Annotated Bibliography & Reflection

Annotated Bibliography & Reflection

 

Value: 10% (this assignment is graded holistically – see the rubric for more details)

Feedback/Peer Review: To be completed by July 29 in the Discussion Forum in Week Three

Final Due Date: To be uploaded by Friday, July 31 into the Assignment Dropbox located in Week Four (Please submit as a .docx or .pdf only.)

Word Count: For the Annotated Bibliography, you will write two annotations. Each annotation needs to be a maximum of 300 words; popular press articles will likely require less, probably 150-200 words. The Reflection will be between 300 to 400 words. Your entire assignment should NOT exceed 1200 words. If it does, please chat with me, and we can figure out what the issue is.

Friendly Advice: Please note that this assignment is designed to be the START of your research essay. You may be able to use revised versions of your summaries in your paper.

Purpose or why am I doing this?

A common assignment in many disciplines across campus is the annotated bibliography. This is a powerhouse of an assignment that combines research, summary writing, and organizational skills. This assignment is a “mini-annotated bibliography” in that a full-blown annotated bibliography might ask you to collect 15, 20, or even more sources for a research project. This assignment simply asks you for four (4) sources for your research paper:

· 2 of your sources MUST be peer reviewed, academic sources. You have the option of using two peer-reviewed sources.

· 2 of your sources MAY be use reputable sources that aren’t peer reviewed.

This low number of sources gives me the opportunity to review what you’ve found and see if they seem appropriate for your research project (as well as if you have summarized and cited these sources effectively).

Expect feedback that lets you know what you summarized effectively and offers advice about what needs more work. By completing this assignment and reflecting on feedback it receives, you can become more skilled at researching and writing about your research.

There are two different (yet related) writing components: The Annotated Bibliography and a Reflection

What is an annotated bibliography?

A bibliography is a list of resources; to annotate something means to make notes about it. When you produce an annotated bibliography, you normally include the following elements:

· Write a bibliographic entry according to your documentation style of choice for each of your sources.

· Put this list of bibliographic entries in the order dictated by that documentation style. (For example, MLA and APA lists of sources are alphabetized.)

· Follow each bibliographic entry with your “notes” about the source.

For this assignment, your annotation will have these qualities:

· You should summarize the main point the authors make.

· You should explain how the authors’ main point relates to your own ideas.

· This content should be presented as a single paragraph following each bibliographic entry.

· Each paragraph can be up to 300 words long (but should not be longer).

What Is a Reflection?

A reflection is your thoughtful review of something you have achieved in the past. In this case, you will complete your annotated bibliography and then take a look through your notes and think about how you completed that part of the assignment. How did you figure out a topic? What keywords did you use for your library search? Did the “Starting Your Research” videos help you? How did you choose specific articles and check their reliability? Reflection is a useful learning tool that allows you to reflect on your learning process.

Fun fact: at Brock University some years ago, a psychology prof and a learning expert conducted a study asking a large sample of students at the end of a term what they thought they had learned. The researchers were horrified to discover the students said they didn’t know. The researchers decided to use reflective assignments (like this one) throughout various courses to see if this problem could be rectified. When the researchers asked the same question to students who had completed reflective assignments (across three academic years or six terms), the students were able to effectively answer the question by describing the skills and theories they had learned. This is why we have you write reflections: they help you to retain what you have learned.

When writing this Reflection, consider how you might use the sources in your Annotated Bibliography as part of your Research Paper. For example, a source might provide necessary context or background information. It might support one aspect of your idea, it might make a point that you want to disprove or argue against, or it might do something else entirely. As you research, you become an expert on your topic, so you’re the one who knows best how to explain how all of the sources you are reporting on fit together.

How to Complete This Assignment Successfully 

  Writing the Annotated Bibliography

You should work on this assignment in parts. Going online to work in the library databases and trying to complete this assignment in one sitting is likely to be a dreadful writing experience. If, instead, you complete this assignment in stages, you will have time to develop a much better understanding of how your sources relate to each other – and you might even get to enjoy what you’re learning from your research.

1. Pick a research or topic area from the list in the Research Paper guidelines.

2. Listen to the slidedeck entitled “The CRAAP Method,” and watch the three five-minute videos entitled “Starting Your Research” (parts one, two and three). These items are all located in a Discussion Forum in Week Three.

