prompt and example attached What you need to turn in for the final assignment 1. Brief (1-2 paragraphs) introduction to your topic 2. Citations for all of your sources in correct APA format (consult D
Annotated Bibliography Assignment
CCJ 380
The purpose of this assignment is for each student to demonstrate an understanding of the research skills covered by the library instruction component of this class and to use your new research methods skills to critically analyze scientific writing. You must use the Portland State University library resources to locate the majority of your sources.
You are tasked with completing an annotated bibliography of 6 sources, all of which relate to a topic of your choice. Sources may include: books, scholarly articles, government documents, and web produced reports (as long as they are scholarly), and other peer-reviewed or rigorous scientific report. You will need to include at least 3 peer-reviewed journal articles (this includes law reviews). Feel free to use the bibliographies of other articles as jumping off points for locating other scholarly articles.
One of the main points of this assignment is for you to demonstrate a grasp of APA (American Psychological Association) format and that you understand the scope of the material appropriate for scholarly research. Consult the American Psychological Associations Guide to Formatting for correct citation style. There is a quick guide to APA format on the Library website or you can find the full text in the library.
Overview of the Role and Importance of Citing Material
References and citations serve several purposes. Most importantly, they give credit to whom it is warranted. In addition, they acknowledge the value of others' work, create an important record of the line of scholarly inquiry, and allow readers to evaluate the accuracy of your conclusions and to pursue the subject further by examining the original documents.
All work that is a source of the ideas presented—whether quoted, paraphrased, or summarized—should be cited properly. To summarize is to condense the original into a sentence or two in your own words; to paraphrase is to follow the original statement or passage more closely but still restate it in your own words. In paraphrasing, do not use whole phrases, many of the same words, or sentence structures similar to the original. To quote a source is to extract a word, phrase, sentence, or passage from the original and insert it into the text. Quoted material should be enclosed within double quotation marks or, if lengthy (longer than three typewritten lines), indented as a block quote.
In general, it is better to summarize or paraphrase others' ideas than to present a stream of quotations. Your paper will be easier to read and will better convey your understanding of what you have read. Use direct quotations when the original words are particularly well chosen—clear, incisive, or powerful. A good research proposal will have zero to just a few (2 or 3) direct quotes, you should endeavor to have a few as possible. Whenever possible the material should be resented in your own words (properly cited of course).
If you use another writer's words or ideas without citing the source, you have committed an act of plagiarism. Work is plagiarized even if it is in your own words, but is not properly cited; a good rule is that every paragraph in a proposal should have at least one citation. Very few ideas, if any, will be original.
Documentation of sources should be presented in two places: (1) in the text, to identify and credit the source immediately following its use; and (2) following the text, in a list of references with more detailed information about each source. Cite the source whose ideas and/or words you are using. If you are citing work referenced or quoted by another author (and you do not have access to or have not read the primary source), cite the original author "in" the work where you found it; for example, (Rossi in Singleton and Straits1999).
Annotated Bibliography Assignment Instructions
Part I: Introduction
Begin with an introduction explaining the scope of your topic to familiarize the readers with the focus of your annotated bibliography. The introduction should be one to two paragraphs long, but does not need to be elaborate or include references. Within the introductory statement, you should indicate the topic of study, what research question your topic addresses, and why this project interests you.
Part II: Annotations:
The annotations should be listed alphabetically by author, using APA format. Each entry should conform to the following structure by answering each of the three parts below:
A complete citation in APA format.
An annotation of the source. An annotation briefly describes and evaluates the reference with the purpose of informing the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited. The annotation of each source should address the following items in the order presented below:
Summarize in a sentence or two the author’s main point.
The purpose of the work.
What were the author(s) main findings?
The strengths of the research.
The weaknesses or biases of the material.
Short explanation of how the resource was located – e.g. Academic Search Premier, Portland State University Online Catalog, recommended by professor, etc.
Part III: Photocopies of Material:
You will be required to turn in a photocopy of the first page of the journal article, government document, table of contents of a book, first page of a webpage, or other item needed to clearly identify the source. You do not need to turn in the entire article, just the first page. Attach these to the end of the main document.
TIPS
Don't confuse abstracts or summaries with annotations.
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 expose the author's point of view, clarity and appropriateness of expression, and authority.
Suggestions for Writing Annotations (To help you think about the sources, not a “requirement”)
Content – What is the resource about? Is it relevant to your research?
Purpose – What is it for? Why was the book or article written?
Usefulness – What does it do for your research?
Reliability – Is the information accurate? Do other sources support the
conclusions?
Authority – Is it written by someone who has the expertise to author the
information? What are the author’s credentials?
Currency – Is it new? Is it up-to-date for the topic?
Ease of use – Can a “real person” use this resource? What is the reading level
of the resource?
What you need to turn in for the final assignment
Brief (1-2 paragraphs) introduction to your topic
Citations for all of your sources in correct APA format (consult D2L)
Annotations with both description and critical evaluations of each source
Photocopies as required from each item included in the bibliography
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