Annotated literature review example
Learning Objectives
Annotated BibliographiesFigure 1. Annotated bibliographies are helpful when finding sources and determining how that source might be helpful for your paper. An annotated bibliography is a list of all your sources, including full citation information and notes on how you will use the sources. Writers often create annotated bibliographies as a part of a research project, as a means of recording their thoughts and deciding which sources to actually use to support the purpose of their research. Some writers include annotated bibliographies at the end of a research paper as a way of offering their insights about thesources usability to their readers. College instructorsoften assign annotated bibliographies as a way to help students think through theirsources quality and appropriateness to their research question or topic. Although it may take a while to complete the annotated bibliography, the annotations themselves are relatively brief. Link to LearningClick here to see a sample annotated bibliography from a student. The Purpose of the Annotated BibliographyAnnotated bibliographies are useful for several reasons. If you keep one while you research, the annotated bibliography will function as a useful guide. It will be easier for you to revisit sources later because you will already have notes explaining how you want to use each source. If you find an annotated bibliography attached to one of the sources you are using, you can look at it to find other possible resources. Constructing Your CitationsThe first part of each entry in an annotated bibliography is the sources full citation. We examine citations in another section of this course,and detailed instructions for creatingthe citation can be found in the style manual for whatever format (APA, MLA, etc.) your professor wants you to use. What to Include in Each AnnotationA good annotation has three parts, in addition to the complete bibliographic information for the source:
Start by stating the main idea of the source. If you have space, note the specific information that you want to use from the source, such as quotations, chapters, or page numbers. Then explain if the source is credible, and note any potential bias you observe. Finally, explain how that information is useful to your own work. You may also consider including:
Writing the Annotated bibliographyKeep these suggestions in mind as you construct an annotated bibliography:
In most annotated bibliographies,the summary, analysis, and evaluation for each source becomes the body ofthe annotation for that source. Some annotated bibliographies may not require all three of these elements, but most will. Be sure to consult yourinstructor, and ask questions if youre unsure about the required elements within each entry of your annotated bibliography. Example AnnotationSource: Farley, John. The Spontaneous-Generation Controversy (17001860): The Origin of Parasitic Worms.Journal of the History of Biology, 5 (Spring 1972), 95125.
Try ItLiterature ReviewThe literature of a literature review is not made up of novels and short stories and poetrybut is the collection of writing and research that has been produced on a particular topic. The purpose of the literature review is to give you an overview of a particular topic. Your job is to discover the research that has alreadybeen done, the major perspectives, and the significant thinkers and writers (experts) who have published on the topic youre interested in. In other words, its a survey of what has been written and argued about your topic. By the time you complete your literature review you should have written an essay that demonstrates that you:
Thus, a literature review synthesizes your research into an explanation of what is known and what is not known on your topic. If the topic is one from which you want to embark on a major research project, doing a literature review will save you time and help you figure out where you might focus your attention so you dont duplicate research that has already been done. Just to be clear:a literature review differs from a research paper in that aliterature reviewis a summary and synthesis of the major arguments and thinking of experts on the topic youre investigating, whereas aresearch papersupports a position or an opinion you have developed yourself as a result of your own analysis of a topic. Another advantage of doing a literature review is that it summarizes the intellectual discussion that has been going on over the decadesor centurieson a specific topic and allows you to join in that conversation (what academics call academic discourse) from a knowledgeable position. The following presentation will provide you with the basic steps to follow as you work to complete a literature review. Literature ReviewsGlossaryannotated bibliography:a list of your sources for your research, including full citation information and notes on how you will use the sources literature review:a summary and synthesis of the major arguments and thinking of experts on the topic youre investigating Contribute!Did you have an idea for improving this content? Wed love your input. Improve this pageLearn More |