Annotarium for Academics

A PDF marking tool designed around academic workflows: LaTeX equations, structured rubrics, reusable comment libraries, and bulk handling — all in the browser.

Built for the marking workflow

Most PDF annotators are designed for general-purpose document review — adding sticky notes, highlights, signatures. Marking academic work is a different problem. You need to apply a consistent rubric across dozens or hundreds of submissions, leave the same explanatory feedback in many places, and write mathematics naturally inside that feedback.

What it gives you

LaTeX annotation — write equations in $...$ notation directly on the page.
Marking schemes — set per-question marks and totals; the running total updates as you mark.
Comment library — save reusable comments and drop them onto any submission with one click.
Bulk handling — open a Blackboard folder on desktop or a Blackboard ZIP on iPad, then work through students sequentially.
Local-only processing — student PDFs never leave your laptop.

Use cases

Marking written exams

Open the scanned exam booklet. Define the rubric (e.g. Q1: 10 marks, Q2: 15 marks). Annotate as you go using the pen, highlighter, and LaTeX tools. The grade summary stamp can be inserted on the cover page when you're done.

Marking problem sheets and assignments

Use the comment library for the explanations you find yourself typing repeatedly ("Check your sign convention here", "Differentiate before substituting"). Reuse them across the cohort with consistent wording.

Reviewing student dissertations and theses

Use highlighter and sticky notes for inline feedback. The flattened export gives the student a single PDF they can read anywhere — no Annotarium account needed.

Peer-reviewing academic papers

Mark up a PDF of a paper for journal review or co-author feedback. Privacy matters here — many publishers explicitly forbid uploading manuscripts to third-party services.

Why local-only matters for academics

Cloud-based marking tools require uploading student work, which often triggers institutional data-protection review (GDPR, FERPA, internal data classifications). Annotarium processes everything in the browser, so the PDF never reaches a server. This is usually faster to clear with IT and avoids questions about long-term data retention.

FAQ

Is Annotarium suitable for marking university exam papers?

Yes. Annotarium is built around the academic marking workflow: structured marking schemes, LaTeX equations, reusable comment libraries, and bulk PDF handling for sets of student submissions.

Can I add LaTeX equations directly onto a PDF?

Yes. You can insert LaTeX equations anywhere on a page, including inside comments and feedback boxes. They render as part of the annotation layer and export with the PDF.

Do I need IT approval to use Annotarium with student work?

Annotarium runs entirely in your browser. PDFs and annotations never leave your device, so there is no data transfer to an external server. This usually simplifies institutional approval compared with cloud-based marking tools.

Can I export the annotated PDF for return to students?

Yes. Annotarium flattens annotations directly into the PDF, so the exported file opens correctly in any standard PDF reader without needing Annotarium installed.