Look at the title page:
Find the preface or introduction:
Look at the table of contents:
Examine index, glossary, other material at the back of the book:
Examine study questions, guides, and other helps:
Examine chapter headings, sectional headings, and margin guides:
Examine maps, pictures, charts, diagrams, and tables:
An active reader should begin reading with questions in mind and should be looking for the answers to those questions. Annotating can help you se the answers to those questions.
The following is a list of some techniques that you can use to annotate text: