What is Hypothes.is?
Hypothes.is is a collaborative online annotation tool. When accessed, the interface adds a collaborative and interactive layer over any online content, including PDFs.
Why are we using Hypothes.is in this class?
Annotating together in real time can make online discussions more meaningful, productive, and engaging. Using Hypothes.is will compel deep reading and focus, enhance retention of articles’ content, create opportunities for more thoughtful consideration of ideas, and build a community of mutual respect and discovery in this class. Giving yourself an opportunity to form opinions and insights before class starts will grant us more room to take our in-class discussions further than our short meeting times usually allows.
What am I required to do with Hypothes.is?
Every week, you are required to annotate all REQUIRED READINGS with one original comment and one reply to a classmate’s comment. More details about this ongoing assignment can be found on the page for Assignment #11. This work accounts for 20 points, or 20% of your grade.
How do I set up Hypothes.is?
- Start at the Hypothes.is homepage. Click Create Account and sign up for a free account. You will never have to pay for this software. If that ever changes in the future, I will email you all immediately (even if you’re graduated and long gone).
- Join the LBSCI 730 spring 2025 annotating group by clicking on the linked group.
- Add Hypothes.is to your browser. (Step #2 at this start guide). You will have the option to install a PLUGIN if you use a Chrome broswer or a BOOKMARKLET if you use a Firefox browser. Hypothes.is won’t work on any other browsers.
How does Hypothes.is work?
When you activate the Hypothes.is bookmarklet or plugin in a browser, you’re basically opening a new layer over a webpage or a PDF in which you can make highlights and write annotations. Hypothes.is displays annotations based on two factors: the course group the annotation is in and the document it’s associated with. It differentiates documents using a digital fingerprint that every PDF has.
PDFs contain a digital signature that allows you and the Hypothes.is software to tell different documents apart. Hypothes.is started using these fingerprints in 2016 to make sure that multiple users who all download the same copy of a PDF could see each others’ notes.
If you do not download the PDF according to the instructions below, you may generate a PDF with a different fingerprint ID than the one we will all be annotating on, isolating your comments and preventing the discussion/replying that you need to engage in for full points.
Read more technical information in the overview.
I need help!
First, don’t panic! Even if you can’t figure it out, there are solutions we can work on together. You can email me at any point to say “Hey, this isn’t working, can you advise me?”
The best place to start with a problem is the Hypothes.is Help documentation page. They may have documentation or solutions for your problem. You can also submit a ticket to the Support team (they’re really helpful!).
How to annotate
- Start on the course website. Navigate to the correct unit and course session.
- Under the course session, each required reading (there will be two) will be linked. (DO NOT use the library catalog or google search to find the reading. Always use the link from the course website.) The link will open one of two outputs:
- A PDF
- Another external webpage
- Once the PDF or the webpage is opened, enable the extension (bookmarklet or plugin, depending on browser) to open the annotation overlay.
- To annotate, first use your cursor to highlight text on the PDF or webpage. Two options should appear underneath the highlighted text, highlight or annotate. Choose annotate.
- You should be able to write your comment in the right-hand window pop-out and post it to the LBSCI 730 group.
IF YOU CANNOT GRAB TEXT ON THE PDF TO HIGHLIGHT IT: use the “Page Note” functionality to leave an original comment. It won’t anchor your annotation to specific text, but it will be associated with that specific PDF. Your classmates can respond to a page note in the same way as an annotation.
If you use this option, please start your page note with the page number and the first few words of the sentence of the text you are responding to.
- Note that once you open the Hypothes.is overlay, you will need to click on Page Notes at the top of the feed to see them (separate from annotations).
I followed your instructions and I can’t see any other annotations. What do I do?
- Open the Hypothesis overlay on the required PDF or webpage: are you in the LBSCI 730 group or are you in the Public group? If you are in Public, change to LBSCI 730.
- Check Hypothesis’s Help resources:
- Hypothes.is Help page
- “Hypothesis is not working on a particular page. What could be happening?“
- Did the course website generate a PDF with a new fingerprint ID even though you followed the instructions? Check how to verify fingerprint ID.
- Other options: “Why can’t I find my PDF annotations?“
- You can try to access the annotations by clicking “the link “Visit annotations in context” or “URL link” from the Hypothesis group homepage (this almost never works for me, but I’ve heard other people use it successfully).
- Lastly, if you absolutely cannot figure it out, just leave an annotation on any version of the article you can get to. Even if it’s not on the class’s preferred document iteration, it will still come up on the homepage feed. You won’t be able to reply to other comments, but I will be able to note that you are reading and interacting with the required reading in some way. If you are doing this, please send me an email so I can look out for your comment in my feed. We’ll take it on a case by case basis.
