Anotated Bibliography about daily technology. Literature & Language

topic around something like phone using

Annotated Bibliography for Research Assignment SOURCES FOR YOUR RESEARCH Magazines and Newspapers: Are particularly valuable because they are current, provide general information about your topic and how it affects people in society. These sources not only provide anecdotes that give a sense of the human element aspect of your topic, they also often link to other sources, such as studies and journal articles, that you can use. Newspapers can also be considered primary sources if you are using issues current to a historical event. General Reference Sources: Wikipedia, Encyclopedias and general knowledge sources which will help you to narrow your focus on your topic and point you to other sources and experts in the field. Read reference sources to orient yourself to the conversation about your topic. DON’T USE REFERENCE SOURCES AS YOUR EVIDENCE. Use them to guide you and narrow your focus. Primary Sources: Interviews, diaries, studies and reports can be considered primary sources because they are not filtered through someone else’s interpretation. In other words, they are coming directly from the person or organization that has first-hand experience with the topic or event. “Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later. Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format.” http://www(dot)yale(dot)edu/collections_collaborative/primarysources/primarysources.html Academic Journals: Peer reviewed journals are considered to be among the most reputable and credible sources because articles in the journals have been vetted by a committee of the authors’ peers. In other words, other scholars who are experts have read and approved the articles before they can be published. Access these through the Stony Brook Library Database search tools. Non-peer reviewed journals: Not reviewed by an editorial board, but still considered reputable in the scholarly research area. Research Resources Note: Most online articles have links to the peer reviewed articles they reference. How to Tell Good Research from Bad - Questions to look for in assessing credibility Journalists Resource — This is an excellent source for summaries of and links to academic studies on various topics. Do a search for your topic. New York Times tech page — Articles on current technology issues New York Times science page — Articles on science New York Times Health — Articles on medicine, lifestyle and health Stony Brook Libraries — This is the home page for the university’s online databases. This is a terrific source for academic journals. The best databases to start with are Academic Search Complete, LexisNexis and JStor. There are also a number of databases specific to different disciplines, such as medicine, biology, history, etc. YOUR TOPIC When researching your topic look at it from three perspectives: How does it affect the individuals involved, or how does it affect the individual in general? How does the issue affect society on a national and/or global level? Does it impact what it means to be human? These perspectives will help you to answer the “so what” or “why should I care” question, making your research relevant for the reader. Answering this also serves as the foundation for your thesis statement. Try to find at least one primary source. This is often where newspaper articles can come in again, because they often have stories about individuals who are affected by the topic. Including such anecdotes helps you to appeal to your readers’ emotions. DIRECTIONS 1) Find no fewer than a total of SIX SOURCES, but more if you please, as indicated below: a. Two to three peer-reviewed Academic Journals. The others can be non-peer reviewed. b. One book. c. The rest of your sources can be of your choosing, but they need to be reputable and/or scholarly. Try to find a primary source. 2) Print out all of your articles. Check out the book. Read/Skim them. Circle the words you need to look up. Look them up. THE ANNOTATION 3) On a separate sheet of paper for each article: a) Cite each source in MLA style. See OWL Purdue site. b) Annotate each source. Your annotation should be in paragraph format and include: 1) A brief summary of the source, including the source’s thesis, key points, and the most significant detail or evidence supporting those points. If someone asked what this article/book was about, what would you say? What is the purpose of the book or article? What topics are covered? What are the main arguments? Focus on the thesis statement and topic sentences from your article to summarize important points. 2) Evaluate the source. Is it secondary or primary? Does it make a strong argument? Is it logical? Does the author jump to conclusions? Is the data sufficient? (In other words are the inferences believable and based on solid facts?) Should a wider range of subjects have been tested? Is it biased? Is it useful compared to other sources? Is the journal reputable (i.e. reviewed by peers, etc.). 3) Relate the article to your research/thesis. Does it contradict you? Is it easily refutable and is it, therefore, helpful or harmful to your essay? Can you use it in your essay and how? Does it offer statistics valuable to your research? Has it changed how you think about your topic? TIPS Do not merely copy the author’s words—that’s plagiarism and it defeats the entire point of an annotated bibliography. Rewrite each source’s information entirely in your own words so that you will remember it and so that others can know if it is a source they should consult. The first step to a successful annotated bibliography is to know your own argument—or at least to have a general sense of the direction of your paper. As you locate and read texts to include in the bibliography, take notes to help you remember pertinent information in your annotation. Keep your audience in mind when writing and consider what information will be useful to them. Keep track of both the author’s points and of your reaction to them. Was something particularly memorable? Did something strike you as ridiculous or as a mistaken argument? *Note: These points are taken directly from the Texas A&M Writing Center website. To read the complete explanation of annotated bibliographies see: http://writingcenter(dot)tamu(dot)edu/2005/how-to/research-documentation/annotated-bibliograph ies Other sources for annotating: Purdue’s OWL website: http://owl(dot)english(dot)purdue(dot)edu/owl/resource/614/01/. Hunter College’s website: http://rwc(dot)hunter(dot)cuny(dot)edu/reading-writing/on-line/annotated-bibliography.pdf