Annotated Bibliography

What is an annotated bibliography? An annotated bibliography provides an overview or a brief account of the available research on a given topic. It is a list of research sources that takes the form of a citation for each source, followed by an annotation – a short paragraph sumarising and evaluating the source

1. APA Reference Formatting of Source Article sections:

Written in APA reference list format (6^th or 7^th edition). For more help with formatting, see the APA handout.

2. Summary sections:

What is the purpose of the source article, and how is it relevant to your Course Project’s required topics and subtopics (see Outline assignment instructions)?  Briefly address the following points in 4-6 sentences:

• Begin with a “topic sentence” that states the source’s main point. (e.g., This article discusses the ecology of the white-tailed deer in Delaware.).
• Summarize the main findings and conclusions of the peer-reviewed journal paper, book, website article, etc.
• State how the information is relevant to your project’s assigned topics and subtopics and be specific.

3. Evaluation sections:

After summarizing the source article, it is necessary to evaluate it and state where you found it (journal, website, book, etc.). Briefly answer the following questions in 4-6 sentences:

• What is the format/type of source article (e.g., peer-reviewed journal paper, book, website article)?
• Is the author an authority/expert on the topic? Explain how the author is qualified (see below).
• For subject-matter experts, provide their credentials (e.g. degrees earned, professional or academic affiliations, published works)
• For freelance/professional writers (non-experts), state if all reference sources are academically and scientifically credible and provide an example.
• For undergraduate-student writers (non-experts), include the subject-matter expert that may have edited or reviewed their work.
• If no author is listed, move on to discuss the publishing source.
• How is the publishing source (e.g., the website’s sponsoring organization, journal, book publisher) credible? (e.g., The Journal of Mammalian Research is the peer-reviewed journal of the Society of Mammalian Researchers which is comprised of subject-matter expert members and published quarterly by the University of Linux.)

For more help, see this handout on evaluating resources.

*Writing Expectations:  Apply scientific concepts and use scientific terminology correctly.  Utilize proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Evaluation: Please review the BIOL180 Annotated Bibliography Grading Criteria.pdf that describe how your annotated bibliography will be graded.

Submission Instructions:

4. You must submit your Annotated Bibliography as a “Microsoft Word” document using the template provided (rather than a Word Pad, Works, etc. document) AND title your file name as doc. Otherwise, you will not receive credit for your assignment. Accepted file types are .doc and .docx only.
5. Upload your assignment for grading by selecting the “Add a File” section.
6. The new screen will prompt you to select the “My Computer” button so you can locate the MS Word document of your Annotated Bibliography on your computer.
7. Find the file and double-select on it.
8. Select “Continue”.
9. Double-check to ensure that your annotated bibliography was successfully uploaded as an attachment.
10. When you have completed this assignment, type “Completed” in the rich text editor box below.
11. Select the “Submit” button.
12. Your annotated bibliography is automatically submitted to Turnitin with your submission: Papers will be automatically added to and checked against the standard Turnitin repositories. Originality reports will be returned to the faculty and student in roughly 15 minutes of the submission. Multiple submissions are allowed before the due date. If you wish to learn more about and how to access Turnitin.com, a plagiarism detection website, visit the Trefry Online Library, APUS Writing Center.