3. Choose two peer-reviewed articles (from academic journals) and up to two reputable or popular press articles (such as from a high-quality newspaper like The Vancouver Sun or The Washington Post). Depending on your topic, you might decide you need more peer-reviewed articles or other kinds of sources. Check with me for guidance. Please use Summon to find these materials. (If you use Google or even Google Scholar, you may hit paywalls.) If you are unsure what to do, re-watch the videos, use the Research Anywhere site or contact a librarian.

ADVICE: The first four or even the first ten sources you put your hands on aren’t likely to be the most useful sources out there for you. Skim abstracts and introductions, at least, to be sure they are suitable for your topic. Give yourself lots of time for this step!

4. Now you are ready to take notes. Using the techniques for note taking you used for the Summary and Persuasive Response assignment, find the thesis (central argument or claim) and the supporting arguments in your articles.

5. Write your summaries. Using the techniques for summary writing discussed in Week Two, write a summary for each article.

6. Once the summaries are complete, you must provide full bibliographic information about your sources. You will need to choose a documentation style: you can choose MLA or APA. (Click on either to learn how to cite in these formats.)

Your bibliographic entry serves as a heading for your summary of the article, like this:

This is the citation.

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Roles of the Northern Goddess. London: Routledge, 1998.

This is the start of the annotation (summary).

Davidson's book provides a thorough examination of the major roles filled by the numerous pagan goddesses of Northern Europe in everyday life, including their roles in hunting, agriculture, domestic arts like weaving, the household, and death. The author discusses relevant archaeological evidence, patterns of symbol and ritual, and previous research. The book includes a number of black and white photographs of relevant artifacts.

7. Check the word count for each of your annotation paragraphs. They should be up to 300 words each. Condense and cut if necessary. Now is the time to edit and proofread your work so that it will be easy for your reader to understand.

8. Please remember that you need to submit for feedback one completed peer reviewed annotation with bibliographic entry and one completed reputable source annotation for feedback by Wednesday July 22. This means you will need to get going with this assignment in Week Three. (Summer courses move fast!)

Writing Your Reflection

To complete this assignment, you need to write a Reflection on your research process. (Just place it at the end of the Annotated Bibliography under the heading “Reflection.”)

In your Reflection, discuss how you decided on the sources in your Annotated Bibliography (conducted your research) and how these sources will be used as part of your final research essay. To generate this document, consider the following questions (which might be helpful to you as you research for any project). You do not need to answer all of these questions; rather, use a few as prompts to help you generate thoughts you can write about in your Reflection:

· How did you figure out a topic and what keywords did you use to find your sources?

· Do you know who wrote each source you are including in your annotated bibliography? What qualifications does each source say the writer has?

· Why do you think the writer wrote it? Do they have a self-interest or a political viewpoint that might make you have faith in or question the reliability of their work?

· Besides the differences between scholarly, non-scholarly, and Internet sources, what else do you know about where each source was published? Is it an academic book? An article in a respected journal? An article in a news magazine or newspaper?

· When was it published? Given your research topic, how important do you think the date of publication is?

· Overall, how reliable and authoritative do you find this source? How might that level of reliability impact how you will use this source as part of your own argument?

· What sources might you use for your assignment? How might you make use of them?

Your finished Annotated Bibliography with Reflection is due to be submitted on Sunday, July 26. Please let me know if you need advice or help as you work on this assignment.

Here is Marking Rubric for all ATWP assignments https://www.uvic.ca/humanities/english/undergraduate/resources/firstyeargrading/index.php

And here are the Marking Guidelines I am using for this assignment. I suggest using these guidelines as a checklist when you are editing and revising your assignment:

The A Paper

Content: An A-range assignment has 2 high-quality, well-chosen entries in the annotated bibliography. At least 1 of those entries are from peer-reviewed sources. The accompanying paragraphs clearly, succinctly, and accurately summarize the main point the source is making. This paragraph is appropriately detailed and specific. As well, the writer’s reflection discusses the research process and likely why certain sources will be used in their research paper, offering persuasive evidence for these choices. The assignment’s strengths clearly outweigh its weaknesses.

Writing: The assignment is clearly, coherently, and correctly written. The annotations clearly indicate which ideas come from the original source and which ideas are those of the writer. Signal phrases and in-text citations are provided when appropriate and necessary.

