Implementation: Objectives

It is key to set objectives for the annotations, to ensure that annotations add value to readers and enhance rigour and transparency of research. Setting clear objectives for the annotations can help researchers keep a balance between the extra work that annotations entail and prevent them from creating too many annotations that do not serve to enhance the quality of the paper.

Theoretical Framework: Provide a detailed characterisation of the literature framing the research.

• This entail using annotations to provide full citations of the literature or sources. 

• Annotations can provide space to present critical voices that contest the main theoretical framework and provide explanations on the epistemological commitments that led to the exclusion of those voices.

• Annotations can also provide space to include additional sources. 

Research design, data and methodology: Regarding relevant information that shaped the research design, data collection and methodology, annotations can provide space that helps researchers by: 

• Discussing ethical dilemmas presented throughout the research process and how these impacted the research process. For example, thoughts regarding working with a sensitive topic / vulnerable group that effect whether and how data can be made open access, or discussing the researcher’s positionality.

• Discussing challenges presented during data collection or fieldwork and how this impacted the research project. For example, (not) being able to access specific sources / gatekeepers / sites / communities or facing situations that forced the researcher to shorten or extend fieldwork in specific spaces. 

• Providing contextual information regarding the case studies that is not explicit from data or data analysis but was key in the interpretation and analysis of data. For example, the political, economic, social, cultural context of the field site and / or research participants.

• Providing links to the data repositories where the reader can access data, analysis, codes or methodological tools (for example questionnaires).

Findings, Discussion and Conclusions: Provide detailed excerpts from data sources, links to additional resources, and expand on epistemological discussions.

• Providing detailed excerpts from data sources, as well as sources on their original language and translations. Annotations can also support indicating where translations have been edited for clarity. 

• Providing additional results that enhance arguments, for example links to audio and video files, diagrams, photographs, or other digitised materials that can be openly and ethically shared.

• Expand on epistemological discussions that shape arguments, or the thought process behind the generation of findings, crafting of arguments and conclusions.

• Annotations can replace methodological and analytical appendices, and transparency documents, as they can be used for clarifying how data was processed and analysed or detailing the use of technology (e.g. AI) in generating results. Annotations can improve the reader's experience as these are embedded directly in the document near the relevant text, rather than being included separately.