ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
The research process is iterative, focused on finding s
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
The research process is iterative, focused on finding substantiating published research for your selected topic. As research is conducted, it can be very difficult to organize and maintain large collections of relevant research materials. Thus, researchers use different tools and techniques to ensure they have their sources organized, categorized, and in a format that enables them to quickly recall each article’s topic and primary points of relevance, thus making it easier to locate and include in various formal research documentation.
One such tool is an annotated bibliography, which is a listing of references with a short annotation describing the content, the purpose, the quality, and the relevance of the resource to a research topic.
Annotation for a single resource provides you with a summary and an evaluation of a specific resource.
An annotated bibliography contains multiple annotations and provides you with a good perspective on what’s currently being published about a topic.
An annotated bibliography is not a formal component of formal research documentation; however, it is a useful tool that contributes significantly to the development of formal research documents. Reviewing an annotation in an annotated bibliography is much easier than returning to and reviewing the original resource materials you collected during the research process. Think of the annotation as a detailed note to yourself about the content in the resource, the quality of the resource, and the applicability of the resource to your research topic.
Additionally, a well-constructed annotated bibliography can make it easy to copy and paste the content into a literature review, including citations and formatted references. However, modern researchers may use other tools to add reference content in their literature reviews, instead of an annotated bibliography. Examples of such tools include RefWorks and EndNote. You can learn more about these options in the library. For this course, the traditional annotated bibliography is required.
RESOURCE ANNOTATIONSIt’s generally a good idea to create an annotation for every collected resource to help you analyze and organize your research materials. When you create a resource annotation, you’re forced to read the resource more carefully and critically instead of just documenting information.
Annotations should be written concisely and should include only significant and relevant details about the resource, such as a summary of the main points in the article, the purpose of the article, an evaluation of the resource quality, and the value of the resource in relation to your topic.
Figure 1
Annotation Example
AnnotationKey
(1) Merrill, M. D. (2007). The Proper Study of Instructional Design. In R. A. Reiser and J. V. Dempsey (Eds.). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (Vol. 2, pp. 336-341). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
(2) In this chapter, the definition of instructional design as a field, the application of instructional design theory, and the role of an instructional designer is questioned and distinguished. (3) The author calls for clarification of instructional designing and attempts to debunk the claim that everyone is a designer. (4) The author has been well-versed in the field of instructional design for four decades with over fifteen publications and has created three theories that help define instructional design and technology. (5) The article brings to light the current misconceptions about the practice of instructional design and proposes alternative ways to research and apply instructional design theories.
(1) Reference
(2) Summary
(3) Purpose
(4) Evaluation
(5) Reflection
The image above provides a visual example of an annotation identifying the five sections of an annotation.
Reference: Provides a properly formatted resource reference.
Summary: Summarizes the key points of the article. Ask yourself, “What is this article about?”
Purpose: Indicates the purpose of the article. Ask yourself, “Why was this article written?”
Quality Evaluation: Evaluates the quality of the article. Ask yourself, “Is the author, publisher, and content in this article credible, accurate, and relevant?” You may need to do a little extra research to answer this question.
Relevance Reflection: Reflects on the relevance of the article to your research topic. Indicate why the resource should be included in an annotated bibliography with other similar resources. Ask yourself, “How does this resource support or relate to my research topic?”
It’s important to note that you are not required to limit the different components of the annotation to a single sentence. You may use several sentences to summarize, evaluate, and reflect on the resource. However, you should try to omit background materials, references to previous work by the same author, and any information that is apparent from the title.
Annotation Formatting Tips:
Do not use in-text citations in an annotation.
Start the annotation on the next line after the reference.
Do not add an extra line or additional spacing between the reference and the annotation.
Use double spacing throughout.
Use formal academic writing. Never use first or second person references in research papers.
SIGNATURE ASSIGNMENT PREVIEWThe culminating signature assignment due towards the end of the course may require you to complete some work ahead of the due date. To ensure you are prepared and have adequate time to complete this assignment, please review the instructions by looking ahead to the signature assignment. Contact your professor if you have questions.
Assignment: Develop an Annotated Bibliography
Instructions
For this assignment, you must select a research topic in your specialization and use the template provided in the weekly resources to create an annotated bibliography containing at least 5 scholarly resources. Plan to use your completed assignment to help you with the development of a literature review in the next assignment. You will also be required to add this annotated bibliography as an appendix to the research proposal you will develop at the end of the course.
NOTE: Your research topic does not need to be the topic you intend to use during your dissertation, but if you choose your topic wisely, you can use the materials you create in this course to guide your dissertation.
Your annotated bibliography should contain the following:
An introduction that describes the topic, not the resources or annotations.
A selection methodology that describes why the resources were included in the annotated bibliography
An annotation section that includes APA formatted annotations for each of the five scholarly resources.
A reference list that provides a list of the resources following APA guidelines.
Formal academic writing is used. Never use first or second-person references in research papers.
Length: 5-7 page academic paper following APA guidelines
References: Include a minimum of 5 scholarly resources
The completed assignment should address all of the assignment requirements, exhibit evidence of concept knowledge, and demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the content presented in the course. The writing should integrate scholarly resources, and reflect academic expectations and current APA standards.
References: