An active annotation mechanism detects annotations on a document which may be in the form of in-line annotations and out-of-band annotations, which may be inputted through a variety of input devices. The active annotation mechanism detects the annotations added to a document and determines whether the annotation of the document requires further action or whether the annotation is simply commentaries on the text, a note of other related items, etc. When it is determined that annotations require further action, the annotation is detected. The active annotation will carry an indication of an activity to be carried out, or a parameter that configures the activity, or both. The active annotation which has been detected, is then carried out by the document management system.