What are annotations?

Annotations are a basic scholarly method in the humanities for making notes within and alongside a text or artifact. Annotation is closely related to the concepts of paratext, marginalia, and mark-up since annotation always situates itself in relation to the object annotated (Clement and Fisher). What it means to annotate an artifact will look different depending on the artifact annotated. A film may be annotated by describing its editing techniques, cinematography, script, actors, or alt-text and image description for audiences with disabilities. An audio recording could be annotated based on speakers, environmental sounds, transcription, or distortion. Scholars across disciplines will annotate audiovisual artifacts with different goals in mind.

How does annotation differ from transcription?

Annotation does not always involve transcription, but it can. Transcription, writing down the words stated by a speaker on an audio or video recording, can be one important mode of annotation that allows access to audio or video for audiences unable to view or listen to the artifact because of institutional rights or differing abilities. Transcripts are also searchable in a way that an audio or video recording cannot be. See our resource bank on transcription conventions for more information on transcribing your AV materials.

What are the different types of annotations that AVAnnotate supports?

AVAnnotate allows users to integrate text, images, and links. This means that annotations can take multiple forms depending on the type of project being developed. Annotations that are uploaded via the Event Annotation spreadsheet will appear directly under the media player, while contextual information (like accompanying essays, additional images, etc.) can be added to different pages within a project.

How long should annotations be?

Annotation length may range from a single word, symbol, or image, to multiple paragraphs. The length of an annotation depends on the artifact being annotated and how annotations are being organized, such as in terms of the layer and index. It’s suggested that developers make shorter annotations as they are more accessible, searchable, and legible in AVAnnotate’s interface.

How long should it take to annotate?

The time it takes to annotate will differ according to the goals of a project, length of an artifact, and the detail and experience of the developer. Generally, we’ve found that it takes three to five hours to annotate one hour of AV material.