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Sample Annotated Bibliography

Some of your courses at Ashford University will require you to write an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography is a working list of references—books, journal articles, online documents, etc.—that you will use for an essay, research paper, or project. Although there are no strict formatting guidelines for the annotated bibliography itself, each reference should be cited in APA format. After each citation, provide a summary of the source, indicating how it will inform your essay, research paper, or project. Many pertinent ideas and supporting details come from analyzing and summarizing your sources. An annotated bibliography helps you get a head start on your assignment, and it encourages you to focus your topic as you assess each source, choosing the key ideas and sources that are most valuable for your assignment. Also, you can keep track of your sources as well as the correct formatting for each reference. Provided below is a sample annotated bibliography.

Annotated Bibliography

Aslanian, C.B. (2001). Adult students today. New York, NY: The College Board.

Exceptional resource for statistics on adult learners and their motivation for returning to school.

The author presents a study spanning 20 years that illustrates extensive demographics including

average age, income, travel distance, cost, ethnicity, gender, religion, and field of study.

Brookfield, S. (n.d.). Adult learning: An overview. Retrieved from

http://www.nl.edu/ace/Resources/Documents/AdultLearning.html

Excellent and thorough article covering four major research areas: self-directed learning, critical

reflection, experiential learning, and learning to learn. The author refutes current definitions of

adult learning and motivation and proposes instead that culture, ethnicity, and personality have

greater significance than are espoused in the current myths that describe adult learners. This

article is interesting to consider because it diametrically opposes the existing and widely

accepted views on the subject.

Donaldson, J. F., Graham, S.W., Martindill, W., & Bradley, S. (2000, Spring). Adult

undergraduate students: How do they define their experiences and their success? Journal of

Continuing Higher Education, 48(2) 2-11. Retrieved from

http://webspirs.silverplatter.com:8000/nccp113

A small study confirming current thinking that adults return to school for primarily external

reasons, e.g., a major life event or career advancement. The research further illustrates that actual

success in learning comes from an internal locus of control that includes life experience,

maturity, motivation, and self-monitoring.

Marienau, C. (1999, Spring). Self-assessment at work: Outcome of adult learners’

reflections on practice. American Association for Adult & Continuing Education, 49(3),

135. Retrieved from

.

A qualitative study of adults in graduate programs and their use of self-assessment and

experiential learning from the perspectives of performance at work and personal development.

This article is enlightening, for it explores the benefits to the adult learner of self-assessment and

introspection. The concept of purposefulness and the need for the adult learner to connect

learning with concrete experience are discussed.

Merriam, S. B., & Caffarella, R. S. (2001). Adult learning theories, principles and applications.

San Francisco, CA: A Wiley Company.

This is a textbook used for the training of instructors of adult students. There are several

excellent and pertinent chapters devoted to the self-determination of the adult student and the

need for programs to be designed that allow adults to use their problem-solving skills.

Moore, B. L. (1999). Adult student learners. Penn State Pulse Website. Retrieved from

http://www.sa.psu.edu/sara/pulse/adults_65shtml

This website contained a survey of adult learners’ perceptions of their education experience at

Penn State. The study contains a large survey sample and generally confirms the findings of

other studies at major universities. The important information gleaned is that the emphasis on

adult learner programs at historically traditional universities is a much higher priority due to the

increasing population of adult students.

Sheldon, K. M., & Houser, M. L. (2001). General motivation for college measure. Journal of

Personality and Social Psychology, 80, 152-165. Retrieved from

http://gateway1.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi

This source is a psychosocial instrument designed to measure adult students’ general motivation

for attending college. This instrument is appropriate to my research topic because it profiles adult

students and rates motivation in terms of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. It supports the

findings in my other sources and adds another component: the pursuit of happiness.