Annotated Bibliography Assignment | Top Universities

 Annotated Bibliography Example handout:

1. Develop search terms based on your research question.
2. Find two scholarly journal articles and one e-book with the help of Ashford Library Chat.
3. Construct APA Style references for these sources.
4. Write annotations for these sources.
5. Copy and paste the chat transcript to the end of the document.

Develop Search Terms

To start this assignment, complete the Generating Search Terms worksheet. The Generating Search Terms worksheet will help you select the major concepts in your revised research question. Note: You will not submit this worksheet, but will need it for Step 2.

Find Two Scholarly Journal Articles and One E-Book

Now you are ready to search for scholarly journal articles and one e-book. Review the steps for using FindIt@AU by completing the GEN 103: Introduction to the Ashford University Library (Links to an external site.) tutorial.

• Consult with Ashford Library Chat to find relevant search results. You will select your first scholarly journal article from these results. Please note you must access the session from your course. See this tip sheet (Links to an external site.) for help connecting with a librarian.
  • Bring your revised research question and two to five search terms to the chat session.
  • Once the chat sessions ends, a summary of your chat will be sent to the e-mail address you’ve provided. You will include the summary as part of the assignment. Please note a chat session needs to last at least five minutes to receive a summary.
  • Download and save the full text article so you can review it later.
• Use FindIt@AU and the skills you learned in chat to locate your second scholarly journal article. Download and save the full text article so you can review it later.
• Use your search terms and the Ashford University Library EBook Central database to find one e-book that relates to your research question. Watch the
• Ebook Central Overview and Searching (Links to an external site.) video for help with using this database.

For each source, make note of the information you need to construct references and locate each source again.

Construct APA References for These Sources

Remembering what you learned about how to format references in the APA Skill Activity, construct APA references for your sources. Write those references in the Library Sources Annotated Bibliography template. Check your reference format using the Ashford Writing Center’s Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) to ensure they are correct.

Write Annotations for These Sources 

Now, you will write annotations for the two scholarly articles and one e-book. Write the annotations in your own words on the Library Sources Annotated Bibliography template. The annotations must be two paragraphs long and must address the points below. Provide brief descriptions or explanations to support your answers:

Paragraph 1: Summarize

• What kind of source is this?
• What is the thesis or main claim of the source?
• What evidence or claims does the source present in support of the thesis? Present at least two examples of support the source uses.
• What other important claims does the source make?

Paragraph 2: Evaluate

• How adequately does the source support its thesis?
• How current is the information in the source relative to your research question?
• How credible and authoritative is the source for your research question?
• What limitations, if any, did you note in the source?
• How does the source help answer your research question?

Copy and Paste the Chat Transcript to the End of the Document

To make sure your submission is as strong as it can be it is recommended you:

• Use Grammarly (Links to an external site.) to assist you in locating and correcting grammar and punctuation errors.
• Submit your bibliography to Turnitin to make sure you did not accidently copy another’s work.
  • You may review the resource Understanding Turnitin (Links to an external site.) for more information.
• Submit your work to the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.) for feedback. The Ashford Writing Center staff can help you identify formatting, grammar, and other common writing issues in your work and give you ideas for ways to fix them. The Ashford Writing Center staff is available by email or by chat.

The Library Sources Annotated Bibliography

• Must be double-spaced, include a title page, and be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.). It should not include a References page.
• Must use the Library Sources Annotated Bibliography template provided in the assignment instructions.
• Must use two scholarly journal articles and one e-book.
• The Source Types handout offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment. Get English homework help today