Welcome!
In today's classI will:
An annotated bibliography is a list of information sources. Each entry on the list contains a citation and an annotation. Depending on your specific assignment requirements, annotations may include:
The length of annotations can vary (e.g., 2-3 sentences, a longer paragraph, or multiple paragraphs), so pay close attention to the assignment instructions.
Annotated bibliographies may be assigned as independent research projects, or as one stage in a larger project.
Get more tips on writing annotated bibliographies from MRU Student Learning Services, the University of Toronto and Concordia University writing centres.
There are two major types of annotated bibliographies:
Descriptive or Informative Annotated Bibliographies
A descriptive or informative annotated bibliography describes or summarizes a source like an abstract. It also describes why the source is useful for researching a particular topic or question and what the author's main arguments and conclusions are without evaluating what the author concludes.
An analytical or critical annotated bibliography not only summarizes the source and points out its distinctive features, it also analyzes what is being said. It examines the strengths and weaknesses of what is presented as well as describing the applicability of the author's conclusions to the research being conducted.
* For most of your annotated bibliography assignments, you will be writing analytical or critical annotations.
For additional information and more samples see OWL Purdue
Annotated Bibliography (MRU SLS Handout)
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Anchor Books, 1995.
Lamott's book offers honest advice on the nature of a writing life, complete with its insecurities and failures. Taking a humorous approach to
the realities of being a writer, the chapters in Lamott's book are wry and anecdotal and offer advice on everything from plot development to
jealousy, from perfectionism to struggling with one's own internal critic. In the process, Lamott includes writing exercises designed to be
both productive and fun. Lamott offers sane advice for those struggling with the anxieties of writing, but her main project seems to be offering
the reader a reality check regarding writing, publishing, and struggling with one's own imperfect humanity in the process. Rather than a
practical handbook to producing and/or publishing, this text is indispensable because of its honest perspective, its down-to-earth humor, and
its encouraging approach.
Note: MLA is double spaced and has an indent.
Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and dimed: On (not) getting by in America. Henry Holt and
Company.
In this book of nonfiction based on the journalist's experiential research, Ehrenreich attempts to ascertain whether it is currently possible for an individual to live on a minimum wage in America. Taking jobs as a waitress, a maid in a cleaning service, and a Walmart sales employee, the author summarizes and reflects on her work, her relationships with fellow workers, and her financial struggles in each situation. An experienced journalist, Ehrenreich is aware of the limitations of her experiment and the ethical implications of her experiential research tactics and reflects on these issues in the text. The author is forthcoming about her methods and supplements her experiences with scholarly research on her places of employment, the economy, and the rising cost of living in America. Ehrenreich’s project is timely,descriptive, and well-researched.
Note: APA usually has a hanging indent for the bibliographical citation at the top and a second indent for the bibliography (not shown here, but shown here.
For the following exercise, join the group that matches your birthday and complete the exercise.
Group 1
Scan the following resource (you don't need to read it in full),
Consider the following:
Group 2
Scan the following resource (you don't need to read it in full)
Consider the following:
Group 3
Scan the following resource (you don't need to read it in full)
Consider the following:
Group 4
Scan the following resource (you don't need to read it in full)
Consider the following:
Clear: easily understood by your audience
Focused: narrow enough to allow you to address it in your assignment
Concise: expressed in the fewest possible words
Complex: Cannot be answered with yes or no. Is not a leading question
Open: open to research - should generate more questions
Phrase your topic in the form of a research question:
What is the broad topic: social determinants of addiction
How could you narrow down this topic? Think about the determinants of addiction (family, home, education, community). Think about demographic (are you interested in exploring kids, youth, adults, seniors, or everyone)
An example could be childhood experiences and trauma and their relationship to addiction in youth
Add your topic to a sticky note here!
Rephrase your topic as a question: What is the relationship between ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and addiction?
Before we search the Library...another quick activity
Figure 1. Copely, R. Huge stand in the market with a large selection of fruits [Photograph]. Pixy.org. https://pixy.org/143529/
Take 3-5 minutes and sort these sources into the column that you think it would best fit (academic/scholarly or not academic).
| Scholarly | Grey literature | Professional or trade journals |
|
Scholarly journal articles:
Scholarly books and book chapters
|
Grey literature:
|
Professional or trade journals:
|
|
Search for these in library databases or Google Scholar |
Search for these in Google, Google Scholar or ERIC | Search for these resources using Library databases or Google |
|
sample search: (ACE OR "adverse childhood experiences" OR trauma) AND (addiction OR "substance abuse") AND youth |
sample search (Google): |
sample search: "early childhood" trauma AND ("substance abuse" OR addiction) |
There are a few ways to use the library.
Search Smarter!
You can search in a way to combine or omit different terms by telling the search engine exactly what you want…this can help you save some time (and frustration!)
Use quotation marks to keep phrases together - "Black Lives Matter"
Use AND to combine search terms - "police violence" AND protester
Use OR to connect two or more similar terms - BLM OR "Black Lives Matter"
Use wild cards to substitute a letter or suffix with a symbol - demonstr*
Things to remember when using Library Search:
Sign in to save searches, items, and to request materials.
Use the pin icon to save books and articles.
Use the filters on the right. You will use Availability, Resource Type, and Date filters most often.
Some items won't be available. You can request unavailable items using interlibrary loan.
When viewing an item record, scroll down to the Get It or Full Text section to get the item.
Google Scholar is another great way to find peer-reviewed/scholarly material. Google Scholar has a nifty citation chaining function. The Cited by function will forward you to indexed scholarly material that has cited an article that you may be interested in. The Related Articles link will direct you to similar articles that may have the same metadata or keywords.
The Advanced Search is found by clicking the menu icon (top left).
Besides providing links to articles in MRU databases, Google Scholar links to online repositories that contain articles the author has been allowed to upload. Academia.edu and ResearchGate are among the repositories searched by Google Scholar.
By clicking on the Settings icon, you can select library links to show library access for up to 5 libraries (type in Mount Royal and click on save). If you are logged into the MRU library, links should automatically populate if you are running a Google search in another window.
Note: Google uses different commands: ~; -; +; but AND/OR also works
If you are searching Google (not Google Scholar), you can also limit your search to show specific websites. Eg:
Take an MLA or APA Referencing Tutorial on D2L!
These self-paced 90-minute tutorials covers the same content as live workshops—why citation is important along with the basics of in-text citations and reference entries. Students who complete the tutorial will gain access to a form they can fill out and submit as proof of completion.
Access the tutorial on D2L: Using Google Chrome as your web browser, log in to D2L (learn.mru.ca) with your @mtroyal.ca account. Click the “Discover” tab, then type “APA” or "MLA" in the search bar. Click on the “APA Referencing Tutorial” or "MLA Referencing Tutorial" link and then the “Enroll in Course” button. If you have any questions about the tutorial, contact sls@mtroyal.ca.