Following Instructions: The annotated bibliography contains at least 2 entries, with complete, correctly formatted bibliographic entries and annotations written in full sentences. The Reflection explains how the sources were checked for reliability and provides insight into the writer’s choices.

The B Paper

Content: A B-range assignment has 4 entries in the annotated bibliography. At least 1 of those entries are from peer-reviewed sources. The accompanying paragraphs clearly and succinctly summarize the main point each source is making. The reflection explains the writer’s choices for the bibliography. As well, the writer likely explains in the reflection which sources will be used for their research paper and why, offering adequate support for these choices. Strengths clearly outweigh weaknesses, but there are notable opportunities for improvement.

Writing: The assignment is mostly clearly and coherently written, but there are notable lapses. The annotated bibliography entries clearly indicate which ideas come from the original source and which ideas are those of the writer although some signal phrases and in-text citations might be deployed clumsily.

Following Instructions: The annotated bibliography contains at least 2 entries, with complete bibliographic entries and annotations written in full sentences. The reflection explains how the sources were checked for reliability and sums up the usability of certain sources for the research paper.

The C Paper

Content: A C-range assignment has 2 entries in the annotated bibliography; 1 of those entries are from peer-reviewed sources. The accompanying paragraphs summarize the main point the source is making. As well, the writer’s reflection discusses their research process, but the reflection seems to be missing information. Both strengths and weaknesses are evident, but strengths do still outweigh weaknesses. There are many ways in which this assignment could be improved.

Writing: The assignment is mostly coherent, but some parts may be difficult to understand. The annotated bibliography entries indicate which ideas come from the original source and which ideas are those of the writer. Signal phrases might be missing, but in-text citations are present when necessary.

Following Instructions: The annotated bibliography contains 2 entries. Bibliographic entries offer complete information although there may be some formatting problems. Annotations are written in full sentences. The summary adequately captures the main idea of sources but some details seem unnecessary or are missing. The reflection describes how the sources were checked for reliability and offers a statement about the usability of certain sources for the research paper, but further explanation seems necessary.

The D Paper

Content: A D-range assignment has 2 entries in the annotated bibliography, but no entries are from peer-reviewed sources (without instructor approval). The accompanying paragraphs summarize some of the main points the source is making. While the writer offers some reflection on which sources will be used for their research paper or some reflection on the research process, there is not enough information present to make their ideas clear. The assignment often goes off topic. Strengths and weaknesses are approximately even. Needed improvements are numerous and obvious.

Writing: The assignment is mostly coherent, but parts may be difficult to understand. This assignment might rely too heavily on slang or unnecessary jargon (discipline-specific language that is usually unfamiliar to people outside of the discipline) for it to be understandable, or it might use overly formal language that impedes readability. The annotated bibliography entries do not clearly and consistently indicate which ideas come from the original source and which ideas are those of the writer.

Following Instructions: The annotated bibliography contains 2 entries, but there are no peer-reviewed academic sources and/or the sources chosen seem inappropriate. Bibliographic entries contain notable errors in content and formatting. Summaries are incomplete. There is little reflection explaining how the sources were checked for reliability and/or how they might be used in the research essay.

*If your assignment receives a D, please contact me so that we can create a plan for improvement for your next assignment or discuss the possibility of you rewriting and resubmitting.

The F Paper

Content: An F-range assignment likely has fewer than 2 entries in the annotated bibliography, and no peer-reviewed sources (without instructor approval). The accompanying paragraphs inadequately summarize the original sources. The writer has trouble explaining how their ideas connect with those found in sources. The reflection is missing or does not suggest which sources will be used for the research paper and why. The assignment goes off topic, perhaps including materials and ideas unrelated to the sources being annotated. Weaknesses outweigh strengths.

Writing: The assignment is difficult to understand. Errors in sentence structure, word choice, and/or punctuation impede comprehension. There are likely no discernable organizing principles to the flow of ideas. It is difficult to figure out which ideas come from the original source and which ideas are those of the writer.

Following Instructions: The annotated bibliography contains fewer than 2 entries. Bibliographic entries are incomplete or offer inaccurate information. Summaries are scanty, incoherent, and/or misrepresent the content of the sources. The reflection is likely missing or is notably inadequate.

*If your assignment receives a F, please contact me so that we can create a plan for improvement for your next assignment or discuss the possibility of you rewriting and resubmitting.