1. Save the Date:
Let’s Annotate!
Fall Quarter 2011

2. What is an Annotated Bibliography?
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A collection of cited sources
• AKA References page
Each source
• Begins with a full APA citation
• Followed by an annotation

3. What is an Annotation?
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NOT just a summary or abstract of the source
“Annotate” means critical or explanatory notes
Your own thoughts must be included!
Your annotation contains a summary of the source
AND critical information about the source
Four to eight sentences that include a summary,
evaluation, and reflection

4. Formatting
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Reference page citation
• Double spaced
• Hanging indent
Summary and critical information
about the source are underneath
• Double spaced
• One paragraph
• Entire paragraph is indented

5. • Reference citation is first:
• Annotation:
Formatting Example
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Calkins, S., & Kelley, M. (2007, Fall). Evaluating internet and scholarly sources across the disciplines: Two case studies.
College Teaching, 55(4), 151-156. doi:10.1111/j.1747-7379.2007.00759.x
This article discusses the problem of unintentional online plagiarism and many students’ inability to
evaluate, critique, synthesize, and credit online sources properly. Two case studies from different
disciplines, which were designed to foster critical evaluation of the Internet and scholarly sources,
are discussed in detail. I found this article useful because much of the content of these case studies
can be easily adapted to fit assignments in different academic disciplines. One information literacy
assignment in one quarter at college is not enough. If students are expected to use the Internet in
a responsible way, educators must provide guidelines and relevant experience that allow students to
apply those guidelines in practical ways.

6. Structure
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Your
annotation
should
include these
three parts
Summary
EvaluationReflection

7. Summary
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Two to four sentences long
Ask yourself:
• What are the main arguments?
• What is the point of this book/article?
• What topics are covered?
• If someone asks you what the resource was about, how
would you describe it?

8. King, J. (2010, July 9). Summer shouldn’t be a lazy time for kids. USA Today, sec. 9a. Retrieved
from http://www.usatoday.com
Obesity rates in children have tripled in the last 30 years and Michelle Obama is making it her goal to educate
children and adults on how to lead healthier lifestyles. Joyce King believes that while Michelle Obama’s initiative is
great, it is going to take a lot of effort from parents to help their children become more active and learn healthier
eating habits. King has worked in broadcasting for more than 20 years and has won many awards, so this article is
very credible. King also provides numerous statistics to back up her claims, including the percentage of minority
children who are overweight and the low percentage of children who will be doing physical activities during the
summer. I found this article to be much more insightful than the other two articles I looked at. I knew that obesity
rates in children were high, but I had no idea how staggering the statistics were and my eyes have been opened to
just how serious childhood obesity has become.
Summary Example
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9. Evaluation
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Evaluate the source
• One to two
sentences
Ask yourself:
• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why

10. Evaluation Criteria – Who
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Who is the author?
Is there an author?
• Education
• Accreditation
• Occupation
What are the author’s or organization’s
qualifications?

11. Evaluation Criteria - What
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What is the resource about?
Does it cover your topic in depth, or does it briefly
mention your topic?
Does the content appear to be reliable and accurate?
•Validate with another resource
Is the content scholarly or peer reviewed?

12. Evaluation Criteria - When
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When was the source published?
When was the source last edited or updated?
• Look for outdated information
When were facts or statistics gathered?

13. Evaluation Criteria - Where
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Where did you find the information?
Where was the information published?
What is the website extension?
• .com = commercial
• .edu = educational
• .org = organizational
• .gov = government

14. Evaluation Criteria - Why
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What is the purpose of the resource?
Education
Advocacy
(Persuasion)
Information
Business or
Marketing

15. King, J. (2010, July 9). Summer shouldn’t be a lazy time for kids. USA Today, sec. 9a. Retrieved
from http://www.usatoday.com
Obesity rates in children have tripled in the last 30 years and Michelle Obama is making it her goal to educate
children and adults on how to lead healthier lifestyles. Joyce King believes that while Michelle Obama’s initiative is
great, it is going to take a lot of effort from parents to help their children become more active and learn healthier
eating habits. King has worked in broadcasting for more than 20 years and has won many awards, so this article is
very credible. King also provides numerous statistics to back up her claims, including the percentage of minority
children who are overweight and the low percentage of children who will be doing physical activities during the
summer. I found this article to be much more insightful than the other two articles I looked at. I knew that obesity
rates in children were high, but I had no idea how staggering the statistics were and my eyes have been opened to
just how serious childhood obesity has become.
Evaluation Example
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16. Reflection
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Reflect on your source
The most important part of your annotation
because it contains your own thoughts!
One to two sentences
Ask yourself:
• Was this source helpful to me?
• Has it changed how I think about the topic?
• Was the source too elementary or too advanced?
• Did I like the source?

17. King, J. (2010, July 9). Summer shouldn’t be a lazy time for kids. USA Today, sec. 9a. Retrieved
from http://www.usatoday.com
Obesity rates in children have tripled in the last 30 years and Michelle Obama is making it her goal to educate
children and adults on how to lead healthier lifestyles. Joyce King believes that while Michelle Obama’s initiative is
great, it is going to take a lot of effort from parents to help their children become more active and learn healthier
eating habits. King has worked in broadcasting for over 20 years and has won many awards, so this article is very
credible. King also provides numerous statistics to back up her claims, including the percentage of minority
children who are overweight and the low percentage of children who will be doing physical activities during the
summer. I found this article to be much more insightful than the other two articles I looked at. I knew that obesity
rates in children were high, but I had no idea how staggering the statistics were and my eyes have been opened to
just how serious childhood obesity has become.
Reflection Example
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18. • Log in to the Student Portal
• Click on “Library Resources” in upper left-
hand corner
• Click on “APA Citation Help” under Research
Tools
• Select the first link – “NoodleBib Full Version”
• Log in with firstname.lastname and your
regular Rasmussen password
NoodleBib Will Format Annotations!
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19. For further assistance:
beth.willoughby@rasmussen.edu
– Contact your campus librarian!
– Ask RAS LLC (instant messaging from library home
page)
– Email us: librarians@rasmussen.edu
– Text-a-Librarian: 66746 askllc
Questions?
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20. • http://tinyurl.com/LLCWebinars
• -OR-
• https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LLCWebinars
Webinar Survey Links
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21. goo.gl/hXUVD
View/Download the PowerPoint
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