1. No category

Annotated Bibliography
How-to Guide
1. Research topic or subject online. You are not allowed to use Wikipedia.
2. To create a citation open a new “tab.” Go to http://www.easybib.com or go to the MLA packet
on my web page found right underneath the link for this assignment.
3. Enter all required and necessary information. This is your citation for your source. Your citation should
look similar to this:
Holland, Suzanne. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate: Science, Ethics, and Public
Policy. Boston: MIT Press, 2001.Print.
4. Write your annotation as follows (use the worksheet to write the rough draft):
In the sample annotation below the writer includes three paragraphs : a summary , an evaluation of the
text, and a reflection on its applicability to his/her own research, respectively.
EXAMPLE OF ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor Books, 1995. Print.
Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and
failures. Taking a humorous approach to the realities of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott's book are
wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to jealousy, from perfectionism to
struggling with one's own internal critic. In the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be
both productive and fun. Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her
main project seems to be offering the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling
with one's own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a practical handbook to producing and/or
publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and its
encouraging approach.
Lamott is clearly a credible source as she has successfully published seven novels and five best-selling
nonfiction books and has been recognized by the writing community with several accolades. Specifically,
Anne Lamott has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship, and has taught at UC Davis, as well as at
writing conferences across the country. Lamott’s biweekly Salon Magazine “online diary,” Word by Word,
was voted The Best of the Web by TIME magazine. Filmmaker Freida Mock (who won an Academy Award
for her documentary on Maya Lin) has made a documentary on Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird with Annie
(1999).
This article is particularly helpful to my research because chapters in this text could easily be
incorporated in my paper about which writing texts should be included in the curriculum of a writing class.
Several of the chapters in Part 1 address the writing process and would serve to generate discussion on
students' own drafting and revising processes. Some of the exercises would be especially appropriate for
generating writing in the classroom.
What to turn in:
1. Submit your completed bibliographic entries without the highlighting. (6 entries = 18 paragraphs in
total.) The worksheets above are just to provide a guideline for you.
2. Submit entries that look like this page ..V both to me and to Turnitin.com.
3. You can have more than one entry on each page.
Sharabi, Corinne
English Period 2
Ms. Fishbein
April 12, 2013
Wright, Stephen E. "Gun Control Laws Will Not Save Lives." Guns and Crime. Ed. Christine Watkins. Detroit:
Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from "Anti-Gun Group Common Sense Gun Laws and Real
Common Sense." StephenEWright.com. 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.
<http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CEJ3010015249&v=2.1&u=miamidade&it=r&p=GPS&s
w=w&asid=1ced6b4e3e47b25e26bae328c1a9e44b>
Stephen E. Wright’s article, "Gun Control Laws Will Not Save Lives,” includes various reasons why he
believes gun control should not be permitted. His article includes why handgun purchases should not be limited,
concealed guns should be allowed, and why he believes more guns do not result in more accidental shootings.
Wright presents his information in a unique, clear, and entertaining way by including the emotional rhetoric, the
facts, and the common sense of each topic he addresses.
The author, Wright, is a reliable source because he writes a blog, “From the Bluff,” and is the author of his
own novel Off Road: A Uniquely American Novel About God, Guns, Big Trucks ... and Family. While the article
is backed up by facts and ways he found opposing groups misconstrue facts, the article is highly biased and does
not include many statistics to represent his claims in numbers.
The article, "Gun Control Laws Will Not Save Lives,” is a helpful source to me that presents another
viewpoint on my topic which will widen and better my research. The points presented in the article give me a
better idea of what I want to write about in my research report. Also, the article opens up the possibility of doing
a report with both views on gun control, but choosing one as my opinion.
Odzer, Jamie
AP English Language/Period 3
Ms. Fishbein
April 12, 2013
Mills, Robin M. The Myth of the Oil Crisis: Overcoming the Challenges of Depletion,
Geopolitics, and Global Warming. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2008. Print.
Robin Mills's book debunks the "peak oil" theory, that oil as a resource will run out within the next
30 years. More importantly, it argues the oil is only one source of energy. There are many others that
should be exploited. Mills says energy independence can be achieved through a mixture of using fossil
fuels and renewable energy sources.
Mills is a geologist, economist, and former oil industry executive, so his writing is informed by
expertise and experience in multiple disciplines. He argues that oil will not run out; it will simply become
irrelevant as technology makes other forms of energy more viable. Mills has already been proven right
because since his book was published, new drilling and extraction technologies have led to a boom in
American production of natural gas. Burning natural gas is a much cleaner alternative to coal and
produces fewer carbon emissions. Mills also says it makes no sense, economically, to seek military
control of oil supplies. His writing is lucid, and his analysis is supported by statistics, graphs, and his own
expertise. Interestingly, even though he is a former oil company man, Mills is also an ardent
environmentalist who proposes ways to solve the problems of global warming caused by burning fossil
fuels.
