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CAJCS Extended Essay Guide: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Important and relevant information to assist you in writing your Extended Essay.

WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?

An annotated bibliography is a list of all the sources gathered with the full citation and a description and evaluation of the source in terms of its Bibliography clipart source information, Bibliography source information Transparent FREE for download on WebStockReview 2021relevance to your research. It allows your supervisor to quickly skim through to determine if you have located an appropriate range of academic sources, both in terms of their academic value as well as if you are including a range of perspective relevant to your topic.



WHAT SHOULD AN ANNOTATION INCLUDE?

An annotated bibliography consists of:

  • the bibliographic information
  • the annotations (a concise summary of the source).

The annotations will vary in length depending on whether you are writing a summary of the source or analyzing it.

A summary should include:        

  1. a concise summary of the content and theme(s) of the source
  2. a comment on the authority of the author
  3. a comment on the purpose of the source
  4. a comment on how this source might be useful.   
  5. What type of the source is used?     

WHY ANNOTATE?

What Do Sample Annotations Look Like?

Bibliographic information

Gutman, R. 1993. A Witness to Genocide. New York, NY, USA. Macmillan.

Content/theme(s)

Genocide and how it can be avoided, especially in the case of the Bosnian civil war.

Author’s authority

Journalist and author. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting, the George Polk Award for foreign reporting, the Selden Ring Award for investigative reporting, and a special Human Rights in Media Award from the International League for Human Rights.

Purpose

Collection of stories, accounts, articles of the Bosnian war.

Usefulness

The source was useful in so far as it provided accounts of the Bosnian war and its aftermath. It is clearly an investigation into the causes of the civil war and genocide. It helped frame the conflict for me so that I could locate further articles and journal sources. The source was very informative as I try to understand the causes and consequences of genocide and why it occurs.
 

Bibliographic information

Ehrenreich, B. 2001. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. New York, NY, USA. Henry Holt and Company.

Content/theme(s)

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.

Author’s authority

Ehrenreich is an experienced journalist, author and political activist. She has been publishing since the 1970s and has been active in a number of different fields, such as finance, health care and feminism

.

Purpose

Ehrenreich gives a first-hand and critical insight into the everyday life of Americans at the “lower end” of the social spectrum, a world we don’t normally experience.

Usefulness

Extremely useful:

  • insight into America’s society as a whole
  • gives those examples and details
  • critical presentation from an outsider’s perspective
  • a good example of “embedded journalism”.    

Bibliographic Information

Avelino, J, Willocquet, L and Savary, S. 2004. “Effects of Crop Management Patterns on Coffee Rust Epidemics”. Plant Pathology. Vol 53, number 5. Pp 541–547.

Content/theme(s)

How crop management systems can affect the spread of coffee rust epidemics. The role of mathematical modelling supported by data from the field is discussed and new approaches to managing the coffee crop are suggested.

Author’s authority

The main author works at a government agricultural research station in Costa Rica and has published many articles in pest control, agriculture and mathematical modelling. Clearly a recognized scientific authority in the coffee-growing business.

Purpose

To suggest novel ways of dealing with a major tropical agricultural disease through an integrated scientific approach.

Usefulness
  • Takes a balanced look at benefits and difficulties of using mathematical models to predict changes in complex ecological systems.
  • Considers the practical implications for the farmers who have to deal with the issues in the field.
  • Suggests scientifically considered interventions.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY VIDEO TUTORIAL

What information should the annotations include?

An annotation may contain all or part of the following elements depending on the word limit and the content of the sources you are examining.

  1. Provide the full bibliographic citation

  2. Indicate the background of the author(s)

  3. Indicate the content or scope of the text

  4. Outline the main argument

  5. Indicate the intended audience

  6. Identify the research methods (if applicable)

  7. Identify any conclusions made by the author/s

  8. Discuss the reliability of the text

  9. Highlight any special features of the text that were unique or helpful (charts, graphs etc.)

  10. Discuss the relevance or usefulness of the text for your research

  11. Point out in what way the text relates to themes or concepts in your course

  12. State the strengths and limitations of the text.

  13. Present your view or reaction to the text.

source: University of New South Wales, Australia