Annotated Bibliography Guidelines

1. Annotated Bibliography Guidelines Find Sources Scan Sources Evaluate Sources Note: if the slide has a star Symbol- take notes on the blue handout

2. A Bibliography is . . . A list of books A list of sources on a particular subject A list of the sources you used to write a paper

3. An Annotation is . . . Summary Explanation Commentary Evaluation Criticism What is it about? Why is it important to your topic? Who is the author?

4. Definition of an Annotated Bibliography = A list of sources (books, articles, web pages, etc.) on your topic, with commentary on each source written by you. This commentary might summarize what the source is about, how it relates to your topic, which parts are particularly relevant, why the author is believable, and whether or not you agree with the information presented.

5. Annotated Bibliography Your entries will look like this: • Author name. Title of Source. Publication • information. (MLA Citation of Source) All sources will be formatted MLA style. Underneath each source you will be including a paragraph summarizing the source. The more detailed this paragraph, the better and a critique paragraph evaluating the source. The slides that follow in these lecture notes describe the guidelines for finding the sources and writing the notes. It is especially important to use appropriate sources when doing academic research.

6. Purpose • The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to help you keep a running log of the research you have done and be able to quickly look back at its contents and their usefulness.

7. Purpose • An annotated bibliography also provides a starting pointwhen researching a topic you want to discover more about.

8. Summarize • Summarize: 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. Owlpurdue.edu

9. Assess • Assess: 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? Owlpurdue.edu

10. Reflect • Reflect: 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? Owlpurdue.edu

11. Why write an annotatedbibliography? • To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you're forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information. At the professional level, annotated bibliographies allow you to see what has been done in the literature and where your own research or scholarship can fit. To help you formulate a thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. The purpose of research is to state and support a thesis. So, a very important part of research is developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said 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.

12. Starting the process • Your Annotated Bibliography is the starting point for your research. As you look for information, make a list of the sources you find and evaluate each one.

13. Starting the process • You WILL want to print out any internet sources and highlight information that you find interesting.

14. Annotated Bibliography • You should begin exploring in search of sources for your Annotated Bibliography / paper. • You should begin collecting sources and taking notes. • You will need to find the number of sources your teacher identifies for your Annotated Bibliography.

15. Annotated Bibliography • To illustrate what to do for the Annotated Bibliography, the next few slides will present an example of a source for an Annotated Bibliography about “38 Who Saw Murder.”

16. Jot it down!The following guidelines are good to follow for any research process: • As you explore sources, make certain to write down the following information about any sources you are considering…

17. Jot it down! • Author’s name, title, and credentials • Title of the article • Publication information, including: • name of database • newspaper/ magazine/ journal/ encyclopedia/ anthology name… • Volume numbers • city of publication, publisher • organization connected to the source • date of publication, date viewed by student, page numbers, website address

18. Jot it down! Example source on “38 Who saw Murder” • Author’s name, title, and credentials • Jim Rasenberger • author & journalist for The New York Times • Title of the article: • “Nightmare on Austin Street.” • Publication information • American Heritage • 57.5 (2006): 65-66 • TCC database: Academic Search Complete. EBSCO

19. Plug information in to MLA format Format the jotted-down information MLA style by following the guidelines in your Handbook or any other credible MLA guide. See the next slide for the source formatted MLA style

20. Plug information in to MLA formatowlpurdue.edu for help • Here is the source in MLA format: Rasenberger, Jim. “Nightmare on Austin Street.” American Heritage. 57.5 (2006): 65-66. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. TCC Library, Portsmouth, VA. 12 Nov. 2008. <http://search.ebscohost.com>.

21. The Summary Write 4–6 complete sentencesthat accomplish all/most of the following:

22. The Summary portion (of the annotated bibliography You will need to write 4–6 :complete sentences that accomplish all/most of the following

23. The Summary • Provide the background and credibility of the author • State the main focus or purpose of the work. • Briefly describe the contents. • Indicate the possible audiencefor the work.

24. The Assess/Reflect Write 4–6 complete sentencesthat accomplish all/most of the following:

25. The Assess/Reflect • Describe any special features of the work that were unique or helpful ( Aims & Research Methods). • Point to any defect, weakness, or suspected bias. (fallacies or limitations) • Mention important conclusions or observations reached by the author • Evaluate the usefulness or relevance to your research topic(Reflection/Usefulness to your research or topic Will you use this source? and/or why it did not meet your expectations..)

26. The Annotation A sample: Jim Rasenberger, an author and journalist for the New York Times, asserts that the events as described by Gansberg in “38 Who Saw Murder” could not have happened the way Gansberg described them. Rasenberger states that although 38 people may have heard or seen the initial attack, Genovese was attacked three times. The most serious attack occurred in the back foyer of her apartment building, and could have been witnessed by five or six people at most. He concludes his article by saying that if Gansberg’s account had been accurate, countless articles and books would never have been written about the incident and Americans’ apathy would not have been studied as thoroughly. He seems pleased that the initial and most famous account was flawed. Rasenberger’s article is interesting, but contains few facts and little research to support his assertions. The article is helpful as a starting point for a critical view of Gansberg’s article.