This book can be a valuable tool in my research. It provides persuasive arguments of how oil can
be used responsibly. It also shows the benefits that society can enjoy by simultaneously conserving oil
and developing alternative energy sources. As Mills says, "As always in human history, challenges bring
forth solutions."
Bendavid, Ariel
Ms. Fishbein
AP Language/ Period 6
April 12, 2013
Annotated Bibliography
Midgalovitz, Carol. Israel: Background and Relations with the United States. Rep. no. RL33476.
Congressional Research Service, 30 Apr. 2007. Web. 4 Apr. 10.
<http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/84932.pdf>.
In Migdalovitz’s report, the author discusses a variety of aspects of contemporary Israel including
recent developments, government and politics, the economy, and its relations with other countries in the
Middle East and the United States. With respect to U.S. Israeli relations, Migdalovitz discuss their
relations: economic, trade, aid, and security cooperation. This report is written in a very expository and
objective way. It provides insights into the elements of the U.S. and Israeli relationship.
This source does seem reliable as it is a report prepared for the members and committees of
Congress by the Congressional Research Service. It is pretty objective in its entirety. The facts are
extremely well documented throughout the whole report. Migdalovits is credible as she is a specialist in
Middle Eastern Affairs at the Congressional Research Service. She has written various reports about the
Middle East that are on Amazon and her report has appeared on the blog Jewish Ideas Daily. The source
is more scholarly than popular, as it was prepared for the politicians and leaders of our country. Although
the source is six years old, it is current enough to get the scope of the U.S. – Israeli relations in the 21st
century.
This source fits into my research even though it describes Israel’s situation and describes U.S. and
Israeli relations from more of an Israeli point of view. Nonetheless, it offers valuable information about
the importance of the relationship from Israel to the United States and vice versa. The source is very
specific, and provides a ton of data, facts, and statistics.
Annotation Worksheet for Research Project
SOURCE #
:
A. Record citation exactly as it appears on www.easybib.com, making sure to provide spaces and punctuation where appropriate. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ B. Write a brief summary of the source. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ C. Assess the source Does it seem like a reliable source? Why? Is the
research biased or objective?
Are the facts well documented? Who is the author? Is she qualified in this subject? How can you tell? (You may want to do a bit of research on the credentials of the author.) Is this source scholarly, popular, some of both? Is the source current enough? *For more ways to address this section, see the pages 4-9 below. If your article has no author or you’re not sure about reliability, see the pages at the end of the packet. An article can take a pro or con position and still be considered reliable. You can discuss which position the author leans toward. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ D. Reflect on the source. How does it fit into your research? Is this a
helpful resource? Too
scholarly? Up to date Not scholarly enough? Too general/specific? Has this source helped you to
narrow your topic?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Use a standard font style (i.e. Times New Roman, Arial, Cambria, or Verdana) in 12-point
font size, with double-spacing. Type A-D for your annotated bibliography. Remember to
cite correctly and proofread for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
*Tips for Evaluating Sources
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/tips-for-evaluating-sources.htm
Evaluating all sources
Checking for signs of bias
• Does the author or publisher endorse political or religious views that could affect
objectivity?
• Is the author or publisher associated with a special-interest group, such as
Greenpeace or the National Rifle Association, that might present only one side
of an issue?
• Are alternative views presented and addressed? How fairly does the author treat
opposing views?
• Does the author’s language show signs of bias?
Assessing an argument
• What is the author’s central claim or thesis?
• How does the author support this claim—with relevant and sufficient evidence or
with just a few anecdotes or emotional examples?
• Are statistics consistent with those you encounter in other sources? Have they
been used fairly? Does the author explain where the statistics come from? (It
is possible to “lie” with statistics by using them selectively or by omitting
mathematical details.)
• Are any of the author’s assumptions questionable?
• Does the author consider opposing arguments and refute them persuasively?
• Does the author fall prey to any logical fallacies?
Evaluating Web sources
Authorship
• Does the Web site or document have an author? You may need to do some
clicking and scrolling to find the author’s name. If you have landed directly on
an internal page of a site, for example, you may need to navigate to the
home page or find an “about this site” link to learn the name of the author.
• If there is an author, can you tell whether he or she is knowledgeable and
credible? When the author’s qualifications aren’t listed on the site itself, look
for links to the author’s home page, which may provide evidence of his or her
interests and expertise.
Sponsorship
• Who, if anyone, sponsors the site? The sponsor of a site is often named and
described on the home page.
• What does the URL tell you? The domain name extension often indicates the type
of group hosting the site: commercial (.com), educational (.edu), nonprofit
(.org), governmental (.gov), military (.mil), or network (.net). URLs may also
indicate a country of origin: .uk (United Kingdom) or .jp (Japan), for instance.
