Students will prepare an annotated bibliography specific to a chapter topic. Choice of topic must be communicated to the instructor by July 6. Students may use references from the chosen topic as well as those retrieve from a database to review 10 journal articles and composed annotations for each. The annotated bibliography should be formatted using American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines (6th ed.) and submitted as a word document (.doc) in Canvas. The video below provides a short guide to annotated bibliographies:
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations on a certain topic that provide a description of each of the various books, articles, and other sources on the list. The annotated bibliography looks like a References list but includes a summary and/or critical evaluation (i.e., annotation) after each source that is cited. It can be part of a larger research project, or can be a stand-alone report in itself. The focus should be on description (who wrote the document, what does the document discuss, when and where was the document written, why was the document produced…) and evaluation (i.e. critically assess the work for accuracy, relevance, and quality.)
Main steps in writing an annotated bibliography:
1. Cite the source using APA style.
2. Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology, and identify the intended audience.
3. Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias he/she may have (if available).
4. Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences.
5. Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic.
6. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
7. Identify the observations or conclusions of the author.
Important note: Annotations are original descriptions that you create after reading the document. When researching, you may find journal articles that provide a short summary at the beginning of the text. This article abstract is similar to a summary annotation. You may consult the abstract when creating your evaluative annotation, but never simply copy it as that would be considered plagiarism.
Reference APA style format
References should be formatted using APA guidelines (6th ed.). Example:
D’Elia, G., Jorgensen, C., Woelfel, J., & Rodger, E. J. (2002). The impact of the Internet on public library use: An analysis of the current consumer market for library and Internet services. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53(10), 808-820. doi:10.1002/asi.10102