27. On the next slide, you will see the same paragraphs color-coded by specific criteria… Background & credibility of authorPossible Audience Main idea ContentsUsefulness to my topic/research

28. The Annotation Jim Rasenberger, an author and journalist for the New York Times, asserts that the events as described by Gansberg in “38 Who Saw Murder” could not have happened the way Gansberg described them.Rasenberger’s assumes his audience is familiar with Gansberg’s famous and widely published article. Rasenberger states that although 38 people may have heard or seen the initial attack, Genovese was attacked three times. The most serious attack occurred in the back foyer of her apartment building, and could have been witnessed by five or six people at most. He concludes his article by saying that if Gansberg’s account had been accurate, countless articles and books would never have been written about the incident and Americans’ apathy would not have been studied as thoroughly. He seems pleased that the initial and most famous account was flawed. Rasenberger’s article is interesting, but contains few facts and little research to support his assertions. The article is helpful as a starting point for a critical view of Gansberg’s account of events. Background & credibility of authorPossible Audience Main idea ContentsUsefulness to my topic/research

29. Completed Example Annotated Bibliography entry Rasenberger, Jim. “Nightmare on Austin Street.” American Heritage. 57.5 (2006): 65-66. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. TCC Library, Portsmouth, VA. 12 Nov. 2008. <http://search.ebscohost.com>. Jim Rasenberger, an author and journalist for the New York Times, asserts that the events as described by Gansberg in “38 Who Saw Murder” could not have happened the way Gansberg described them. Rasenberger states that although 38 people may have heard or seen the initial attack, Genovese was attacked three times. The most serious attack occurred in the back foyer of her apartment building, and could have been witnessed by five or six people at most. He concludes his article by saying that if Gansberg’s account had been accurate, countless articles and books would never have been written about the incident and Americans’ apathy would not have been studied as thoroughly. He seems pleased that the initial and most famous account was flawed. Rasenberger’s article is interesting, but contains few facts and little research to support his assertions. The article is helpful as a starting point for a critical view of Gansberg’s article.

30. Choosing a topic for Great Expectations… Dick·en·si·an dəˈkenzēən/ adjective of or reminiscent of the novels of Charles Dickens, especially in suggesting the poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters that they portray

31. Take some time and review this site…find an interesting Dickensian topic you’d like to research for the next 2 weeks. • http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/dickens/diniejko.html

32. Bad Sanitation- complete assignment steps A-D in outline format • Bad Sanitation • Poverty, waste management, health problems, UNICEF, hygiene, unsafe drinking water, diseases • 1. Waste Management: EXPLAIN 2. Diseases: EXPLAIN IV. Annotated Bibliography- 10 credible sources from ACHS database. Follow format from ppt.

33. FAQ’s– frequently asked questions Q: What types of sources are you looking for? Can we use any sources we want? A: I am so glad you asked! Please review the lecture notes “Why Evaluate Sources?” and other documents from this week that discuss research. As a college-level scholar, you should expect that your professors (not just me!) require knowledge and use of relevant, scholarly sources rather than information from any website that pops up on Google or Yahoo. Your tuition dollars pay for access to huge databases filled with reviewed, scholarly sources that indicate to your professors that you know what you’re doing when you conduct research. All of these wonderful sources are right at your fingertips, accessible from your home PC! The good news: Even better news:

34. Sources Where can ACHS students find reliable, scholarly sources?

35. Old habits… • Many students do “research” by using a general search engine such as Google or Yahoo. • This type of search is a habit that does not work wellwhen doing college research.

36. Why not Google or Yahoo? • On the Internet…. • No selection process: Documents do not undergo any selection process but rather are placed there at will by anyone with access to a web server.

37. Why not Google or Yahoo? • No standards: There is no overall effort, nor any rules or standards, to organize information to facilitate retrieval. Often, commercial sites or sites soliciting donations dominate search results.

38. Why not Google or Yahoo? • No validation: No one reviews sites for accuracy. The internet is filled with hoaxes, scams, parodies, and hate speech disguised as “fact.”

39. Sources • General Guidelines: • You MUST use a web evaluation on any web sources not from an approved academic site. • (note: sources means more than one)

40. Sources • General Guidelines: • You MUST use MSU Camden Carroll Library sources: • Databases • Librarian approved/reviewed sources found on the MSU CCL site • (note: sources means more than one)

41. Sources • Scholarly sources from outside MSU are OK • university studies (.edu) • reports written by scholars (Master’s degree +) for scholars (any college student/graduate in scholarly field/faculty) • government sources/publications (.gov) obtained from the original source are fine.

42. Sources • NO WIKIPEDIA!!! #

43. End of Presentation