An overview of the Annotated Bibliography assignment for Bay State College students.

1. DEFINITION OF AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals,
websites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching
a topic. A bibliography usually just includes the
bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher,
etc.).
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation.
Therefore, an Annotated
Bibliography includes a summary
and/or evaluation of each of the
sources.

2. PURPOSES OF THE ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
 To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated
bibliography is excellent preparation for a
research project. Just collecting sources for a
bibliography is useful, but when you have to
write annotations for each source, you're forced
to read each source more carefully. You begin to
read more critically instead of just collecting
information.
 To learn how to find sources

3. ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES:
 Develop an annotated bibliography in correct APA format with four
sources that you believe would be helpful in the area of your research
question. You will then describe, evaluate, and reflect on each source.
Each annotation should contain the following:
 One (1) Book;
 Two (2) Sources from Electronic Databases (e.g., ProQuest, LexisNexis,
Infotrac, JSTOR);
 One (1) Internet Source.

4. THE RESEARCH QUESTION:
 Your professor may give you topics to choose from or you may
be permitted to pick your own.
 Your research question should be on a topic that
 interests you,
 is not too broad or too narrow,
 can be researched in the library.

5. FORMING YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION:
 A research question that is too broad:
 Since 9/11, has society become more prejudiced?
 A research question that is too narrow:
 What are three ways that security at airports has changed since
9/11?
 A research question that is just right:
 Since 9/11, does our society unfairly stereotype and discriminate
against Muslims?

6. THE ANNOTATIONS:
 Each annotation will be one paragraph and include
three separate parts:
 Description
 Evaluation
 Reflection
 Your assignment will have four annotations that are
at least 75-100 words each.

7. DESCRIPTION: WRITE A DESCRIPTION OF
EACH SOURCE.
 What are the main arguments?
 What is the point of this book or article?
 Describe the main topics of the source (look at table of contents).

8. EVALUATION: WRITE A CRITICAL
EVALUATION OF EACH SOURCE.
 Is the source/author accurate, reliable, or biased in any way?
 Does the author back up his/her claims with evidence?
 Is it written for a particular audience?
 What are the strengths/weaknesses of this source?

9. REFLECTION: WRITE ABOUT YOUR
IMPRESSIONS OF THE SOURCE AND ITS
USEFULNESS.
 How will this source help you answer your research question or
support your argument?
 How did it change the way you think about your topic?
 How can you use this source in your research project?

10. SAMPLE RESEARCH QUESTION AND ANNOTATION IN APA FORMAT:
Since 9/11, does our society unfairly stereotype and discriminate against Muslims?
Syed, N. (2010, February 3). Airport Screening for ‘Flying while Muslim.’ Retrieved from
http://www.CNN.com
 The article “Airport Screening for ‘Flying While Muslim’” is about the TSA racially profiling Muslims at airports. The author, a
Muslim and a student at Harvard University, disagrees with the way the TSA is “randomly” targeting anyone with a Muslim-
sounding name or wearing traditional Muslim dress. The author stresses that targeting members of a certain group at the
airport is not effective and results in a perpetuation of ignorance and stereotyping. This author is biased. This is not a reliable
source since this is an opinion-based editorial without any supporting evidence. The article was written for the general public.
This source compares to my other sources in that it is a first-hand account of the author’s experiences with racial profiling,
while my other sources contain solid evidence to support the authors’ points. Even though this article supports my thesis and
makes me feel more strongly about my argument, because of the lack of supporting evidence, I could not use this source for
a research paper.

11. PAPER SET-UP: DOUBLE SPACE THROUGHOUT
 1. Write your research question at the top of page one (you
only need to write your question one time- at the top of page
one).
 2. Write the citation in the correct APA format for your first
source.
 3. Write the annotation for your first source.
 4. Repeat this for your next three annotations (order of
sources needs to be in alphabetical order).

12. THE RUBRIC:
I. RESEARCH QUESTION No Yes
Clearly Expressed
II. CITATION AND CORRECT APA FORMAT No Yes
1 Book
2 Database Sources
1 Internet Source
III. BOOK ANNOTATION No Yes
A. Clear, concise summary
B. Critical Evaluation of Book
C. Reflection on Usefulness to Research
IV. DATABASE SOURCES No Yes
#1 Clear, concise Summary
Critical Evaluation of Source
Reflection on Usefulness
#2 Clear, concise Summary
Critical Evaluation of Source
Reflection on Usefulness
V. INTERNET SOURCE No Yes
#1 Clear, concise Summary
Critical Evaluation of Source
Reflection on Usefulness

13. PROBLEMS?
 Contact Pam Grill at pgrill@baystate.edu
 or Jessica Neave at jneave@baystate.edu