Annotated Bibliography: All You Need to Know
- Boon Yih Mah
- May 14, 2021
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 8, 2024
What is an annotated bibliography? An annotated bibliography gives an account of the research that has been done on a given topic. It provides a concise summary of the source and some assessment of its value or relevance. An annotated bibliography may be one stage in a larger research project or an independent project standing on its own.
An annotated bibliography must be a competently written, plagiarism-free paragraph citing sources and referencing in a specific format. It is also a well-paraphrased and summarised paragraph displaying contents (main ideas and critical responses) and language or grammatical accuracy (word formation, spelling, tenses, active and passive voice, reported speech). Besides, it should be a well-expressed written paragraph containing many sentence structures (clause and sentence types) and vocabulary use (dictionary skills).
Postgraduate students often create annotated bibliographies to demonstrate their understanding of the literature relevant to their research topic. Annotated bibliographies provide a summary and evaluation of each source, helping students develop critical thinking skills and establish the credibility of their research. They should do it early in their research process to identify key sources and refine their research focus. Annotated bibliographies for postgraduate studies are created by summarising each source's main points, evaluating its relevance and reliability, and reflecting on its potential contribution to the student's research.
A. Four Elements
An annotated bibliography based on one of the assessment components of the English for Academic Writing courses in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) must include four elements. It must be written in a paragraph of about 300 words based on a given text with a reference. It contains a correctly formatted reference and in-text citations based on the latest APA format, an introduction, the main ideas in the article, and critical responses based on the provided text.
Below are the details of the four elements needed to write an annotated bibliography:
A reference and at least four in-text citations are provided based on the APA 7th edition.
An introduction with the author(s), overview, objective, type of article, and target readers.
A minimum of five main ideas
A minimum of five critical responses, including:
Target readership
Author’s use of resources/in-text citation/currency of research
Organisation
Reasoning
Author’s tone/use of language
Usefulness/strength/weakness/limitation of the article
B. Annotating Tips Solutions
Watch the video for tips on performing the best in an Annotated Bibliography. When watching, try to jot down the important points based on the guidelines given by the narrator, in addition to reading the slides from the video. After watching, you can pose any questions by commenting on YouTube. The replies in the comments below will answer your questions. The comment and reply features allow for further discussion.
Below are the important tips for writing an excellent annotated bibliography.
Provide a reference based on APA 7th edition, including:
A minimum of four in-text citations of the applied sources
Publication details such as
author(s)’s name(s)
date (year, month, or day)
title, publisher, volume, issue, or hyperlink
Write an introduction including the following:
Author(s) and overview of the article
This article by the author(s) deals with/concerns about the (overview)...
Type of article, objective, and target readers
The online journal/newspaper/magazine/web article's objective is to inform/argue/persuade readers/general public/students/parents/teachers to…
Write at least five sentences of main ideas with respective in-text citations from the main text by following the steps:
Identify the topic.
Look into the thesis statement.
Determine the main ideas from the body paragraphs.
Paraphrase the main ideas.
Summarise the main ideas.
Write at least five critical responses or comments from the following options:
Target readership: general public, parents, teachers, university/college/school students
Use of resources/in-text citation/currency of research:
The sources used are current/below 10 years...
Organisation: logical order and patterns of organisation
Reasoning: objective/subjective/biased (adequate/inadequate support) or deductive/inductive
positive: appreciative, authoritative, enthusiastic, patriotic, optimistic, concerned
neutral: objective, factual, formal, informative, instructive, reflective, serious
negative: accusing, angry, insulting, intolerant, fanatical, condemnatory, pessimistic
Use of language: technical, reader-friendly, clear, ambiguous, or free of jargon
Usefulness:
It provides new insight(s) into the issue of...
It does not offer any insights into the problem of...
Strength of the article:
It provides various strong support/evidence/premise such as (research findings, expert testimonies or expert opinions) about...
Weakness or limitation:
It only provides his personal opinion.
It does not give external support to the argument.
