When practicing syntopic reading[^1], it's best to start with a set of sources - that you know contain material about the concept you wish to investigate. - **Find relevant passages** - across the sources. - **Create your own terminology** - authors all have their own terminology for the same things. It's key to create your own schema or terminology and "bring them to terms". - **Ask clear questions** - focus on the questions and propositions you want to answer, not the problems the author is solving. - **Identify the issues** - if there are multiple answers to your questions - you have identified an unresolved issue. You must haggle with their answers to understand the perspectives on the argument. - **Create an informed opinion** - your own answer should try to resolve some of the conflict across opposing answers in the analysis. It's not truth, it's informed opinion. When annotating, you shouldn't copy what authors say - you are trying to create your own understanding. This all relates to the idea that [[writing atomic notes improves thinking]]. I don't really follow the above process to the letter, but a lot of the value in learning is done by creating your own frameworks for understanding. A lot of the work I've done at Stockopedia.com is in creating unique new frameworks for my own learning and usage, which have also benefited others. Across QVM, Styles, Risk Ratings and so on. [^1]: [[Adler - How to Read a Book]]