Purpose and audience
• Why was the site created: To argue a position? To sell a product? To inform
readers?
• Who is the site’s intended audience?
Currency
• How current is the site? Check for the date of publication or the latest update,
often located at the bottom of the home page or at the beginning or end of an
internal page.
• How current are the site’s links? If many of the links no longer work, the site may
be too dated for your purposes.
UC Berkeley/ Critical Evaluation of Resources
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/evaluation.html
SuitabilityDAuthorityDOther IndicatorsDReference SourcesDLinks
In the research process you will encounter many types of
resources including books, articles and websites. But not
everything you find on your topic will be suitable. How do you
make sense of what is out there and evaluate its authority and
appropriateness for your research?
Suitability
Scope. What is the breadth of the article, book, website or
other material? Is is a general work that provides an overview
of the topic or is it specifically focused on only one aspect of
your topic. Does the breadth of the work match your own
expectations? Does the resource cover the right time period
that you are interested in?
Audience. Who is the intended audience for this source? Is the
material too technical or too clinical? Is it too elementary or
basic? You are more likely to retrieve articles written for the
appropriate audience if you start off in the right index. For
instance, to find resources listing the latest statistics on heart
disease you may want to avoid the Medline database which will
bring up articles designed for practicing clinicians rather than
social science researchers.
Timeliness. When was the source published? If it is a website,
when was it last updated? Avoid using undated websites.
Library catalogs and periodical indexes always indicate the
publication date in the bibliograhic citation.
Scholarly vs. Popular
•
•
A scholarly journal is generally one that is published by and for experts. In order
to be published in a scholarly journal, an article must first go through the peer
review process in which a group of widely acknowledged experts in a field reviews
it for content, scholarly soundness and academic value. In most cases, articles in
scholarly journals present new, previously un-published research. Scholarly sources
will almost always include:
Bibliography and footnotes
Author's name and academic credentials
As a general rule, scholarly journals are not printed on glossy paper, do not contain
advertisements for popular consumer items and do not have colorful graphics and
illustrations (there are, of course, exceptions).
Popular magazines range from highly respected publications such as Scientific
American and The Atlantic Monthly to general interest newsmagazines like
Newsweek and US News & World Report. Articles in these publications tend to be
written by staff writers or freelance journalists and are geared towards a general
audience. Articles in popular magazines are more likely to be shorter than those in
academic journals. While most magazines adhere to editorial standards, articles do
not go through a peer review process and rarely contain bibliographic citations.
A good resource that provides background information to help you evaluate
periodicals is:
•
Magazines for Libraries (Doe Reference AP1.21.K3 Directories).
Tip: When searching a journal index such as Expanded Academic ASAP, try
narrowing your search by limiting to refereed publications. This will retrieve only
scholarly journals matching your search terms. Some other journal indexes offer
this or a similar option.
If you do your searches in Web of Science, you will retrieve only scholarly articles
since only academic journals are indexed in this database.
Authority
Who is the author? What are his or her academic credentials?
What else has this author written? Sometimes information about
the author is listed somewhere in the article. Other times, you
may need to consult another resource to get background
information on the author. Sometimes it helps to search the
author's name in a general web search engine like Google.
Among the reference sources available that list biographical
information about authors and scholars are:
American Men & Women of Science (Doe/Biographies,
Biosciences, and some other Reference sections at Q141.C312).
Ask at reference desks about specialized versions for
Economics, Medical, Social & Behavioral, and other
disciplines.DContemporary Authors (Doe Reference
CT214.A12.C592 Biographies). Primarily literary and other
writers. Partially online in Literature Resource Center UCB only
Other Indicators
Documentation. A bibliography, along with footnotes, indicate that the author has
consulted other sources and serves to authenticate the information that he or she is
presenting. In websites, expect links or footnotes documenting sources, and
referring to additional resources and other viewpoints.
Objectivity. What point of view does the author represent? Is the article an
editorial that is trying to argue a position? Is the website sponsored by a company
or organization that advocates a certain philosophy? Is the article published in a
magazine that has a particular editorial position? Consult these resources which
indicate whether a publication is known to be conservative or progressive, or is
affiliated with a particular advocacy group:
Magazines for Libraries (Doe Reference AP1.21.K3 Directories)DLeft Guide
(Doe Reference HS2321.L44.R54 Directories)DRight Guide (Doe Reference
HS2321.L44.R54 Directories)
In the appendices to these volumes, consult the lists of Periodicals; then look up
the names of sponsoring organization.
Primary vs. secondary research. In determining the appropriateness of a resource,
it may be helpful to determine whether it is primary research or secondary research.
