Determine whether the source is a primary or secondary source. Recall that a primary source deals immediately with the topic; examples include diaries, eyewitness accounts, videos or interviews. Secondary sources are materials based upon primary sources. A journalist who writes an article after witnessing an event would create a primary source, whereas a journalist who compiles accounts of that event while not actually witnessing it would create a secondary source.
Create the citation, which is the first section of the annotation, following the annotation format required for your paper (for example, MLA or APA format).
Begin the summary. Typically, annotations are composed of two paragraphs. The first paragraph is a summary of the material, while the second paragraph is an analysis of the source. The first paragraph should include all important and pertinent information concerning what the source provides as material.
Utilize the second paragraph, the analysis, to distinguish the source as a primary source. If providing an annotation for Anne Frank's diary, use her experience to make your writing clear and interesting: "Living in her attic during Nazi occupation, Frank kept a detailed description of her life in hiding through a personal diary." Your reader should recognize that the source is primary because you've stated that Frank's writing is a personal diary. The source is shown as primary without having to explicitly state the fact.