Annotated bibliography

the annotated bibliography

+ why? + provides an overview of the key texts in a topic area + helps you narrow and refine your topic + helps you identify and develop your argument + helps you prepare for writing

+ how? + spend some time searching relevant databases + spend some time in the library—browse the shelves + google books, google scholar + JSTOR

mapping the territory


+ choose broadly but wisely + multiple perspectives/methodologies are good + make sure the scope is relevant (don’t use ‘fillers’) + primary texts are good, out of date studies aren’t + if you find a great source – check for a bibliography + as your knowledge of the topic grows –refine


+ information gathering + scan the table of contents and the introduction + if it looks worthwhile, read a chapter or two


+ be concise but specific + give a brief summary of author’s principle argument + give a sense of where this text fits in the literature + illustrate how it is relevant to your study + 75 -150 words is ideal


+ the annotation + browse through the full text + identify the author’s principle argument and methodology + look at book reviews (if a book) – very helpful


+ example [an annotation]:

Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York: Morrow, 1997. In Biomimicry Janine Benyus sets out the principle tenets of a design methodology rooted in the scientific study of nature. Benyus argues that the study of natural systems, infrastructures, and solutions offers designers models and strategies that can coexist harmoniously with nature, rather than dominating and exploiting it. In the first seven chapters, Benyus establishes the theoretical and ethical background for her argument, as well as a series of examples of biomimicry at work in science and design. In the final chapter, which addresses industrial ecology, Benyus outlines "ten lessons" that an ecologically aware company, culture, or economy should practice, and argues that in following these lessons we will establish a healthier, more symbiotic relationship with our natural environment.!



+ example [an annotation]:

Iversen, William. “Home Lighting.” Holiday (May, 1960): 177- 182. Holiday¸ a popular American magazine, published an article based on an interview with lighting designer Richard Kelly discussing the state of contemporary residential lighting design. Surprisingly, Iversen makes many of the same arguments as those in “Conditioned Lighting” in House and Garden from 1937—indicating a resistance in the popular market to the ideas being promoted by these popular home journals. The emphasis in this article however, is less on the emotive potential of artificial lighting design and more on the notion that lighting design is an essential aspect of the art of home decoration. Iversen writes, “We now approach an era in which home illumination is beginning to emerge as a major decorative art.” Furthermore he suggests that proper attention to the design of electric lighting can transform an ordinary apartment by creating “an atmosphere as scintillating as the candlelit courts and salons of eighteenth-century Europe.” He also reminds readers that they need not spend a fortune to create these effects, that there are numerous lighting options “available for every budget.” He concludes his overview with a reminder to his readers that it is indeed possible to “Live Better Electrically.”!


the abstract

+ offers an original and compelling question

+ provides an introduction to your topic

+ provides a summary of the scope of your investigation

+ outlines the aims of your study // investigation

simplify [be specific]

the abstract [+ thesis statement]

+ have a unique point of view

+ an argument is an opinion [not a fact]

+ collect evidence to convince your reader [images, objects, ideas, precedent]


+ e.g. an argument [thesis statement] “In this essay I will argue that in the latter 1930s streamlining was applied to a variety of objects to express a sense of speed and innovation, which often had more to do with a hopefulness about the future than actual design improvements.”

refining your argument [thesis statement]


+ the breakdown

› what+when: streamlining, 1930s › why: to express speed, innovation, and sense of the future › twist [argument/thesis]: not about design innovation, but optimism

refining your argument [thesis statement]


building a convincing argument

+ a convincing argument needs “proof”

+ readers expect to be convinced with MORE than opinions

+ the better your evidence, the better [and more interesting your paper] will be


APA style http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/

maximise your resources

bibliographic citations in APA style http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/

Aitkens, S; Jackson, W.R., & Green, B. T. (2001). Perceptions of reality: Virtual versus ‘real’. Adolescence 103 (2): 159163.

Chen, P.Y. (2007, May 15). Unlimited potential for online capacity. Dominion Post, p. B4.

Erricsen, P. (2006). Surfing the net. In D. Faber (ed.). Trends in twentieth century youth culture (4551), Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Holby, G.A. (1999). Caught in the worldwideweb. New York, NY: Wheatsheaf.

Samson, A.J. (2004). Teaching online. Retrieved July 11, 2007, from http://www.educationdebate.com. Shaw, P. & Reid, W.D. (2000). In a world of their own? A survey of 1,000 US college students’ online gaming patterns. Cyberworld 23 (2): 6671. Williams, C.R. Jackson, P, Howell, A.S. & Brown, D. (Eds.) (2003). Accounting through the ages. London: McMillan


final reminders

+ be specific – as much as possible [always]

+ define all new terminology—introduce all new people

+ make sure your evidence supports/expands your argument

+ a simple, well-written, logical argument is always better than a complicated/confused claim

+ be critical: do you understand and believe your argument and evidence?


Documents

Annotated bibliography