Architecture

•  A summary annotation describes the source by answering the following questions: who wrote the document, what the document discusses, when and where the document was written, why the document was produced, and how it was provided to the public. The focus is on description. 

•  An evaluative annotation includes a summary listed above and critically assesses the work for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Evaluative annotations can help you learn about your topic, develop a thesis statement, decide if a specific source will be useful for your assignment, and determine if enough valid information is available to complete your project. The focus is on description and evaluation.

Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in periodical indexes. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they may describe the author's point of view, authority, or clarity and appropriateness of expression.

• An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, websites, reports and documents.
• Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, which we call the annotation.
• The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the source cited. The annotation lets the reader know what the source is about and whether you found it to be useful and accurate or not.
• Do not cut and paste parts of the abstract into your bibliography in place of a thoughtful annotation!

1. Cite the source using Chicago style.
2. Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology, and identify the intended audience.
3. Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias he/she may have.
4. Compare to other sources on the same topic you have cited to show similarities and differences.
5. Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic.
6. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
7. Identify the observations or conclusions of the author.

 Remember: Annotations are original descriptions that you create after reading the document. When researching, you may find journal articles that provide a short summary at the beginning of the text. This article abstract is similar to a summary annotation. You may consult the abstract when creating your evaluative annotation, but never simply copy it as that would be considered plagiarism. 

Additional Information:

Content—What's the book about? Is it relevant to your research?

Purpose-—What's it for? Why was this book written?

Methods used to collect data—Where did the information come from?

Usefulness—What does it do for your research?

Reliability—Is the information accurate?

Authority—Is it written by someone who has the expertise to author the information?

Currency—Is it new? Is it up-to-date for the topic?

Scope/Coverage/Limitations—What does it cover? What does the author state that he or she will cover? What doesn't the book/article provide that would be helpful?

Arrangement—How is the book organized? Are there any special "added-value" features?

Ease of use—Can a "real person" use this book? What reading level is the book?

Think about the following when looking for sources for your annotated bibliography:

• Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda?
• Does the information appear to be valid and well-researched, or is it questionable and unsupported by evidence?  
• Are the ideas and arguments advanced more or less in line with other works you have read on the same topic?  
• Does the source extensively or marginally cover your topic?  
• Is the material primary or secondary in nature?  
• What are the author's credentials--institutional affiliation?  
• Have you seen the author's name cited in other sources or bibliographies? (respected authors are cited frequently by other scholars)   
• When was the source published? Is the source current or out-of-date for your topic?  
• Is this a popular magazine or scholarly journal? 
• Is the publication aimed at a specialized or a general audience?

Think about including the following in your annotation:

• What was the central theme of the source?
• Who was the audience that the source was written for (i.e. students, scientists, etc.)
• Was the scope of the source comprehensive? (i.e. Did it cover everything you thought it should have? Did it focus on everything about that topic or just one or two small issues?)
• Was this source and its conclusions convincing to you or not?
• What are the strengths of this source? What are its weaknesses?
• Is the author of the source an authority in the subject or not?
• Is there anything highly helpful or useful included in this paper? (ex: a good bibliography, a detailed glossary, etc.)
• Was this source helpful or not in your overall research?
• What did you think about this source?

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

In this book, Carla List, an award-winning teacher and librarian, defines and describes information and provides step-by-step instruction 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.

Example from: Burkhardt, Joanna M., Mary C. MacDonald, and Andrée J. Rathemacher. Teaching Information Literacy: 35 Practical, Standards-based Exercises for College Students. Chicago: American Library Association, 2003, pp. 57-58 (Exercise 25).

Additional Samples... 

• Combined Informative/Evaluative Style - This style combines all the styles to provide a more complete view of a source.  The annotation should explain the value of the source for the overall research topic by providing a summary combined with an analysis of the source.  Please ask your course professor for your preferred style and preference. 

Examples:

Aluedse, O. (2006). Bullying in schools: A form of child abuse in schools. Educational Research Quarterly, 30(1), 37.

The author classifies bullying in schools as a “form of child abuse,” and goes well beyond the notion that schoolyard bullying is “just child’s play.” The article provides an in-depth definition of bullying, and explores the likelihood that school-aged bullies may also experience difficult lives as adults. The author discusses the modern prevalence of bullying in school systems, the effects of bullying, intervention strategies, and provides an extensive list of resources and references.