C. Sample Test with Answer Keys Solutions
The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking
Critical thinking skills are important for students to improve their academic performance. Research suggests that a more in-depth focus on enhancing critical thinking skills can add academic rigour and increase their scores on assessments (VanTassel-Baska, Bracken, Feng, & Brown, 2009; McCollister & Sayler, 2010; Snodgrass, 2011; Tsai, Chen, Chang, & Chang, 2013). By utilising activities to enhance critical thinking, students can better understand why something has occurred instead of just knowing what has happened. This deeper understanding allows the students to analyse better the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and differing viewpoints on the issue (Tsai et al., 2013).
Critical thinking can be infused in lessons irrespective of the discipline through an in-depth analysis of both data and sources (McCollister & Sayler, 2010). Having students examine the information forces them to look at the information as a process rather than just facts to be memorised. This helps them develop recognition and prediction skills, which are integral to critical thinking. Evaluating information and sources allows students to learn appropriate procedures for finding and utilising credible information (McCollister & Sayler, 2010). They added that this also helps students learn acceptable and proper ways to use discretion. These critical thinking skills will help with reading comprehension and problem-solving, which are important in standardized assessments (VanTassel-Baska et al., 2009; McCollister & Sayler, 2010; Tsai et al., 2013).
Activities based on critical thinking could be worked into the normal class hours without requiring additional class time (Snodgrass, 2011). The researcher suggests that this can be done by simply utilising instructional materials such as online discussion boards, in-class discussions, or alternative modes of assessment in classroom settings. It is also important that any changes to the curriculum be met with training on the new activities and on how to utilise them to their fullest effect. Professional learning communities allow educators to think critically about the methods employed in the classroom (Smith & Szymanski, 2013).
Educators need to understand that their role in developing critical thinking differs from that in a typical classroom setting. To engage students in critical thinking, educators must act as facilitators to allow discussions and encourage a freer thought process. This also promotes the understanding that thinking critically does not always end with the right answer, instead sometimes ends in more questions (Halx & Reybold, 2005; Arend, 2009). The educators’ role as facilitators also encourages peer review and helps students learn appropriate responses to conflicting evaluations and opinions (Hender-son-Hurley & Hurley, 2013; Tsai et al., 2013). Activities such as writing essays and utilising questions that adhere to Bloom’s Taxonomy of higher-order thinking are examples of ways to engage students in critical thinking in the classroom (Smith & Szymanski, 2013).
Developing critical thinking skills is not merely for core subjects such as reading, math, language arts, science, and social studies. Kokkidou (2013) suggests that critical thinking can also be developed in music education by examining the musical environment, comparing and contrasting different eras or pieces of music, and self-evaluating performance. As such, educators, regardless of their discipline, should be able to promote critical thinking skills in their classrooms.
Retrieved and adapted from http://www.edarticle. com/articles/43448/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking.php, Ronda Blevins, 2009, Journal of Developmental Education, Vol 27, Issue 1, pp. 36-41
Question
Based on the given article, write an annotation of 250 - 300 words on the importance of including critical thinking skills in classrooms. You are advised to paraphrase and summarise the information critically.
Your annotation should include the following:
a reference
a minimum of four (4) in-text citations
an introduction
five (5) major points and relevant supporting details
a critical response to the author’s argument
appropriate use of language
Answer Keys
Grade A
Belvins, R. (2009). The importance of teaching critical thinking. Journal of Developmental Education, 27(1),36-41. http://www.edarticle. com/articles/43448/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking.php
The journal article written by Blevins is a call to include critical thinking activities in the classroom, as they are vital to students’ academic performance. The article aims to inform the public about the importance of critical thinking skills in education and how to enhance them. VanTassel-Baska, Bracken, Feng and Brown (2009), McCollister and Sayler (2010) and Snodgrass (2011) suggest that a more in-depth focus on enhancing critical thinking skills can add academic rigour and increase students’ test scores. By carrying out activities in the classroom to encourage critical thinking, students can better understand “why something has occurred as opposed to just knowing what has occurred” (Tsai, Chen, Chang & Chang, 2013). According to Henderson-Hurley and Hurley( 201); and Tsai et al. (2013), educators must be facilitators and encourage the learning process rather than just memorising. They also say that in doing so, students can respond appropriately to conflicting views and judgements. The critical thinking approach is applicable, irrespective of discipline. Snodgrass (2011) indicates that critical thinking can be included in normal class hours. Smith and Szymaski (2013) stated that professional learning communities help educators think critically about classroom pedagogy. The article is written for educators and curriculum designers. Blevins developed the article well by supporting his arguments with sufficient current research. This makes the article objective as he presents relevant facts and adequate examples. The article is also reader-friendly as the author has used simple, clear, and factual language. The author’s tone is serious as the author continues to stress the importance of critical thinking activities in the classroom to build higher-order thinking skills. The article is useful as it provides clear insights into the importance of employing critical thinking skills in school.
