annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Research Essay

An annotated bibliography is a list of the sources that includes a citation and a brief description analyzing what the source adds to your research. Compiling an annotated bibliography supports the research process in a number of important ways:

· It provides a record of what you’ve read

· It enables you to reflect upon how your sources contributes to your growing understand of your research question

· It evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of each source

· It can help you manage your time

· It can be an organizational tool

· It can help you identify potential holes in your research process

You will compile a list of at least seven (nine if you choose to complete the expanded version) sources that you have read, viewed or collected data from. You may include the initial sources you looked at when you chose your topic, if you they provided information that is relevant to answering your research question. You need to make sure that the sources you use are reliable. Whenever possible, please use academic sources. Depending upon your topic, you may have to supplement the academic sources you find with additional information, especially if you want to include data that is specific to Portland. When searching for local sources, please use official reports, statistics, government data, policy papers, or newspaper articles. You may also collect your own data by conducting a phone, email or in-person interview, attending and taking notes at public meetings, events or hearings, or visiting a specific site. Each of these activities will count as a “source.”

Not all of your sources will necessarily directly support your argument or even address your research question. Some sources may provide useful background information or might offer a theoretical or conceptual framework you can use to analyze your data. A source may also highlight a counter-argument.

While your question will relate to our Portland theme, not all of your sources will be Portland-specific. Most questions students explore are not unique to Portland. For example, if you are studying homelessness, you should not limit yourself to sources about homelessness in Portland. Homelessness is a problem that exists nationwide and the dynamics of this issue do not vary much from city to city in the U.S. You will find more accurate information if consult sources about the issue of homelessness in the US, then try to understand how these issues are manifested in Portland.

For each source you highlight, you will include:

· A full citation---please include all of the bibliographic information that you would list in your reference list (i.e. title, author, publication date, publisher, etc.). It will save you time if you write your citation in the format you will be using for your paper (MLA, APA, Chicago). You can then copy the completed citation to create your reference list.

· An annotation---a short paragraph that describe how this source helps you answer your research question. This should not be the notes you took as you read. Instead, think about how this source builds upon the knowledge you’ve gained so far about your topic. You may want to include a sentence or two that describes how you plan to use this source in your paper (i.e. statistics that support your argument, to provide background information, etc.). When possible, try to relate the information from this source to the other sources in your bibliography.

You will need to organize your sources in a format that makes sense for you particular paper. If you have multiple parts to your argument, you can group your sources by topic. You could also group them by the role they might play in your paper (background, evidence for argument, counter-argument).

I encourage you to begin compiling your bibliography when you begin reading your sources. If you write your citation and annotation after you read each source, the information you gained will be fresh in your mind, and you will find it much easier to get the assignment completed.

The minimum standard that your Annotated Bibliography must meet include:

· Needs to have 7 reliable sources

· A full bibliographic reference for each

· An annotation that describes what the source contributions to your paper

· Some organizational scheme that makes sense to you and is obvious to your audience

· Must be proofread so there are no glaring grammatical, punctuation or spelling errors

If you choose to complete the expanded version of this assignment to earn an A, your Annotated Bibliography must:

· Meet all of the standards outlined above, but have 9 sources

· Include a reflection (at least 2 paragraphs) that highlights your current research question and assesses how the data you’ve collected so far answers that question. Your reflection should demonstrate your understanding of how the sources you’ve included relate to one another and should also outline what additional research you think you will need to collect before your begin writing your paper. Feel free to use diagrams, such as a concept map, if you find it helpful, but this is not a requirement.