Definition Hypothes.is (pronounced "hypothesis") is an open-source, non-profit project and web service that provides a collaborative layer of annotation on top of any web page, PDF, or other digital document. It enables users to highlight sections of text and add comments, questions, or notes, either publicly, privately, or within defined groups.
Overview Developed by Hypothesis, a non-profit organization founded in 2011 by Dan Whaley, the Hypothes.is platform was publicly launched in 2013. Its core mission is to bring a persistent, interoperable, and openly accessible annotation layer to the entire web. The service allows users to engage in close reading, collaborative review, and scholarly discourse directly on digital content without altering the original source. It is widely used in educational settings, academic research, journalism, and personal knowledge management. Hypothes.is adheres to the W3C Web Annotation Standard, promoting open standards and interoperability across the internet.
Etymology/Origin The name "Hypothes.is" is a play on the scientific term "hypothesis," suggesting a proposition or explanation, and the ".is" top-level domain, which is often used by tech companies (though it is the country code top-level domain for Iceland). The organization was founded with the vision of enabling a layer of annotation over the web to facilitate critical engagement and shared understanding of information. Dan Whaley, a veteran of the early web, initiated the project with the goal of creating an open, community-driven annotation platform.
Characteristics
- Open Source: The platform's code is publicly available, allowing for transparency, community contribution, and independent auditing.
- Standards-Based: Hypothes.is is a leading implementer of the W3C Web Annotation Standard, ensuring that annotations are structured in a standardized format, promoting interoperability and longevity.
- Non-Destructive: Annotations are stored on Hypothes.is's servers and displayed as an overlay, meaning they do not alter the original content of the web page or document being annotated.
- Collaborative and Social: Users can make public annotations visible to everyone, private annotations for personal use, or create and join private groups for collaborative annotation with specific individuals.
- Persistent: Annotations are linked to the specific URLs or document identifiers, aiming to persist even if the original content moves or changes, though this depends on the stability of the URI.
- Versatile Use Cases: It supports a wide range of applications including:
- Education: Facilitating active reading, peer feedback, and discussion on course materials.
- Research: Enabling scholarly review, note-taking on articles, and collaborative analysis of primary sources.
- Journalism: Fact-checking and adding context to news articles.
- Legal: Reviewing documents and legislation.
- Personal Use: Organizing thoughts and notes on any web content.
- Integration: The service can be easily integrated into learning management systems (LMS) like Canvas, Moodle, and Blackboard, as well as publishing platforms and digital libraries.
Related Topics
- W3C Web Annotation Standard
- Open Educational Resources (OER)
- Digital Humanities
- Collaborative Learning
- Scholarly Communication
- Open Access
- Perusall
- Diigo