This post is related to previously discussed topic: Boox Notes, Linux and Emacs
Purpose of Workflow
Annotate the pages/sections of a pdf to look back on it later to build a better text note.
- Input: PDFs
- Output: structured, annotated notes in org mode
Workflow
I was getting ready to write a package to facilitate this workflow, but I found this to be much easier.
Step 1: org-attach
Org attach is included in Emacs as a method for attaching files to org headings using different methods. There are several methods that you can view when you run org-attach. The one that I prefer is s - Set a specific attachment directort for this entry. Sets DIR property.
This attaches the file as a property and associated the current heading with the document which will be useful later
The default binding for org-attach is C-c C-a.
Step 2: org-noter
After step 1 we have an attachment added to our heading, so let's begin annotating with org-noter. I need to do this to process the PDF later when I want to view examples without having to type them out again.
I go through each page and type i when I want to create a new heading for that page.
Step 3: Refractoring
The ultimate purpose of this process is to reflect on the content and also type it into a more wiki-like structure for my own understanding. This is especially helpful for deep understanding of topics, especially for math. You can read about how I aspire to study math from this external article: How to Study Mathematics - Dr. Lawrence Neff Stout.
Addendum — 2026-01-09
I realized that this is essentially an easier to index version of the Cornell Note Taking system. The notes I add to the pdf are like the main body of the note, and the ones I take in the org document are like the marginalia. Since I live in Emacs, this is second process of adding notes about what is on the pages improves the searchability of my notes since I want them to end up in org mode eventually.
By the way, I'm continuing with this workflow because it has been working well since coming back to school after the winter break.