(284 words)
Grade B
Belvins, R. (2009). The Importance of Teaching Critical Thinking. Journal of Developmental Education, 27(1), 36-41. Retrieved from http://www.edarticle.com/articles/43448/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking.php
The journal article written by Blevins is a calls to include critical thinking activities in the classroom, as it is vital to students’ academic performance. The article purpose is to aim to inform the importance of critical thinking skills in the education environment and the ways to enhance them. VanTassel-Baska, Bracken, Feng and Brown (2009), McCollister and Sayler (2010) and Snodgrass (2011) have suggested that a more in-depth focus on enhancing critical thinking skills can add academic rigor and increase students’ scores on assessments. By utilising activities to enhance critical thinking, students are better able to understand why something occurred as opposed to just knowing what has occurred (Tsai, Chen, Chang & Chang, 2013). It is important for educators to play their roles as facilitators and encourage the learning process rather than just memorising as this helps students to learn appropriate responses to conflicting evaluations and opinions (Henderson-Hurley & Hurley, 2013; Tsai et al., 2013). Critical thinking approach is applicable, irrespective of discipline. Snodgrass (2011) indicates that critical thinking can be including in the normal class hours. Smith and Szymaski (2013) states that professional learning communities help educators think critically the pedagogy employed in classrooms. The article is written for educations and curriculum designer. Blevins has developed the article well by supporting his arguments with sufficient and current research. This make the article objective as he presents relevant facts and adequate examples. The article is also reader friendly as the author has used simple language that is both clear and factual. The author’s tone is matter-of-fact as the author continues to stress the importance of critical thinking activities in the classroom to build higher order thinking skills. The article is useful as it provides clear insights into the importance of employing critical thinking skills in the classroom.
(297 words)
Comments
Orange: Wrong format
Blue: Direct lifting from text
Red: Language errors
Green: Wrong answer
Grade C
Ronda Blevins (2009) Journal of Developmental Education, 27(1), pp.36-41. Retrieved on 15 April 2023 from http://www.edarticle.com/articles/43448/the-importance-of-teaching-critical-thinking.php
The journal written by Blevins is a calls to include critical thinking activities in the classroom, as it is vital to students’ academic performance. The article purpose is to suggests that a more in-depth focus on enhancing critical thinking skills can add academic rigor and increase their scores on assessments VanTassel-Baska, Bracken, Feng and Brown (2009), McCollister and Sayler (2010) and Snograss (2011) have suggested that a more in-depth focus on enhancing critical thinking skills can add academic rigor and increase students’ scores on assessments. By utilising activities to enhance critical thinking, students are better able to understand why something occurred as opposed to just knowing what has occurred (Tsai, Chen, Chang & Chang, 2013). It is important for educators to play their roles as facilitators and a peer review process, and helps students to learn appropriate responses to conflicting evaluations and opinions (Henderson-Hurley, 2013; Tsai et al., 2013). Critical thinking approach is applicable, irrespective of discipline. Snograss (2011) indicates that critical thinking can be including in the normal class hours. Smith and Szymaski (2013) states that professional learning communities help educators think critically the pedagogy employed in classrooms. The article is written for educations and curriculum designer. Blevins has developed the article well by supporting his arguments with sufficient and current research. This makes the article objective as he presents relevant facts and adequate examples. The article is also reader friendly as the author has used simple language that is both clear and factual. The author’s tone is serious as the author continues to stress the importance of critical thinking activities in the classroom to build higher order thinking skills. The article is useful as it provides clear insights into the importance of employing critical thinking skills in the classroom.
(291 words)
Comments
Orange: Wrong format
Blue: Direct lifting from text
Red: Language errors
Green: Wrong answer/wrong in-text citation/missing in-text citation
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