Quick Reference

C.A.N. Codes

1. ! – Surprising or unexpected
2. ? – Question validity or accuracy (doubt correctness, not comprehension)
3. A – Noteworthy (i.e. good, bad, peculiar etc.) analogy
4. AG – Agree with this (can also use with a note for a disclaimer-added agreement)
5. AL – Allegory - entire story has symbolic deeper meaning
6. AO – Abolition - abolitionist thinking regarding oppressive systems
7. AP – Application - how to apply concept in practice
8. AR – Argument structure or logical progression - how argument is built
9. AS – Assumption - stated or unstated, foundational or questionable
10. AT – Action/Task – something to do or implement
11. AU – Allusion - indirect reference to other works or events
12. B – Breakthrough - author’s major insight or discovery
13. BG – Background context - historical, cultural, technical, geographical
14. BV – Behavior – behavioral patterns, behavioral economics, habits, actions
15. C – Claim or argument being made
16. CA – Counterargument - addresses opposing views
17. CB – Callback - references earlier moment in text
18. CE – Cause and effect relationship
19. CF – Confusing or unclear (comprehension issue, not doubt)
20. CH – Character insight or development, or noteworthy/important character
21. CN – Conclusion - main takeaway or conclusion
22. CO – Connect to another book, current events, or personal experience
23. CR – Cross-reference - author explicitly cites another passage, book, or verse
24. CT – Critique - author critiques another idea, philosopher, or theory
25. CX – Context crucial - requires cultural or historical background to understand
26. D – Definition - term explicitly defined
27. DI – Dialogue - particularly noteworthy character speech
28. DK – Dark, distressing - depressing, sad, bleak, traumatic, grief
29. DL – Dialectic - dialectical method, Socratic questioning, thesis-antithesis-synthesis
30. DO – Doctrine - doctrinal position (includes ecclesiology, eschatology)
31. DT – Date or timeline marker - important chronological information
32. E – Evidence or data - supports argument (includes statistics, qualitative evidence etc.)
33. ER – Erasure or silence - historical erasure, archival silence, what’s missing
34. ET – Ethical teaching - moral instruction
35. EX – Example or illustration - clarifying example (pedagogical purpose)
36. FH – Foreshadowing - hints at future events
37. FL – Flaw in reasoning - logical fallacy, methodology error, code bug
38. FN – Footnote or note - important footnote, endnote, or marginal note
39. FO – Formula or equation - important to know (financial, scientific, mathematical)
40. FR – Framing argument - sets up later argument
41. H – Humorous or funny
42. HF – Historical fact - factual event or date
43. HG – Hegemony – dominant ideology or power structure (White Supremacy etc.)
44. HY – Hyperbole or exaggeration
45. I – Ironic – noteworthy irony
46. IN – Insight - your personal realization (not author’s discovery)
47. IS – Institution or structure - institutional racism, structures
48. IX – Intersectionality - race, gender, class, sexuality intersection
49. J – Beautiful, lovely, and/or moving in a significantly pleasant capacity
50. JX – Juxtaposition or contrast - comparing opposites
51. JY – Joy or pleasure - joy, pleasure, life-making
52. KC – Key concept - central important concept
53. LG – Law or legal - legal structures, legislation, case law, treaties
54. LN – Language – Any language-related note (i.e. French, English, German, Latin etc.)
55. M – Metaphor – noteworthy direct comparison
56. MI – Massive implications - far-reaching consequences or importance
57. MO – Model or framework - theoretical model, diagram, organizational framework
58. NL – Neologism - invented term, or (technical, intentional or unintentional) redefinition
59. NT – Counter-narrative - challenges dominant narrative
60. OP – Oppression – theorization of oppression (anti-Blackness, sexism, ableism etc.)
61. PA – Pattern - recurring theme, design pattern, or motif
62. PF – Proof or derivation - mathematical or logical proof step
63. PP – Perspective or point of view - whose narrative or viewpoint
64. PR – Principle - foundational rule or teaching
65. PX – Paradox or mystery - contradictory statement revealing truth
66. Q – Quote worthy - would use this phrase (or some variation) in your own writing
67. R – Research, review, or link - return to this for any reason
68. RA – Resistance or agency - acts of resistance, refusal, fugitivity, escape
69. RG – Rage or anger - righteous anger, political anger
70. RH – Rhetorical device - effective persuasion technique
71. RK – Risk – risk analysis, risk management (finance, business, psychology, medicine)
72. RV – Recovery - historical recovery or reclamation
73. S – Setting or environment building - physical or atmospheric
74. SB – Sidebar or box - key information in sidebar, callout, or boxed text
75. SC – School of thought - philosophical tradition, political ideology
76. SO – Source code example - particularly noteworthy implementation
77. SP – Speculation or imagination - what-if, critical fabulation, radical imagination
78. SS – Sound or style technique - alliteration, rhythm, sentence structure
79. ST – Story – retell-able narrative (includes personal anecdotes, parables, case studies)
80. SU – Summary or synthesis - author compresses complex idea
81. SY – Symbolic or figurative - non-literal interpretation
82. T – Thematic statement - central theme or thematic claim
83. TC – Technology or concept - interesting tech or scientific idea
84. TE – Technical explanation - algorithm, architecture, process, philosophical system
85. TH – Thought experiment - philosophical hypothetical or gedankenexperiment
86. TM – Terminology - specific technical term used
87. TP – Turning point or pivotal moment
88. TS – Test or study material - likely exam material, must know
89. TV – Text variant - different manuscript readings
90. TX – Translation issue - English obscures original meaning
91. V – Verse reference - important scripture citation
92. VI – Vivid imagery - striking visual description
93. VL – Violence - structural violence or state violence
94. VZ – Visual - important diagram, chart, graph, table, or image
95. W – Love the wording, diction, and/or phrasing
96. WB – Worldbuilding - creating unique fictional universe rules
97. WS – Word study - etymology, semantic range, nuance
98. WT – Witnessing or testimony - first-person accounts with evidentiary weight
99. WV – Worldview revealed - author’s fundamental beliefs showing through
100. X – Disagree with this

