Objective: Identify peer reviewed journal articles that support or refute the major themes in the book you have selected for class. Assess sources to support the research for your final presentation (for credibility, reliability, and relevance) and list references in proper APA format.
Assignment Instructions: An annotation is a summary and evaluation, and your annotated bibliography will include a summary and evaluation of some of the sources (or references) you will use for your presentation.
To prepare for this assignment, I recommend that you do the following:
- Read the grading criteria below. The grading criteria provide a detailed evaluation that I will use to assess your performance. It also will help you understand what is expected of you as you prepare your assignment.
- Message me with any questions!
The reason the annotated bibliography is included as part of the book review/discussion/presentation project is that writing an annotated bibliography is important in that it provides excellent preparation for the final presentation. One of the issues regarding any type of research, especially in the environmental sciences, is the credibility of the sources used. By forcing you to evaluate each of your potential sources carefully, the annotated bibliography helps you determine if in fact the source you chose is credible and helps you determine how relevant it is to your topic and understand the topic better, which will help you develop your presentation.
For this project, you will assess five sources to include:
1) a complete citation for each source,
2) a summary of each source, and
3) an evaluation of each source in the context of the book you selected for class.
Five sources are required for this assignment (i.e., you are to write an annotation for each source).
Use this TEMPLATE to summarize and evaluate each of your five sources.
- Citation:
Written in APA reference list format. For more help with formatting, see the Writing@APUS resources in out library.
- Summary:
What is the purpose of the source, review article, original research? What topics are covered? This section is generally 4-6 sentences that summarize the author’s main point. Be sure to paraphrase and summarize. Do *not* paste in direct quotes.
- Evaluation:
After summarizing the article, it is necessary to evaluate it and specifically relate it to the themes covered in the book you selected for class. Briefly evaluate how/of the science in this article relates to/supports/contradicts the science in the book. In other words, reflect on the source’s potential utility/importance related to the selected book. Do this in no less than 4-6 sentences.
Additional Resources:
- Also, please see the resources below at The Owl at Purdue site for more information on how to write an annotated bibliography as well as other pages on the site to assist you with the other parts of the research paper:
Annotated Bibliography Example
Annotated Bibliography Samples
Evaluation: Please review the grading criteria below. Five sources must be evaluated, each based on the following criteria:
Source selection and credibility (12 points)
- Sources are from peer reviewed journals and based on current (last five years maximum range) and credible scientific work either directly or indirectly
- Sources such as “wikis” or blogs are not utilized
APA formatting of source (12 points)
- Source citations are written in APA reference list format
Summary of source (32 points) – approximately 4-6 sentences
- Topic sentence included stating the main topic of the source
- Explains whether source is original research or a review of the topic
- States main conclusions or findings
Evaluation of source (32 points) – approximately 4-6 sentences
- Topic sentence stating if source supports or refutes book theme(s)
- Provides evidence of author’s authority
- States main points that offer evidence of your evaluation
Writing expectations and scientific terminology (12 points)
- Summaries and evaluations accurately apply scientific concepts and use scientific terminology correctly
- Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are used throughout