The Wonderful World of Annotated Bibliographies: Guided Tour Dr. Ryan Allen Assistant Professor of English & Writing Director, Writing Center Briar Cliff University ryan.allen@briarcliff.edu 712-279-5211

What You’ll Need to Succeed Bookmark the following OWL links in your “Favorites” These links deal with annotated bibliographies, in-text citations, and reference citations From each of these pages you can access links to more specific information and examples http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/614/01/ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/03/ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/

What is the purpose of an annotated bibliography? The annotated bibliography is done in order to: Assess the quality of your resources before you write your paper See if your resources are adequate for your paper Decide if your resources have reputable authors See if you really know your topic Review the material you need to use for your topic

Sample APA Annotated Bibliography Okely, A. (2007). Evidence-guided approaches to addressing child obesity: What approaches can dietitians use in their everyday practice? Nutrition and Dietetics, 64, 140-141. Retrieved May 7, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. In this article, Anthony Okely describes the health consequences of childhood obesity and discusses several programs aimed at helping prevent unhealthy weight gain in children. He sees parents as the primary source of power over a child’s unhealthy weight gain. This article is an editorial in a peer-reviewed journal. Although this article is an editorial, it is still a good source of research-based information, as the author uses 16 detailed references from several countries. The author is a credible source because he has a Doctorate in Education and serves as the Director of the Child Obesity Research Centre at Australia’s University of Wollongong; he is also a Senior Lecturer at the same university. The number of references he provides in the article also boosts the credibility of the opinions he offers. This article will be used in the research paper for its basic statistics on childhood obesity. Also, the reference list at the end of the article is a valuable source of credible articles on this topic. The fact that the article is from Australia limits its effectiveness as a major source for the paper (Okely, 2007). Just remember that you will need to have a proper hanging indent (All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin) and that all entries are double-spaced.

Sample MLA Annotated Bibliography Okely, Anthony. “Evidence-Guided Approaches to Addressing Child Obesity: What Approaches Can Dietitians Use in Their Everyday Practice?” Nutrition and Dietetics 64.1. (2007): 140-141. Web. 7 May 2009. In this article, Anthony Okely describes the health consequences of childhood obesity and discusses several programs aimed at helping prevent unhealthy weight gain in children. He sees parents as the primary source of power over a child’s unhealthy weight gain. This article is an editorial in a peer-reviewed journal. Although this article is an editorial, it is still a good source of research-based information, as the author uses 16 detailed references from several countries. The author is a credible source because he has a Doctorate in Education and serves as the Director of the Child Obesity Research Centre at Australia’s University of Wollongong; he is also a Senior Lecturer at the same university. The number of references he provides in the article also boosts the credibility of the opinions he offers. This article will be used in the research paper for its basic statistics on childhood obesity. Also, the reference list at the end of the article is a valuable source of credible articles on this topic. The fact that the article is from Australia limits its effectiveness as a major source for the paper (Okely 140-141).

Your A.B. Chores Annotated Bibliographies generally include the following items: Reference Citation Annotation Parenthetical (In-text) Citation (not always required, but noted here to maintain & practice 1-1 correspondence Annotated Bibliographies must be in the appropriate format and style

QUESTIONS?

Annotations Why are annotations so important to the research process? They help you learn more about your topic By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you'll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you'll then be able to develop your own point of view. They help other researchers

What to Include in Annotations Annotations should include the following: Summary of source information Assessment of author credibility Reflection on connection of source to your research

Summary of Source Information Some annotations merely summarize the source. 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? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is Aim for about 150 words, though

Assessing Source Information After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?

Checking Credibility Some key ideas to examine to determine author credibility Try to determine if the content of the source is fact, opinion, or propaganda. If you think the source is offering facts, are the sources for those facts clearly indicated? Is the language objective or emotional? Are there broad generalizations that overstate or oversimplify the matter? Does the author use a good mix of primary and secondary sources for information? If the source is opinion, does the author offer sound reasons for adopting that stance? (Consider again those questions about the author. Is this person reputable?)

Credibility Check (cont.) How timely is the source? Is the source 20 years out of date? Some information becomes dated when new research is available, but other older sources of information can be quite sound 50 or 100 years later. Do some cross-checking. Can you find some of the same information given elsewhere? How credible is the author? If the document is anonymous, what do you know about the organization? Has the author been published elsewhere? What are the professional affiliations? Do other texts cite him or her? Are there vague or sweeping generalizations that aren't backed up with evidence? Are arguments very one-sided with no acknowledgement of other viewpoints?

Reflecting on Source Connection Once you've summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?

QUESTIONS/CONCERNS/COMPLAINTS/ CRITICISMS??? Please contact the Writing Center! writing.center@briarcliff.edu 712-279-5520 Heelan Hall 050