C.A.N. Emphasizers

1. + – Positive – “x” CAN Code is a supremely good thing, or a thing you really like
2. - – Negative – “x” CAN Code is a supremely bad thing, or a thing you really dislike
3. * – Critical/Important – “x” CAN Code is supremely important and really critical

Annotation Diagram

1. Annotation - This is the entire object in the margin, all the items/objects that makes up your thought
2. Note - Your explicit written content (not a CAN Code or Emphasizer), in your own vocabulary
3. CAN Code & CAN Emphasizer - These are defined above
4. (Occurrence) Number - This is a number for counting/tracking some specific pattern

How to Annotate

In the margin:

1. Write one CAN Code
2. Circle the CAN Code
3. [Optional] Add one CAN Emphasizer (+,-, or *) to the right, and outside the circle
4. [Optional] Add a note (i.e. the explicit content of your annotation) outside the circle.
   • The note can be placed above the cirlce, or below the circle, or to the right of the circle (but only if a CAN Emphasizer is not to the right)
5. [Optional] Add a single number, outside the circle, to the top left, and below the arch (i.e. this allows support for notes to be place above the circle and maintain readability)
   • It is strongly recommended that numbering only be used for counting the number of occurrences of annotations that contain the same CAN Code

Key Points & Recommendations

• CAN Codes are primarily intended to mark noteworthy passages, not necessarily good or bad passages. Use a CAN Emphasizer or a note to clarify your opinion.
• You must only ever use one CAN Code per annotation and in the margin
  • This facilitates optimal interoperability among readers and leads to a shared annotation fidelity.
  • And one CAN Emphasizer per annotation Place it outside circle so you can change it later if needed.
    • Use emphasizers sparingly, they’re only for strong reactions (e.g. strong like, strong dislike, or critical importance).
• You should also use one annotation per passage
  • You can have multiple annotations for one passage, but you must not have multiple CAN Codes for the same annotation
  • This means you should choose the single CAN Code (and, when desired, CAN Emphasizer) that best captures your thoughts, and fulfills your needs. You should use the note in the annotation to elaborate