Annotated Bibliography information from Olin and Uris Libraries website, Cornell University www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm & Mrs. D. Parker, Mountain View High School, Mesa, Arizona

Definition An organized list of sources, each of which is followed by a brief descriptive summary or “annotation” on the content and a critical summary on: the source’s usefulness to your research, the author’s point of view and authority, evaluation of its method/ conclusions/reliability, or a record of your reactions to the source

Purpose review of the literature on a particular subject demonstrate the quality of your own research (I read this many books and articles on my subject and understood them all very well.) provide additional information on background material for your reader (these books talked a lot about many interesting issues and provided a nice basis for what I am saying) explore the topic for reading or preparation for research (I’ve done all this reading and research, so let’s see where it is taking me.) give your research historical perspective or relevance (this issue have been viewed a number of ways over the years)

Parts Informative Section Critical Analysis Section concise summary of the article, book, etc. not 1 sentence Critical Analysis Section assessment of the sources strengths/weaknesses why is the source helpful/interesting or not

Critical Analysis Initial Appraisal Author Publication Date what are their credentials, educational background, experience area of expertise associated with reputable institution/organization & what are their basic values/goals Publication Date a. when published is the source current or out-of-date for the topic

B. Content Analysis Intended Audience Objective reasoning who specialized or general is the source to easy or complicated for your needs Objective reasoning fact, opinion or propaganda is evidence valid and well-researched or unsupported note errors or omissions are the ideas more or less in line with other research you’ve read author’s point of view objective and impartial language free from loaded words and bias

More Content Analysis Coverage Writing Style does the work update other sources primary or secondary source Writing Style organized logically main points clearly presented easy to read or choppy and stilted repetitive?

Format MLA Format Double space

Final Thoughts This should not be in any way a detailed description of what you read. Each part is limited to a short paragraph. Be sure to use complete sentences and proper grammar/punctuation, etc.