Annotated Bibliography Guidelines

• Find Sources• Scan Sources• Evaluate Sources

Annotated Bibliography = list of sources with notes. A bibliography is a collection of readings or sources.(annotated means “with notes”)

Annotated BibliographyYour entries will look like this on google docs:

Author name. Title of Source. Publication information, especially from the TCC LRC

databases. Date you accessed the source.

All sources will be formatted MLA style. Underneath each source you will be including a “notes” paragraph describing the source. The more detailed your “notes” paragraph, the better. 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.

Purpose• The purpose of an annotated

bibliography is to provide an opportunity and motivate (read: gently push) students to look up information about their topics.

Purpose• An annotated bibliography also

provides a starting point when researching a topic you want to discover more about.

Starting the process

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

• You may want to print out any internet sources and highlight information that you find interesting. Print only if this strategy helps you.

Starting the process

Annotated Bibliography• You should begin exploring the the

internet in search of sources for your Annotated Bibliography.

• You should begin collecting sources and taking notes.

• You will need to find 2-3 sources for your practice Annotated Bibliography.

• Never underestimate the power of a real book from the library.

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.”

• The sample article was found in an internet Academic Search Complete database.

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…

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

Jot it down!

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– Marvel database: Academic Search Complete.

EBSCO

Plug information in to MLA format in Easy Bib in google docs:

Notice how Easy Bib formats the citation for your, especially with indentations. This is a VERY helpful new tool.

See the next slide for the source formatted MLA style

• Here is the source in MLA format:

Rasenberger, Jim. “Nightmare on Austin Street.”

American Heritage. 57.5 (2006): 65-66. Academic

Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov.

2009.

Plug information in to MLA format

Once you have your sources formatted MLA style, it’s time to write your NOTES.

The NotesWrite 4–6 complete sentences that accomplish all/most of the following:

The Notes• Provide the background and

credibility of the author

• State the main focus or purpose of the work.

• Briefly describe the contents.

The Notes•Indicate the possible audience for the work.

•Point to any defect, weakness, or suspected bias. (fallacy)

The Notes• Describe any special features of

the work that were unique or helpful

• Mention important conclusions or observations reached by the author

• Evaluate the usefulness or relevance to your research topic (will you use this source? &/or why it did not meet your expectations..)

The Notes• A sample notes paragraph:

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.

• On the next slide, you will see the same paragraph color-coded by specific criteria…

Background & credibility of author Possible Audience

Main idea Contents Usefulness to my topic/research

The NotesJim 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 author Possible Audience

Main idea Contents Usefulness to my topic/research

Completed Example Annotated Bibliography entry

Rasenberger, Jim. “Nightmare on Austin Street.” American Heritage. 57.5 (2006): 65-66. Academic

Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 12 Nov. 2009. (Use Easy Bib on docs to do this)

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.

Annotated Bibliography

Your Mission…

Your Mission:•Locate 2-3 sources on your topic. • Write an MLA Works Cited style entry for each source.

(some people keep their notes on index cards—if this helps you, great!)• Look for any biographical info./credentials you can find

about the author and note them. • Scan the source and note the content on your own copy

of the research notes document. • Look at a few specific passages that catch your eye—

summarize them. Do you detect any bias? Is the source written for a particular audience (scholars, professionals in the field, general adult audience, educators, social workers, parents, teenagers, the poor, religious etc…)?

• Write your annotated bibliography from your notes.

Q: Should I turn in 2 or 3 sources? Why turn more than 2?

A: About the number of sources--Bibliographies with fewer than 2 sources will automatically receive a 2. A bibliography with 2 sources should have well-developed notes. A 3-source bibliography may have (slightly) shorter notes. The more you give me, the more I can provide in return, so if you need help with research/MLA, your annotated bibliography will show me what you’re doing correctly and incorrectly. If you’re looking for a higher score, having more (and well-written) entries is what you should aspire to. (Doing the absolute bare minimum rarely results in excellence.)

FAQ’s – frequently asked questions

FAQ’s – frequently asked questions

Q: Do my notes have to look like the ones in the example?

A: No, not exactly. However, the sample notes are excellent--very comprehensive, well written, and perceptive—definitely “4” level work. So...if you’re looking for an “4” (exceptional, demonstrated excellence in effort and ability), your notes should look similar. That said, I don’t expect everyone’s notes to look just like the sample. I do, however, expect you to write as a college student in any college would. Bibliographies with extremely brief or missing notes will receive a 2.

Q: What types of sources are you looking for? Can we use any sources we want?

A: As a soon to be college-level scholar, you should expect that require knowledge and use of relevant, scholarly sources rather than information from any website that pops up on Google or Yahoo.

Your state tax dollars pay for access to huge databases filled with reviewed, scholarly sources that indicate to teachers that you know what you’re doing when you conduct research.

All of these great sources are right at your fingertips, accessible anywhere!

FAQ’s – frequently asked questions

SourcesWhere can students find reliable, scholarly sources?

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 well when doing research.

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. 

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.

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.”

Sources

• university studies (.edu)• Marvel databases -

http://libraries.maine.edu/mainedatabases/• government sources/publications (.gov)

obtained from the original source are fine.• Newspapers, magazines• Google scholar

SourcesNO WIKIPEDIA!!!

While Wikipedia is NOT a valid research site and should NEVER appear on a works cited page, there are ways

to use it to help your research.Type in your topic into Wikipedia and scroll to the bottom of the page where it lists the resources. There

are often valuable resources there to use. Always go to the original source.

Final Notes…

Your Librarians are excellent sources for help.

Your Easy Bib on google docs can show you quickly how to do MLA. Use it, ut’s a great tool.

End of Presentation