What are they? Annotation Types Examples Annotated Bibliographies

What is an Annotated Bibliography? A list of sources used in research (books, journals, websites, periodicals, etc…) Annotations are a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources researched on a given topic Like any bibliography, an annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of research sources

Selecting the Sources Define the scope of your research carefully so that you can make good judgments about what to include and exclude Consider these questions when determining what source to use or exclude in your research: What problem am I investigating? What question(s) am I trying to pursue? What kind of material am I looking for? (academic books, journals, gov’t reports…) Am I finding essential studies on my topic?

Annotation-Types Summarize: What are the main arguments? What is the point of the source? What topics are covered? Assess: Evaluate the source Is it useful? Is it reliable? What is the goal of the source? Reflect: Was source helpful? How does it help shape your argument? How can you use the source in your argument?

Why Write an Annotation? Excellent preparation for research ideas When you write annotations, your forced to read your sources more carefully You are forced to read more critically Annotations help you formulate thesis/argument

Examples (as taken from

Annotated Bibliography An uncertain road: muslims and the future of europe. (n.d.). Retrieved Feb. 28, 2006, from PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life Web site: A study of Islam and Europe in historical terms. The authors of this forum look to understand what the future holds for Islam in Europe based on the 1,000 years of history. European Integration, Public Opinion and Immigration Policy: Testing the Impact of National Identity, European Union Politics, The study assesses European attitudes towards supranationalism based on cultural identity, and whether it is important for Europeans to see themselves as Europeans first and their national identity second, or vice versa. Fekete, L. (2003, July 24). Update: far-right political parties in europe. Independent Race and Refugee News Network, Retrieved Feb 20, 2006, from Institute of Race Relations notes that extreme-Right immigration and law and order policies are being incorporated into the agenda of mainstream centre-Right parties, and new political parties are emerging, whose policies are shaped almost entirely by an anti-immigration agenda. Fiscal Policy in the European Union, European Union Politics, Vol. 3(2), An analysis of the stipulations required of member states of the European Union as written in the Maastricht Treaty. Hall, B. (2000). Europe's history has been shaped by migration. Retrieved on Feb. 26, 2006 from Web site: Discusses the immigration issues that have plagued Europe over the past 30 years, from guest- worker programs to asylum seekers. The author makes a determination of what the European Union must do in the coming years to ease the immigration pressures on member states of the EU. Huntington, S. (1993). Clash of civilizations. Retrieved Feb. 21, 2006, from Author argues that cultural identities and religious values have superceded state disputes as major challenge to world peace. The Cold War has ended, but a cultural war has begun. Jones, D. (2004). The islamination of europe. Commentary, 118(5), 5. This author disputes Huntington’s ‘Clash of Civilizations’ as too broad, and insists that the growing number of Muslims now living in Europe represent a new civilization, one not rooted in their past, but still not of Europe either.