My approach to critical reading is really quite simple. First, I scan the document for any key words or sub categories. Then, I read one section, or page if there are no sections, at a time and annotate. I do this for each section or page and when I am done, I read the entire thing as a whole in order to judge if my commentary makes sense and if there is anything I should change or add to wrap up all of the annotations. Finally, I see if there are any conclusions that I can make based on the whole of the reading or if there are any further questions that have come to my mind based on what I read. When it comes time to write an essay based on sources that I have already annotated in the past, I restart the previous process but without the skimming part, as I already have an idea of what the reading is about. Then, I add new annotations if necessary and review the ones that I already have, marking those that are particularly important or relevant. Many times, I will take photographs of the pages and rewrite my annotations online so that I know for a fact that I will have them wherever I go, and so I know that the writing is legible.
