Soc. 308California State University, Fullerton,
Cynthia Irvine, M.A.
Annotated Bibliography Assignment
For this Assignment, you will write an annotated bibliography using a minimum of four different
sources from the CSUF Library. It is recommended that all of these articles be related to the
topic that you will be doing your final research paper on: the articles annotated here can be those
used as part of the background material in the research paper. Be sure to choose actual scientific
studies (not a meta-analysis or a literature review on a topic) that provide for a different
perspective on your topic.
An annotated bibliography for research includes a listing of citations for each different source of
information with each citation followed by a brief description of the study and a critical analysis
of the research report. The purpose of an annotated bibliography is to help the researcher make
sense of the many conflicting and sometimes contradictory results. Most researchers group the
different studies together by topic or themes in order to see if a particular pattern emerges.
Hopefully, you will begin to see this in your bibliography.
Upon completion, an annotated bibliography helps the researcher gain an understanding of the
entire body of research on a particular subject (i.e., not just one study). In other words, putting
together an annotated bibliography helps the researcher to get a broader sense of the results of
many different studies on the same subject. In addition, an idea of how the different studies
connect to one another and the important themes that are related to a topic often emerge in this
process. This is an important first step to take when attempting to develop quality research
questions and hypotheses.
Assignment Directions
Select a minimum of four and no more than five different research reports on a relevant topic of
interest in the field of sociology. Do your best to include a few different types of sources in your
bibliography (e.g., peer reviewed journal, book, etc.). In addition, make sure that your sources
are current (within the last five years, I will accept later if needed).
At the beginning of the Assignment, please include a statement (one or two sentences) indicating
what topic or concept connects the articles summarized.
Start off with the full text citation for each study in boldface. Be sure to list your different
sources in alphabetical order.
Immediately after each full text citation, summarize the following details from the cited source:
A full citation of your source, formatted per APA style guidelines
A brief description of the research questions and hypotheses
The method and any criticisms
The results
The conclusions and any concerns that you may have
A critical analysis of the quality and credibility of the study and author(s
How this study connects to or contrasts with other studies on this subject
An explanation of how this study will shed new light on your topic
Make sure to provide enough details for the reader to get a clear sense of the study. Ideally you
will have two “paragraphs:” the first covering the first four bullet points above, the second
covering the remaining three.
After the three to five articles have been listed and annotated, end the Assignment with a couple
of paragraphs describing how the process of putting together an annotated bibliography helps
researchers to develop quality research questions and hypotheses.
Length: 3-4 pages.
The Assignment should:
Follow Assignment directions (review grading rubric for best results).
Use correct APA formatting per the APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition.
Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in
Standard American English.
Peer Editing
Research Paper
Structure and Style…
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Improving Sentences: Look at the individual sentences of
your paper and identify any awkward or confusing
sentences.
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In general, the more simply and directly you state your ideas,
the better.
Use simple sentence structures to avoid confusing the reader.
Break down long sentences in shorter sentences when
discussing a complex idea.
Combine shorter sentences into a longer sentence when
reporting simple information.
Structure and Style…
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Improving Words: It is important to pay careful attention
to the wording of your paper so that your accurately
report both the your findings and the literature.
Revise any confusing vocabulary or unnecessary jargon.
-Verbs: When reporting your own findings use the
past tense; when reviewing the published work of
others, use the present tense.
Commonly Misused Words
Data: data is the plural form; datum is the singular form.
Effect/Affect: Effect is the noun form, meaning results: The
effects of too little sleep… Affect is the verb form,
meaning influence: The play affected us deeply.
Percent: may be a noun, adjective, or adverb. When used
with numbers, use the symbol: The sample consisted of
80% females. Never start a sentence with a number –
You must spell the number out (Eighty percent of the
…)
2) Grammar and Punctuation
QUESTIONS TO ASK
1. Is the grammar of each sentence correct?
2. Are pronouns clear and unambiguous in their
reference?
3. Have I punctuated and cited quotes correctly?
4. Are their words I need to look up for meaning
or spelling?
5. Does each sentence flow smoothly without
being awkward, wordy, or confusing?
6. Is the format of my paper correct, including the
title page, body of the text, endnotes, or
reference page?
Research Paper
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Focus: tone
Third person
◼ Word choice should be sophisticated
◼ Simple sentence structure
◼ Clarity
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Be sure each of the items required are addressed.
Example of an Annotated Bibliography
Belcher, D. D. (2004). Trends in teaching English for specific purposes. Annual Review of
Applied Linguistics, 24(3), 165-186. doi: 10.1017/S026719050400008X.
This article reviews differing English for Specific Purposes (ESP) trends in practice and in
theory. Belcher categorizes the trends into three non-exclusive sects: sociodiscoursal,
sociocultural, and sociopolitical. Sociodiscoursal, she postulates, is difficult to distinguish from
genre analysis because many of the major players (e.g., Ann Johns) tend to research and write in
favor of both disciplines. Belcher acknowledges the preconceived shortcomings of ESP in
general, including its emphasis on “narrowly-defined venues” (p. 165), its tendency to “help
learners fit into, rather than contest, existing…structures” (p. 166), and its supposed “cookiecutter” approach. In response to these common apprehensions about ESP, Belcher cites the New
Rhetoric Movement and the Sydney School as two institutions that have influenced progressive
changes and given more depth to “genre” (p. 167). She concludes these two schools of thought
address the issue of ESP pandering to “monologic” communities. Corpus linguistics is also a
discipline that is expanding the knowledge base of ESP practitioners in order to improve
instruction in content-specific areas. Ultimately, she agrees with Swales (1996) that most genres
that could help ESL learners are “hidden…or poorly taught” (p. 167) and the field of genre is
only beginning to grasp the multitude of complexities within this potentially valuable approach
to the instruction of language—and in turn, writing.
This article provides examples as well as expert opinion that I can use in my project. This will
provide me with evidence to support my claims about the current disciplines in ESL studies.
(This is pretty general, try and be more specific on how the article will apply to your topic.)
You will repeat this for every article that you have.