[1] In its original form, The Annual Register comprised a long historical essay on the “History of the Present War” (the Seven Years' War 1756–63), a Chronology, which gave an account of interesting and noteworthy events in Britain over the previous year, and a collection of “State Papers”, a miscellany of primary source material which included official documents, speeches, letters and accounts.

[3] Given the conventions of the day, within which journalism was seen as a disreputable profession for a gentleman, Burke was publicly reticent about his connection with The Annual Register.

[4] Scholars are divided on the question of Burke's association with the book thereafter, although many suggest that he continued to contribute to the history section and that he played a significant role in overseeing The Annual Register's compilation until the 1790s, even though much of the editorial work by this stage was being done by others.

Faced with this competition from a rival with greater resources, Rivington attempted to make good the arrears while also bringing out subsequent volumes more promptly.

Some ground was recovered, although a number of years had still not been produced (1813–19) when Rivington finally went into partnership with Baldwin Craddock and Joy, a publisher which had already acquired a major share of Otridge in 1815.

In 1947 The Annual Register acquired an advisory board for the first time consisting of the then editor, Ivison Macadam, the assistant editor, Hugh Latimer, and five representatives nominated by: the English Association, the Arts Council of Great Britain, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and the Royal Historical Society.

In 1996 it was sold to a US publisher, Keesing's Worldwide, which oversaw the process of digitising the book's extensive archive and making this available for the first time to subscribers.

Although it is agreed that Edmund Burke was the first editor of The Annual Register and held the post from 1758 to 1765, the date upon which he relinquished the editorship is uncertain.

The Annual Register in its current form aims to provide an authoritative, accurate, and interesting summary of the history of the year.

It aims to maintain The Annual Register’s traditional role as a well-respected reference work, while also providing an interesting and lively read.

Although the contributors are scattered throughout the world, the publisher invites them to an annual dinner, which serves as a forum for discussion of the book, and at which a traditional toast “to the immortal memory of Edmund Burke” is still drunk in port, after the meal.

The current advisory board of The Annual Register consists of the joint editors (D. S. Lewis and Wendy Slater), and the following luminaries, who are nominated by various learned societies.

In 1987 he published Illusions of Grandeur: Mosley, Fascism and British Society (MUP), and from 1997 to 2007 he served as editor of Keesing’s Record of World Events.

After several years in journalism she obtained her PhD from Cambridge in 1998, and from 1999 to 2003 was lecturer in Russian contemporary history at the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), a post which she left after becoming deputy editor of The Annual Register in 2002.

In 2008 the board of judges of the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA) awarded The Annual Register the 2008 Best Reference Publication prize for its "editorial excellence".