First a bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, web sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used or is using for researching a topic. Bibliographies are sometimes called “References” or “Works Cited” depending on the style format you are using. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.)
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An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation of a source material, so a peer reviewed journal article for example.
Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. Depending on your project or the assignment, your annotations may do one or more of the following.
• Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main claims and reasons? 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.
• Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How effective and rigorous is the evidence? Where does it apply where does it not? Are there inaccurate warrants? Weird and unsubstantiated claims?
• 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?
• 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?
WHY SHOULD I WRITE AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?
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 has a core 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.
Moving back to our assignment:
This assignment is meant to build a base of research for the final paper, but also to ensure you are accessing and critically analyzing a variety of data sets.
You will critically examine two data driven or empirical articles or book chapters, these peerreviewed articles usually have methods and results.
You will critically examine two examples of grey literature (e.g. information produced outside of traditional publishing and distribution channels such as reports, policy literature, working papers, newsletters, government documents, etc.)
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You will critically examine a minimum of two media sources (e.g. blogs, news articles, newspaper contributions, etc.).
The selected literature must be related to a topic of your choice (or selected from the list provided below). That topic must be the same one of your final research paper.
Suggested research topics:
-1) Demonstrate the unique nature of the Anthropocene in comparison to the Holocene. Include definitions for both geological epochs, as well as evidence for the emergence of a new geological era.
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2) Provide a critique of the Anthropocene concept. Focus specifically on the distribution of global change and other leading arguments.
3) Argue in favour of a ‘lumpy’ as opposed to ‘flat’ world as a result of globalization. Provide specific evidence and case studies regarding varying levels of interconnectedness and interdependence.
4) Create an argument demonstrating the anthropogenic nature of global climate change.
5) Document the predicted or observed impacts of climate change in Newfoundland and Labrador. Discuss at least one climate adaptation case study in the province, along with at least one climate mitigation case study.
6) Make a case regarding the disproportionate impact of climate change in the Canadian (or wider) Arctic.
7) Discuss demographic trends affecting Newfoundland and Labrador (or a Canadian
province/territory of your choosing) – focus your argument on challenges and/or opportunities
The articles must contain information related to the first three course themes (Anthropocene/globalization, climate change, or demographics). Go look at your notes and the slides for guidance.
Your job is to write the citation for the article in APA and an annotation for each article. Explain each article and its results and conclusions with relevance to these themes from each article.
How do you do the summary and assessment?
Well, you use CREW. Look for main claims and reasons to summarize the article. Identify evidence and warrants. Then compare claims and reasons, along with evidence and warrants.
What are some strengths of the article, but what are some weaknesses?
You may include screen-shot graphs, data tables, or other relevant images from the source to aid your explanations. If you choose to do so, be sure to reference images with author and page number.
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