Primary research presents original research methods or findings for the first
time. Examples include:
A journal article, book, or other publication that presents new findings and new
theories, usually with the data
A newspaper account written by a journalist who was present at the event he or
she is describing is a primary source (an eye-witness, first-hand account), and may
also be primary "research"
A secondary research does not present new research but rather provides a
compilation or evaluation of previously presented material. Examples include:
A scientific article summarizing research or data, such as in Scientific American,
Discover, Annual Review of Genetics, or Bioglogical Reviews
An encyclopedia entry and entries in most other Reference books
A textbook
Take an article in a popular magazine such as Mother Jones about the public health
aspects of handgun control -- if it relies on interviews with experts and does not
present any new research in the area, this article would be considered secondary
research. If one of the experts interviewed in the Mother Jones article published a
study in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) documenting for
the first time the effect that handguns have on youth mortality rates, only the
JAMA article would be considered primary research.
Websites. While most of the strategies listed above for evaluating information can
be applied to any type of resource (books, articles or websites), the unfiltered,
free-form nature of the Web provides unique challenges in determining a website's
appropriateness as an information source. In evaluating a website, these are some
questions that you can ask yourself:
Is there an author of the document? Can you determine the producer's
credentials? If you cannot determine the author of the site, then think twice about
using it as a resource.
Is the site sponsored by a group or organization? If it is sponsored by a group or
company, does the group advocate a certain philosophy? Try to find and read
"About Us" or similar information.
Is there any bias evident in the site? Is the site trying to sell you a product? Ask
why the page was put on the web?
Is there a date on the website? Is it sufficiently up-to-date? If there is no date,
again, think twice about using it. Undated factual or statistical information should
never be used.
How credible and authentic are the links to other resources? Are the links
evaluated or annotated in any way?
For a more detailed checklist of what to look for in a website and how to do it, see
Evaluating Web Pages: How and Why.
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Reference Sources
Book reviews. A book review -- which can appear in a journal, magazine or
newspaper -- provides a descriptive, evaluative discussion of a recently published
book. Reading how others have evaluated a book may help you decide whether to
use that book in your research. There are a number of indexes you can consult that
provide references to book reviews.
Book Review Digest (1905-current ) (Doe Reference Z1219.B8 Indexes). Online:
1905-1982 and 1983-current. UCB only
Book Review Index (1965- ) (Doe Reference Z1035.A1.B6 Indexes)
New York Review of Books (1963-current).
Journal Indexes. You may also find reviews of books in many journal indexes by
searching on the title and/or author of the book. Select a general journal index or
an index for the subject area of the book.
Citation indexes. To see the impact a particular source has had on scholarship,
you may want to consult a citation index. A citation index lists when and where a
work has been cited. In other words, you could consult a Citation Index to see all
the articles that have cited David Ho's research on HIV. The citation indexes are all
available in the following database:
Web of Science: http://isiknowledge.com/wos
Science Citation Index (1945-present)
Social Sciences Citation Index (1970-present)
Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present)
The citation indexes are also available in print.
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Links
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly: Or, Why It's a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources.
From New Mexico State University, this guide includes links to examples of both
"good" and "bad" websites.
How to Critically Analyze Information Sources. A quick guide to help you determine
the relevance and authority of a resource. A useful companion guide is one titled
Distinguishing Scholarly Journals from Other Periodicals. Both from Cornell
University.
Evaluating Information Found on the Internet. A thoughtful guide to evaluating
web and other Internet resources for scholarly purposes, from John Hopkins
University Library.
Evaluation of Information Sources is an extensive list of links to the many other
sites available on evaluating information.
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Evaluation During Reading https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/553/03/
Summary:
Evaluating sources of information is an important step in any research activity. This section provides information on e
bibliographic citations, aspects of evaluation, reading evaluation, print vs. Internet sources, and evaluating Internet so
After you have asked yourself some questions about the source and determined that it's worth your time to find and re
you can evaluate the material in the source as you read through it.
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Read the preface--What does the author want to accomplish? Browse through the table of contents and
index.This will give you an overview of the source. Is your topic covered in enough depth to be helpful?
find your topic discussed, try searching for some synonyms in the index.
Check for a list of references or other citations that look as if they will lead you to related material that
good sources.
Determine the intended audience. Are you the intended audience? Consider the tone, style, level of infor
assumptions the author makes about the reader. Are they appropriate for your needs?
Try to determine if the content of the source is fact, opinion, or propaganda. If you think the source is of
are the sources for those facts clearly indicated?
Do you think there's enough evidence offered? Is the coverage comprehensive? (As you learn more and
your topic, you will notice that this gets easier as you become more of an expert.)
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 t
about the author. Is this person reputable?)
Check for accuracy.
How timely is the source? Is the source twenty years out of date? Some information becomes dated whe
research is available, but other older sources of information can be quite sound fifty or a hundred years
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?
Are there vague or sweeping generalizations that aren't backed up with evidence?
Are arguments very one-sided with no acknowledgement of other viewpoints?