Annotated Bibliography

Bibliography

A bibliography is an alphabetical list of sources you use when researching and writing your paper. Each entry on the list of sources is called a citation. Being able to determine the type of source (i.e. newspaper, magazine, or a journal article, books, chapters from books, general and subject encyclopedia articles, videos, podcasts, etc.) is critical in identifying the various elements of the citation.

• The main elements of any book will always include: Author, Title of Book , Place of publication: Publishing company and Date of publication.

• The main elements of any magazine or journal article will always include: Author, "Title of Article", Name of Magazine/Journal, Volume and Issue #, (Month, Date of Publication), Page number/range, Name of Online Database, Date of Retrieval.

As you search the RHS Catalog for any books on your topic and retrieve them from the shelves. And as you start locating magazine, journal or newspaper articles that will help you answer your Research Question, you should start creating your bibliography. Do not wait until you finish writing your paper to start pulling together your resources into a bibliography.

Your bibliographic citations should follow the MLA Handbook. The library has a copy of the Handbook for you to use at the front desk in the library.

PR 808.02 Gib-DESK

Copy the citation information for every book, encyclopedia article, magazine, journal and/or newspaper article you have located relevant to your Topic and Research Question. The citation should look like this:

Book Citation Elements:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Article Citation Elements:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Journal Title.Volume, Issue (Year): page #’s. Title of Database.

Name of Service. Source of Information (Web or Print). Day Month Year of access.

You can find examples of how to cite each of your sources at Citing RHS Library Sources.

Instructional Handout:

This Handout illustrates how to identify the Bibliographic Elements for different types of sources, such as a book, encyclopedia article, magazine, newspaper and journal.

Annotations

To become an effective researcher, one must know how to cite sources and be able to summarize (annotate) these sources. Annotating allows you to keep track of your sources and their relevancy as you develop or formulate thoughts about your topic from your research findings. It also allows your teacher to verify you are “on track” with the assignment and are using credible resources.

Annotation Content

Below each citation, in your own words, type your annotation. The annotation should be a brief (one paragraph) evaluation of the item in question. Some things to look for and comment about in your annotation include:

• Content/Coverage: What is the item about? What does it cover?
• Purpose/Usefulness: What is it for? Is the content helpful to your topic/research?
• Methods: Where did the information in the article come from?
• Reliability: Is the information accurate?
• Authority: Who is the author and do they have expertise in your topic area?
• Currency: Is the information current? If dated, how is the information of value?
• Arrangement: How is the information organized?

Sample citation and annotation

List, Carla J. Information Research. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., 2002. Print.

In this book, Carla List, an award-winning teacher and librarian, defines and describes information and provides step-by-step instructions on doing research. In seven chapters, she covers the organization of information, information technology, and the presentation, analysis, evaluation, and citation of information. A bibliography, glossary and index are included. This book is aimed at the college-level student and is useful to the inexperienced researcher.