Lesson 2 Writing:  Developing your Research




Selection 3: Annotating your sources


  image of boy, pen, and notepad  

You can find a sample of what you will make here: Annotated Bibliography Example.

The process of annotating helps you evaluate whether or not you can believe the source’s information. The annotation helps your readers decide whether or not that source might be useful for them if they want to study it more.

Assignment: you will create an annotated bibliography as you research to help document your findings. You will submit this work to your teacher BEFORE you present your site to your peers, but will also link it to the cite.

For each source cited in your annotated bibliography, you will write a critical annotation in your own words  (paraphrased) regarding the source, the information gleaned from this source, and how this information helped you answers questions in your research.  You should include:

  1. at least one FCPS electronic database or reputable news website

  2. one media message

  3. one article

The rubric can be found here.

  


  Consider the following questions as you write your annotations. You should write a paragraph-length annotation for each source listed in your bibliography. Note: You are not answering these questions in a point-by-point format. Rather, you should consider these questions as you craft a well-rounded reflection on the source.

  • What is the scope of this source? Is it an overview, a manual, a critical analysis of one point of view, an in-depth explanation? How relevant and useful was it for your particular topic? What was missing?

  • What is the purpose of this source? Is the author’s intention to persuade, to inform, to analyze, or to argue for a point of view? Is there evidence of bias or distortion? Are there errors or weaknesses in the author’s argument?

  • What knowledge level is expected of the reader? Has it been written for a general reader, a scientist, a high school student, an instructor? Is the writing style and information appropriate for the audience?

  • *How much information did you get from this source? Did its bibliography lead you to new sources? How did this source influence your thinking? What research questions did it help you answer?


  


Link to FCPS Library Services Databases: Find the info, explore fact, get answers
Link to FCPS LIS Databases


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