Statistics included provide an alarming realization that bullying is prevalent not only in the United States, but also worldwide. According to the author, “American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million victims.” The author references the National Association of School Psychologists and quotes, “Thus, one in seven children is a bully or a target of bullying.” A major point of emphasis centers around what has always been considered a “normal part of growing up” versus the levels of actual abuse reached in today’s society.

The author concludes with a section that addresses intervention strategies for school administrators, teachers, counselors, and school staff. The concept of school staff helping build students’ “social competence” is showcased as a prevalent means of preventing and reducing this growing social menace. Overall, the article is worthwhile for anyone interested in the subject matter, and provides a wealth of resources for researching this topic of growing concern.

(Renfrow & Teuton, 2008)

• Informative Style - Similar to an abstract, this style focuses on the summarizing the source.  The annotation should identify the hypothesis, results, and conclusions presented by the source.

Example:

Plester, B., Wood, C, & Bell, V. (2008). Txt msg n school literacy: Does texting and knowledge of text abbreviations adversely affect children's literacy attainment? Literacy, 42(3), 137-144.

Reports on two studies that investigated the relationship between children's texting behavior, their knowledge of text abbreviations, and their school attainment in written language skills. In Study One, 11 to 12 year-old children reported their texting behavior and translated a standard English sentence into a text message and vice versa. In Study Two, children's performance on writing measures were examined more specifically, spelling proficiency was also assessed, and KS2 Writing scores were obtained. Positive correlations between spelling ability and performance on the translation exercise were found, and group-based comparisons based on the children's writing scores also showed that good writing attainment was associated with greater use of texting abbreviations (textisms), although the direction of this association is not clear. Overall, these findings suggest that children's knowledge of textisms is not associated with poor written language outcomes for children in this age range. 

(Beach et al., 2009)

• Evaluative Style - This style analyzes and critically evaluates the source.  The annotation should comment on the source's the strengths, weaknesses, and how it relates to the overall research topic.

Example:

Amott, T. (1993). Caught in the Crisis: Women in the U.S. Economy Today. New York: Monthly Review Press.

A very readable (140 pp) economic analysis and information book which I am currently considering as a required collateral assignment in Economics 201. Among its many strengths is a lucid connection of "The Crisis at Home" with the broader, macroeconomic crisis of the U.S. working class (which various other authors have described as the shrinking middle class or the crisis of de-industrialization).

(Papadantonakis, 1996)

• Indicative Style - This style of annotation identifies the main theme and lists the significant topics included in the source.  Usually no specific details are given beyond the topic list . 

Example: 

Gambell, T.J., & Hunter, D. M. (1999). Rethinking gender differences in literacy. Canadian Journal of Education, 24(1) 1-16.

Five explanations are offered for recently assessed gender differences in the literacy achievement of male and female students in Canada and other countries. The explanations revolve around evaluative bias, home socialization, role and societal expectations, male psychology, and equity policy.

(Kerka & Imel, 2004)

• Each annotation should be one paragraph, between three to six sentences long (about 150- 200 words).
• Start with the same format as a regular Works Cited list.
• All lines should be double-spaced. Do not add an extra line between the citations.
• If your list of citations is especially long, you can organize it by topic.
• Try to be objective, and give explanations if you state any opinions.
• Use the third person (e.g., he, she, the author) instead of the first person (e.g., I, my, me)

Please use the following resource to help with formatting Annotated Bibliographies in Chicago Style:

• Purdue Owl resources for Chicago Manual of Style

  For general formatting and examples click the above link.

• Annotated Bibliographies

  Overview of purpose and form of annotated bibliographies from the Purdue OWL.

• Sample Annotated Bibliographies

  Sample annotated bibliographies from the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University.

Additional Resources;

Beach, R., Bigelow, M., Dillon, D., Dockter, J., Galda, L., Helman, L., . . . Janssen, T. (2009). Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English. Research in the Teaching of English, 44(2), 210-241. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27784357

Kerka, S., & Imel, S. (2004). Annotated bibliography: Women and literacy. Women's Studies Quarterly, 32(1), 258-271. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/233645656?accountid=2909

Papadantonakis, K. (1996). Selected Annotated Bibliography for Economists and Other Social Scientists. Women's Studies Quarterly, 24(3/4), 233-238. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40004384

Renfrow, T.G., & Teuton, L.M. (2008). Schoolyard bullying: Peer victimization an annotated bibliography. Community & Junior College Libraries, 14(4), 251-­275. doi:10.1080/02763910802336407