annotated biblography

annotated biblography

The Importance of Annotated Bibliography

1. Definition and Purpose of Annotated Bibliography

Annotated bibliographies are helpful to researchers even if they are not preparing publications because, by definition, an annotation is a note added to a text, book, drawing, etc., as a comment or explanation. They can help you organize your sources, making it much easier to go back and reference a book or article at a later date. Secondly, if you are preparing a literature review, annotated bibliographies are useful as a way to construct a comprehensive summary of the literature on a topic. The act of summarizing a section of an article or a whole article can also be very helpful in aiding the understanding of the material. This is the most obvious benefit of the annotation. An annotated bibliography helps you get a great head start on your assignment. With the information you have just read fresh in your mind, you will be better prepared to choose your sources more effectively and compile a more substantive, well-researched final paper. An annotated bibliography also helps you to sort out irrelevant sources in the beginning, so you do not have to waste time figuring out if the source is usable. Finally, your instructor may wish for you to use an annotated bibliography so that he or she can assess the depth of your understanding as well as develop your ability to critically appraise and integrate the works you are using into your own research. An annotated bibliography helps you to think about your sources and analyze what each is contributing to your understanding of the topic. Annotated bibliographies can prove to be a useful tool, and preparing one can actually hone your researching and critical thinking skills. The most basic of them is essentially a list of the sources you have used in your research, accompanied by a brief, paragraph-long summary of each source. Annotated bibliographies are often shared or published as a way of gathering a group of sources on a particular topic in one place for easy reference. They are useful because you can organize the sources sequentially based on a particular point or theme, which will cut down on the sifting through the stack of articles to find the one you are looking for.

2. Benefits of Annotated Bibliography

An annotated bibliography can be an essential factor in a thesis, dissertation, or research paper. It helps to give credibility to the work of the author. This type of bibliography shows a descriptive explanation of each source mentioned. From “Cell to Society,” the 5th chapter of this book states biological changes in human DNA that help to anticipate and control societal changes. This type of information is very important for the writer to understand the linking of changes in human biology with the changes in everyday life in society. DNA is the source of genes that are responsible for changes in humans. The writer was able to find this source by using the Colorado State University Libraries. By seeing a brief preview of the content from this source, the author has decided to read it entirely and find out whether the information from this book can be helpful for the project. An annotated bibliography also informs the reader about the quality and content of the book. Textbooks can be somewhat useless because they are often fact-based with no room for opinion. This can make it hard to find any information that goes along with the topic in question, and there is no way to know exactly what is being searched for. The author wanted to find information behind the construction and compare changes with humans in the earlier stages of civilization with today. By using an internet search, the writer found a detailed explanation of changes in human lifestyle from a teacher’s website. With an MLA style format, an annotated bibliography is a concise explanation of each source, and some of this can be found. Any type of annotated bibliography should be precise and to the point as this helps the reader understand what kind of sources will be explored in the research paper.

3. How to Create an Annotated Bibliography

Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition, succinct analysis, and informed library research. First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety of perspectives on your topic. Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style. Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more sentences that evaluate the authority or background of the author, comment on the intended audience, compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or explain how this work illuminates your bibliography topic.

4. Tips for Writing Effective Annotations

Now that we’ve answered what an annotation is, we need to know what it is exactly we are summarizing and evaluating.

First, you need to know what constitutes an annotation. An annotation is a concise, evaluative summary of a source. The annotation briefly describes the content of the source and its usefulness and reliability. There are two main types of annotations. The first is a type of descriptive annotation. It basically summarizes what the source is about. A critical or evaluative annotation goes further; it evaluates what is said and who says it. This type of annotation describes the strengths and weaknesses of the source.

Think you can put off those pesky annotated bibliographies until the last minute? Think again. The process of writing an annotated bibliography forces you to think and plan critically. It is a great first step in producing a high quality research paper. Here are some tips…

5. Examples of Annotated Bibliography Entries

In this paper, the authors methodically describe a study designed to measure the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of GHB by ittiel to moderate GHB doses to alcohol dependent volunteers over se.i.l days. Using the innovative technique for this critical study, the authors were able to detenni.it the long-lasting effects of GHB use for the lust time. P.iluciininly, this study can educate the public .it’out (he i.llccts of GHB use and help reduce its abuse.

Goodwin, R. S., Darwin, W. D., Chiang, C. N., Shih, M., Li, S. H., & Huestis, M. A. (2007). Slow and sustained accumulation of g-hydroxybutyrate in an alcohol-dependent volunteer: A new method for studying the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of g-hydroxybutyrate. Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 46, 887-903.

This study examined the effects of MDMA (ecstasy) on learning and memory performance. The study tested and analyzed 39 experimental studies which measured memory effects of ecstasy. The authors found that ecstasy does impair a person’s ability to both learn and remember new information. It does so by affecting the functional aspects of memory. These findings are crucial in educating the public, specifically the youth, about the memory damaging effects of ecstasy use.

References Carpenter, S., & Dobkin, B. M. (1989). The effects of ecstasy on memory: A meta-analysis. British Journal of Psychology, 80, 113-128.