What is an annotated bibliography?

Holly SingletonInformation Skills Adviser

Today we will cover:

- What an annotated bibliography is- What you need to include- How to successfully assess journal

articles- Searching for more evidence- Where to get help if you need it

1. A list of citations of books, journal articles or other resources

2. Each citation is followed by an evaluative description – the annotation.

3. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance,

accuracy and quality of the sources referenced.

Annotations should:Summarise (topics and main arguments)

Assess (point of view, accuracy, currency)

Reflect (How is this source helpful to you?)

Try not to just describe what the article is saying!

How do I assess a journal article?

As you read your chosen articles ask yourself the following questions:

WHO?Who wrote the article? What are the author’s

credentials? Do they have the necessary experience and qualifications to write on this

topic? Are they linked with a reputable organisation or institution?

Look out for:

• Can you find any other articles or resources by the author?

• Try to find out about where the author works, or what their experience is – it may not necessarily tell you this in the article!

WHEN?When was the article published? Would the

article be considered current or out-of-date? Do you think there is more up-to-date material

available?

Look out for:

• The publication date of the article (it should be on the front page)

• Do a search for articles on the same topic from the past 5 years – are they agreeing or disagreeing with the information in your chosen article?

WHAT?What was the author’s purpose for writing this

article? Who is the intended audience?

Look out for:

• Think about the author’s written tone and what the subject matter is – that will give you a clue as to who the intended audience is!

• Remember to read the article thoroughly to understand its purpose – you may need to read it more than once.

HOW?If the article is a research study describe the methods used in gathering the information.

Look out for:

• If the study is presented numerically – e.g. a survey of a large number of people and the results are shown in percentages – this is known as quantitative research.

• If the study is telling us about people’s opinions and feelings on a certain topic – e.g. interviews with a few people – this is known as qualitative research.

Look out for:

• Once you’ve identified whether research article is quantitative or qualitative, you can start to evaluate if these were the best methods to use for this study.

Look out for:

• Try to evaluate how the research was conducted: did the study involve lots of participants, or not that many? Was the study only carried out in a particular area?

How do I find other journal articles to support what I say or

to use as evidence?

You may need to find and read other journal articles to learn more about the topics of your chosen articles, and

also to help you assess them.

You can look for other journal articles through online databases, found through the library website.

How do I reference my journal articles?

The details you need to reference a journal article can normally be found on the first page:

The format of your reference should look like this:

Surname, Initial. (Date) Title of the article, Title of the journal the article came from, volume number (issue number), page number range.

An example with a real journal article:

Clarke, C. (2014) Promoting the 6Cs of nursing in patient assessment, Nursing Standard, 28 (44), pp. 52-59.

You can find a link to the full Harvard referencing style guide through this link:

https://my.lsbu.ac.uk/page/referencing-your-work

Always refer to the guide to make sure you are referencing in the correct way!

I’m struggling! Where can I go for help?

Contact your Information Skills Adviser

LLR-hsc@lsbu.ac.uk

Book an appointment with us or just ask a question!