Transcript Annotated Bibliography

What is an Annotated Bibliography?
A
list of citations for
books, articles, and
documents.
 Each citation is
followed by a brief
descriptive and
evaluative paragraph
(the annotation).
Why am I creating an annotated
bibliography?

Annotated bibliographies assist writers in
the early stages of research gathering. By
taking the time to write a brief summary
and evaluation of each source you locate
on your topic, you create building
materials that you can use when it comes
time to narrow your focus and start
outlining and drafting.
What are the requirements of
annotations?
Descriptive and critical
 Expose the author's point of view
 Provide a concise summary of each source
and some assessment of its value or
relevance for your project

How do I write an annotation?
1. Cite the book, article, or
document using the
appropriate style – in this
case, MLA. You may refer
to the materials in your
Senior Project packet for
the correct format, or you
may use a site such as
easybib.com.
2. Summarize the Source
in three or more sentences
What are the main
arguments?
 What is the point of
this book or article?
 What topics are
covered?
 If someone asked
what this article/book
is about, what would
you say?
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3. Evaluate the Source
in three or more sentences
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What are the author's
credentials--institutional
affiliation?
When was the source
published?
Is the source current or
out-of-date for your
topic?
Is this a popular
magazine or scholarly
journal?
– Hint: if the source is
published by a
university press, it is
likely to be scholarly
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Is the publication aimed at a
specialized or a general
audience?
Is this source biased or
objective?
How does this source provide
information that other
sources do not?
What is the goal of this
source?
Do you find the text easy to
read, or is it stilted or
choppy?
4. Value of the Source to Your
Research (in three or more sentences)

Was this source helpful?

How does this source help shape your
argument or provide information about your
topic?
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How do you plan to use this source in your
research project?
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Has this source changed how you think about
the topic?
Summary: How to write an
annotation
1.
Give the citation information for the source.
2.
Summarize the source (3 or more sentences)
Pay attention to the opening sentence(s) of each paragraph, where
authors often state concisely their main point in the paragraph
3.
Evaluate the source for credibility (3 or more sentences)
4.
Describe the value of this source to your research, how
you plan to use this source in your paper, and what
new information or opinions you have learned from this
source. (3 or more sentences)
Examples of Good and Bad Annotations
(With thanks to Phyllis Usina)
Good:
"FIRE DEPARTMENTS." The Reader's Companion to American History. 1991.
eLibrary. Web. 10 Sep. 2014.
The main points of this article were about the basics of fire fighting in the modern
world. It discusses how fire fighters are dispatched to a call and how they execute the steps for
extinguishing the fire. The basics of firefighting can be broken down into four categories. The
four steps are protection, confinement, ventilation, and extinguishment. The firefighting is a
systematic process which involves responding, accessing and executing a call for a fire.
The Reader’s Companion to American History is published by Houghton Mifflin, which is a
reputable press. The article was published in 1991, so I will need to do more research to
confirm that the information is still valid. This book seems to be mainly a reference book, and it
has a bibliography of three sources.
This article will be very useful in writing my paper. It helps me discuss the basics of
firefighting today and how the basics of firefighting have stayed the same since the beginning
of the 20th century. I plan to use this source when I write the second subtopic of my paper,
which will cover how fires are dealt with today. Before I read this article, I didn’t realize that
the process of fighting fires was so structured.
Bad: I used this book to get the basic information about firefighting, it was very
informative.
Good:
Boeree, C. George. "An Introduction to Buddhism." An Introduction to Buddhism.
N.p., 2000. Web. 10 Sept. 2014.
This web site has various links that provide such things as the history of Buddhism and the
values and beliefs in the Buddhist religion. The information is historical. It has simple
explanations to complex ideas. The great thing about the information provided in this web
site is that it is compiled by a professor and the information is geared toward someone
with little or no knowledge of the Buddhist Culture and Religion.
The information is from a professor at Shippensburg University. Professor Boeree also
provides citations for his information. The material is listed as being copywritten by the
author each year from 1997-2000. Boeree writes in a note at the bottom of his webpage
that the information is written for a class he teaches about Buddhist Psychology, but that
he believes that this is good introductory material for anyone interested in learning about
Buddhism.
This website provides a very helpful introduction to Buddhism, which is the focus of my
senior research paper. I will definitely use the information throughout my paper. I think
this information will help me organize the information in a logical way. Boeree writes that
someone doesn’t need to be interested in becoming a Buddhist in order to learn about the
ideas of Buddhism, which is great because although I’m interested in Buddhism, I’m not
interested in changing my religion.
Bad:
I got all the facts I needed about Buddhism and the different beliefs.
FHS Senior Project Guidelines for the
Annotated Bibliography
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You must have a minimum of eight sources.
These sources must include the following:
– Print source (can be from an online database but
must have been originally published in print)
– Internet source
– Reference or professional book/journal
– Online database
– Interview
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The following are NOT legitimate sources
and will not be given credit:
Basic/general encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Wikipedia
Works Cited
Engle, Michael. “How to Prepare an Annotated
Bibliography.” Olin & Uris Libraries. Cornell University
Library. 6 Mar. 2007. 1 Nov. 2007.
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/perm
ission.html
Patterson, Joy. “Annotated Bibliographies.” Prairie View
A&M University.
REMEMBER: There is an example of a Senior
Project Annotated Bibliography on your
teacher’s website!